WhenToBird

Melanitta perspicillata · Anatidae

When Do Surf Scoters Arrive in Oregon?

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

Surf Scoters are winter birds in Oregon: the first arrive in late June, they are common by mid July, peak in early November (6.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 22-30late June
Common byJul 15-21mid July
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: early November. First arrivals late June; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 6.7% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 4.1% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.2% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.5% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.7% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.4% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.4% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.3% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.5% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.5% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.7% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.7% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.4% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.1% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.7% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.9% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.2% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.8% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.0% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.6% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.2% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.7% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.8% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.0% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.0% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.4% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.7% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.0% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.3% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.5% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.4% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.4% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.6% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.6% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.8% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.4% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.5% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.5% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.3% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.6% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.4% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.5% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.7% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.9% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.5% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.3% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.9% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.0% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.3% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lincoln CountyBest mid November · 1307 checklists that week, 66,994 in all47%
  2. Tillamook CountyBest early March · 592 checklists that week, 45,809 in all31%
  3. Clatsop CountyBest mid January · 898 checklists that week, 44,300 in all26%
  4. Coos CountyBest early November · 347 checklists that week, 24,368 in all24%
  5. Jefferson CountyBest early November · 140 checklists that week, 11,014 in all21%
  6. Curry CountyBest the second week of November · 135 checklists that week, 12,513 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. South Beach State ParkLincoln County, best early February · 80 checklists that week, 3,413 in all99%
  2. Tokatee Klootchman State Natural SiteLane County, best early January · 25 checklists that week, 695 in all98%
  3. Oregon Dunes National Recreation AreaLane County, best late October · 41 checklists that week, 790 in all95%
  4. Crab RockTillamook County, best late January · 39 checklists that week, 669 in all95%
  5. Jockey CapClatsop County, best mid November · 22 checklists that week, 614 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Surf Scoter is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (4.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 1.6% of 50677 checklists7 am: 2.3% of 125347 checklists8 am: 2.8% of 163668 checklists9 am: 3.5% of 160351 checklists10 am: 3.9% of 148940 checklists11 am: 4.4% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 4.2% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 4.4% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 4.0% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 3.7% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 2.7% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 1.7% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 1.3% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 0.7% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January4.1%4.2%4.5%4.7%
February4.4%4.4%3.3%3.5%
March3.5%3.7%3.7%3.4%
April3.1%2.7%2.9%3.2%
May2.8%2.0%1.6%1.2%
June0.7%0.8%1.0%1.0%
July1.4%1.7%2.0%2.3%
August2.5%2.4%2.4%2.6%
September2.6%2.8%2.4%2.5%
October3.5%5.3%5.6%7.4%
November6.5%5.7%5.9%5.5%
December4.3%3.9%4.0%4.3%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives late July, 4 weeks later than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of October, 14 weeks later than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives mid October, 15 weeks later than Oregon
  • California: arrives the second week of October, 14 weeks later than Oregon

Common questions

When do Surf Scoters arrive in Oregon?
Surf Scoters are winter birds in Oregon: the first arrive in late June, they are common by mid July, peak in early November (6.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Surf Scoters leave Oregon?
Most Surf Scoters have left Oregon by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late May.
When is the best time to see a Surf Scoter in Oregon?
The Surf Scoter is reported most often in early November, on about 6.7% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Surf Scoters seen most often?
By county, Lincoln County, Tillamook County, and Clatsop County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Surf Scoter (counties with at least 200 checklists).