WhenToBird

Aechmophorus occidentalis · Podicipedidae

When Do Western Grebes Arrive in Washington?

Adult Western Grebe
Photo: Craig K, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Western Grebes are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in mid August, they are common by early September, peak in late October (8.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 15-21mid August
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: late October. First arrivals mid August; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 8.7% of Washington checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 4.5% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.4% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.2% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.8% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.3% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.8% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.5% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.0% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.6% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.2% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.5% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.2% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.4% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.5% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.6% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.6% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.3% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.6% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.3% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.3% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.1% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.0% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.8% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.6% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.7% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.6% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.5% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.4% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.8% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.2% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.6% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.4% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.9% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.7% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.0% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.4% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.5% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.7% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.0% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.4% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.4% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.4% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.6% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.8% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.2% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.0% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.0% of 42130 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 Washington 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Garfield CountyBest late December · 13 checklists that week, 1,130 in all59%
  2. Grant CountyBest the second week of September · 494 checklists that week, 19,963 in all32%
  3. Asotin CountyBest mid October · 75 checklists that week, 4,316 in all30%
  4. Grays Harbor CountyBest early November · 311 checklists that week, 28,443 in all26%
  5. Pacific CountyBest late October · 598 checklists that week, 19,516 in all25%
  6. Franklin CountyBest late October · 127 checklists that week, 7,970 in all25%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Westhaven CoveGrays Harbor County, best early January · 26 checklists that week, 1,827 in all96%
  2. Lake Wallula (Walla Walla River)Walla Walla County, best the second week of November · 23 checklists that week, 357 in all95%
  3. PotholesGrant County, best the second week of August · 26 checklists that week, 1,582 in all89%
  4. Vancouver Lake ParkClark County, best late May · 27 checklists that week, 443 in all86%
  5. Slaughter Pen BayWhitman County, best mid October · 26 checklists that week, 606 in all85%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Western Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (3.5% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 2.8% of 56744 checklists7 am: 3.1% of 133294 checklists8 am: 3.1% of 184196 checklists9 am: 3.1% of 186303 checklists10 am: 3.4% of 177063 checklists11 am: 3.5% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 3.5% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 3.5% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 3.5% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 3.1% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 2.5% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 1.8% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 1.3% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January4.5%4.4%4.2%3.8%
February3.3%2.8%2.5%3.0%
March2.6%2.2%2.5%2.2%
April2.4%2.5%2.6%2.6%
May2.3%1.6%1.3%1.3%
June1.1%1.0%0.8%0.6%
July0.7%0.6%0.5%0.4%
August0.6%0.8%1.2%1.6%
September2.4%2.9%3.7%5.0%
October6.4%7.5%8.7%9.0%
November8.4%7.4%6.4%5.6%
December4.8%4.2%4.0%4.0%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives late July, 3 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives late March, 19 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Montana: arrives mid April, 16 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives late March, 19 weeks earlier than Washington

Common questions

When do Western Grebes arrive in Washington?
Western Grebes are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in mid August, they are common by early September, peak in late October (8.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Western Grebes leave Washington?
Most Western Grebes have left Washington by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early June.
When is the best time to see a Western Grebe in Washington?
The Western Grebe is reported most often in late October, on about 8.7% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Western Grebes seen most often?
By county, Garfield County, Grant County, and Asotin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Western Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).