WhenToBird

Melanitta deglandi · Anatidae

When Do White-winged Scoters Arrive in Washington?

Adult White-winged Scoter
Photo: sprcrkwild, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

White-winged Scoters are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in mid August, they are common by late August, peak in early November (4.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 15-21mid August
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: early November. First arrivals mid August; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 4.6% of Washington checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 2.9% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.9% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.8% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.5% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.2% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.7% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.8% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.8% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.8% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.6% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.9% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.3% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.4% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.4% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.3% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.1% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.9% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.7% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.4% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.4% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.6% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.5% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.7% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.9% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.8% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.0% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.2% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.6% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.0% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.1% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.3% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.7% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.6% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.4% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.1% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.1% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.5% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.9% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.0% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.6% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.1% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.7% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.4% 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.

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Where in Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Whatcom CountyBest mid November · 998 checklists that week, 64,687 in all20%
  2. Clallam CountyBest early November · 1414 checklists that week, 85,362 in all16%
  3. Pacific CountyBest early November · 324 checklists that week, 19,516 in all10%
  4. Grays Harbor CountyBest early September · 971 checklists that week, 28,443 in all8.1%
  5. Jefferson CountyBest mid November · 997 checklists that week, 59,663 in all7.7%
  6. Mason CountyBest the second week of November · 545 checklists that week, 27,853 in all7.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Whatcom County Parks & RecreationWhatcom County, best the second week of December · 31 checklists that week, 2,753 in all99%
  2. Miller CreekKing County, best mid January · 30 checklists that week, 836 in all92%
  3. Birch BayWhatcom County, best early January · 31 checklists that week, 975 in all92%
  4. SemiahmooWhatcom County, best late November · 24 checklists that week, 451 in all86%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the White-winged Scoter is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (2.2% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 1.4% of 56744 checklists7 am: 1.8% of 133294 checklists8 am: 1.9% of 184196 checklists9 am: 1.9% of 186303 checklists10 am: 2.0% of 177063 checklists11 am: 2.2% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 2.1% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 2.2% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 2.2% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 1.8% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 1.3% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 0.7% 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
January2.9%2.9%2.8%2.5%
February2.2%1.7%1.8%1.8%
March1.8%1.6%1.9%1.3%
April1.4%1.4%1.3%1.1%
May1.1%0.9%0.7%0.5%
June0.3%0.3%0.3%0.4%
July0.4%0.6%0.5%0.7%
August0.9%0.8%1.0%1.2%
September1.6%2.0%2.1%2.3%
October2.7%3.6%4.4%5.1%
November4.1%4.5%3.9%4.0%
December3.6%3.1%2.7%2.4%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives early July, 6 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Montana: arrives mid October, 8 weeks later than Washington
  • Wyoming: arrives late October, 9 weeks later than Washington
  • North Dakota: arrives mid October, 8 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do White-winged Scoters arrive in Washington?
White-winged Scoters are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in mid August, they are common by late August, peak in early November (4.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do White-winged Scoters leave Washington?
Most White-winged Scoters have left Washington by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a White-winged Scoter in Washington?
The White-winged Scoter is reported most often in early November, on about 4.6% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are White-winged Scoters seen most often?
By county, Whatcom County, Clallam County, and Pacific County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-winged Scoter (counties with at least 200 checklists).