WhenToBird

Melanitta perspicillata · Anatidae

When Do Surf Scoters Arrive in Utah?

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

Surf Scoters mostly pass through Utah: they arrive in mid October, peak in early November (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byNov 15-21mid November

Best: early November. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by mid November. Peak: on about 1.1% of Utah checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.5% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.1% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.5% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.3% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Morgan CountyBest late October · 45 checklists that week, 3,178 in all12%
  2. Summit CountyBest early November · 214 checklists that week, 13,829 in all5.8%
  3. Wasatch CountyBest late October · 95 checklists that week, 7,780 in all4.4%
  4. Davis CountyBest the second week of November · 588 checklists that week, 39,952 in all2.5%
  5. Cache CountyBest late October · 473 checklists that week, 21,769 in all2.2%
  6. Box Elder CountyBest early November · 164 checklists that week, 9,867 in all2.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Little Dell ReservoirSalt Lake County, best mid January · 40 checklists that week, 1,326 in all46%
  2. Benjamin SloughUtah County, best late October · 26 checklists that week, 1,077 in all33%
  3. Silver Sands BeachSalt Lake County, best late May · 32 checklists that week, 894 in all18%
  4. Rockport State ParkSummit County, best early November · 62 checklists that week, 1,614 in all16%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Surf Scoter is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (0.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 11714 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 33209 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 46944 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 46290 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 43144 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January0.1%0.3%0.2%0.1%
February0.1%0%0%0%
March0%0.1%0.1%0%
April0%0.1%0%0.1%
May0%0%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0.1%0.2%0.5%1.1%
November1.3%0.9%0.5%0.3%
December0.1%0.1%0%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives mid October, in the same week than Utah
  • Nevada: arrives mid October, in the same week than Utah
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Utah
  • Montana: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Utah

Common questions

When do Surf Scoters arrive in Utah?
Surf Scoters mostly pass through Utah: they arrive in mid October, peak in early November (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.
When do Surf Scoters leave Utah?
Most Surf Scoters have left Utah by mid November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Surf Scoter in Utah?
The Surf Scoter is reported most often in early November, on about 1.1% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Surf Scoters seen most often?
By county, Morgan County, Summit County, and Wasatch County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Surf Scoter (counties with at least 200 checklists).