WhenToBird

Melanitta perspicillata · Anatidae

When Do Surf Scoters Arrive in Ohio?

Adult male Surf Scoter
Photo: Elliott Gordon, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Surf Scoters are winter birds in Ohio: they arrive in mid October, peak in the second week of November (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late December.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Most gone byDec 22-31late December

Best: the second week of November. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by late December. Peak: on about 1.3% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.4% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.2% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.5% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.1% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.4% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.4% of 36084 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Ohio that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crawford CountyBest late October · 40 checklists that week, 1,763 in all17%
  2. Hancock CountyBest late October · 151 checklists that week, 9,040 in all7.9%
  3. Seneca CountyBest late October · 93 checklists that week, 4,290 in all7.3%
  4. Allen CountyBest mid October · 127 checklists that week, 7,709 in all5.9%
  5. Cuyahoga CountyBest the second week of November · 2629 checklists that week, 158,034 in all5.8%
  6. Warren CountyBest late November · 318 checklists that week, 15,333 in all3.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Indigo Lake (Ira)Summit County, best the second week of April · 36 checklists that week, 811 in all45%
  2. West Branch State Park (Hickory Island)Portage County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 178 in all41%
  3. Lakewood ParkCuyahoga County, best the second week of October · 26 checklists that week, 886 in all39%
  4. Sims ParkCuyahoga County, best the second week of November · 73 checklists that week, 1,453 in all39%
  5. Sherod ParkErie County, best the second week of November · 23 checklists that week, 433 in all37%
  6. Nimisila Reservoir (New Franklin)Summit County, best the second week of April · 60 checklists that week, 208 in all36%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Surf Scoter is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (0.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 43093 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 142017 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 205296 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 196322 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 170882 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January0.4%0.3%0.4%0.2%
February0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.4%0.1%
April0.2%0.3%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
June0%0.1%0.1%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0.1%0%0.1%
October0.1%0.2%0.5%1.3%
November1.1%1.3%1.4%0.9%
December0.6%0.7%0.4%0.4%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives early October, 2 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Illinois: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Ohio
  • Virginia: arrives early November, 2 weeks later than Ohio

Common questions

When do Surf Scoters arrive in Ohio?
Surf Scoters are winter birds in Ohio: they arrive in mid October, peak in the second week of November (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late December.
When do Surf Scoters leave Ohio?
Most Surf Scoters have left Ohio by late December, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Surf Scoter in Ohio?
The Surf Scoter is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 1.3% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Surf Scoters seen most often?
By county, Crawford County, Hancock County, and Seneca County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Surf Scoter (counties with at least 200 checklists).