WhenToBird

Melanitta perspicillata · Anatidae

When Do Surf Scoters Arrive in Vermont?

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

Surf Scoters mostly pass through Vermont: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in late October (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: late October. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 1.6% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decrare

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.3% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.2% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.1% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.5% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.2% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 10579 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 Vermont 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 Vermont

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Orange CountyBest mid October · 218 checklists that week, 16,964 in all4.1%
  2. Essex CountyBest late October · 201 checklists that week, 9,416 in all3.7%
  3. Chittenden CountyBest late October · 2307 checklists that week, 109,477 in all3.3%
  4. Lamoille CountyBest mid October · 243 checklists that week, 16,426 in all1.9%
  5. Grand Isle CountyBest mid October · 129 checklists that week, 8,507 in all1.8%
  6. Orleans CountyBest mid October · 253 checklists that week, 11,785 in all1.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kilowatt ParkWindsor County, best the second week of June · 20 checklists that week, 2,625 in all32%
  2. Town Farm BayChittenden County, best mid October · 29 checklists that week, 361 in all24%
  3. Lake MoreyOrange County, best late October · 34 checklists that week, 505 in all19%
  4. Barre City ForestOrange County, best the second week of October · 21 checklists that week, 585 in all15%
  5. La Platte RiverChittenden County, best mid October · 128 checklists that week, 4,615 in all14%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Surf Scoter is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (0.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (384) to judge1 am: too few checklists (418) to judge2 am: too few checklists (568) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3460) to judge5 am: 0.1% of 10340 checklists6 am: 0.1% of 30951 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 64150 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 70252 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 55280 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 47111 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 0% of 12110 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8203) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4425) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1829) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (597) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (309) 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%0.1%0%0%
February0%0%0%0.1%
March0%0%0%0.1%
April0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.2%0.7%1.3%2.2%
November1.1%0.5%0.2%0.2%
December0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than Vermont
  • Massachusetts: arrives late September, 2 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Connecticut: arrives late October, 2 weeks later than Vermont
  • Rhode Island: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Vermont

Common questions

When do Surf Scoters arrive in Vermont?
Surf Scoters mostly pass through Vermont: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in late October (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Surf Scoters leave Vermont?
Most Surf Scoters have left Vermont by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Surf Scoter in Vermont?
The Surf Scoter is reported most often in late October, on about 1.6% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Surf Scoters seen most often?
By county, Orange County, Essex County, and Chittenden County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Surf Scoter (counties with at least 200 checklists).