WhenToBird

Melanitta perspicillata · Anatidae

When Do Surf Scoters Arrive in Virginia?

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

Surf Scoters are winter birds in Virginia: they arrive in early November, peak in late January (2.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakJan 22-31late January
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: late January. First arrivals early November; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 2.2% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julrare
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.8% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.9% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.2% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.2% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.3% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.7% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.2% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.5% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.2% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.0% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.5% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.7% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.2% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.5% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.8% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.6% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.2% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.3% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.1% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mathews CountyBest late January · 76 checklists that week, 3,594 in all39%
  2. Hampton CountyBest mid November · 124 checklists that week, 9,881 in all31%
  3. Northampton CountyBest late January · 675 checklists that week, 27,227 in all23%
  4. Northumberland CountyBest early February · 124 checklists that week, 4,172 in all14%
  5. Norfolk CountyBest the second week of January · 444 checklists that week, 21,204 in all12%
  6. Virginia Beach CountyBest late January · 2751 checklists that week, 70,485 in all10%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bethel Beach State Natural Area PreserveMathews County, best early February · 28 checklists that week, 931 in all83%
  2. Cape Charles State Natural Area PreserveNorthampton County, best late November · 40 checklists that week, 725 in all80%
  3. Cape Charles HarborNorthampton County, best late January · 21 checklists that week, 692 in all80%
  4. Grandview Nature PreserveHampton County, best early December · 27 checklists that week, 1,414 in all75%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Surf Scoter is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 0.7% of 64788 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 169128 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 180748 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 153462 checklists10 am: 0.8% of 128966 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 0.9% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 0.8% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January1.8%1.9%2.2%2.2%
February2.3%1.7%1.2%1.5%
March1.2%1.0%0.8%0.5%
April0.3%0.2%0.2%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0%0%
September0%0.1%0%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.4%0.7%
November1.3%2.2%1.5%1.8%
December1.6%1.2%1.3%2.1%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of October, 3 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • New Jersey: arrives early October, 4 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • New York: arrives the second week of October, 3 weeks earlier than Virginia

Common questions

When do Surf Scoters arrive in Virginia?
Surf Scoters are winter birds in Virginia: they arrive in early November, peak in late January (2.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Surf Scoters leave Virginia?
Most Surf Scoters have left Virginia by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Surf Scoter in Virginia?
The Surf Scoter is reported most often in late January, on about 2.2% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Surf Scoters seen most often?
By county, Mathews County, Hampton County, and Northampton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Surf Scoter (counties with at least 200 checklists).