WhenToBird

Birding spot · Alameda County, California

Birding at Lake Merritt: What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Lake Merritt are Double-crested Cormorant (97%), American Coot (95%), and Bufflehead (88%). It is busiest in winter, when 67 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in late January (73 species). 152 species have been reported here across 2,591 complete checklists from 757 birders.

Species by week

020406080Jan 1-7: 67 species on 5%+ of 97 checklistsJan 8-14: 59 species on 5%+ of 84 checklistsJan 15-21: 66 species on 5%+ of 84 checklistsJan 22-31: 73 species on 5%+ of 119 checklistsFeb 1-7: 61 species on 5%+ of 42 checklistsFeb 8-14: 68 species on 5%+ of 52 checklistsFeb 15-21: 66 species on 5%+ of 75 checklistsFeb 22-28: 70 species on 5%+ of 65 checklistsMar 1-7: 57 species on 5%+ of 62 checklistsMar 8-14: 63 species on 5%+ of 56 checklistsMar 15-21: 65 species on 5%+ of 59 checklistsMar 22-31: 64 species on 5%+ of 91 checklistsApr 1-7: 66 species on 5%+ of 44 checklistsApr 8-14: 61 species on 5%+ of 39 checklistsApr 15-21: 64 species on 5%+ of 48 checklistsApr 22-30: 62 species on 5%+ of 55 checklistsMay 1-7: 63 species on 5%+ of 32 checklistsMay 8-14: 55 species on 5%+ of 42 checklistsMay 15-21: 55 species on 5%+ of 36 checklistsMay 22-31: 56 species on 5%+ of 42 checklistsJun 1-7: 52 species on 5%+ of 35 checklistsJun 8-14: 48 species on 5%+ of 31 checklistsJun 15-21: 47 species on 5%+ of 32 checklistsJun 22-30: 55 species on 5%+ of 51 checklistsJul 1-7: 52 species on 5%+ of 35 checklistsJul 8-14: 54 species on 5%+ of 31 checklistsJul 15-21: 49 species on 5%+ of 34 checklistsJul 22-31: 55 species on 5%+ of 58 checklistsAug 1-7: 45 species on 5%+ of 42 checklistsAug 8-14: 44 species on 5%+ of 31 checklistsAug 15-21: 42 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsAug 22-31: 43 species on 5%+ of 51 checklistsSep 1-7: 45 species on 5%+ of 33 checklistsSep 8-14: 47 species on 5%+ of 34 checklistsSep 15-21: 52 species on 5%+ of 37 checklistsSep 22-30: 57 species on 5%+ of 71 checklistsOct 1-7: 54 species on 5%+ of 38 checklistsOct 8-14: 53 species on 5%+ of 46 checklistsOct 15-21: 62 species on 5%+ of 47 checklistsOct 22-31: 58 species on 5%+ of 90 checklistsNov 1-7: 60 species on 5%+ of 51 checklistsNov 8-14: 62 species on 5%+ of 50 checklistsNov 15-21: 61 species on 5%+ of 57 checklistsNov 22-30: 68 species on 5%+ of 102 checklistsDec 1-7: 64 species on 5%+ of 59 checklistsDec 8-14: 57 species on 5%+ of 41 checklistsDec 15-21: 72 species on 5%+ of 57 checklistsDec 22-31: 68 species on 5%+ of 96 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Number of species reported on at least 5% of complete checklists, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

In November: what to expect

  1. 1Double-crested Cormorant97%
  2. 2American Coot95%
  3. 3Bufflehead88%
  4. 4Canada Goose86%
  5. 5Ruddy Duck86%
  6. 6Mallard85%
  7. 7Snowy Egret81%
  8. 8American White Pelican77%
  9. 9Pied-billed Grebe74%
  10. 10American Crow71%
  11. 11Black-crowned Night Heron69%
  12. 12Brown Pelican64%
  13. 13Western Gull63%
  14. 14Ring-billed Gull62%
  15. 15Common Goldeneye58%

Share of complete checklists at this spot that reported the bird in November. The sparkline is the whole year, with this month highlighted.

Season by season

Winter 67 species

  1. American Coot95%
  2. Bufflehead90%
  3. Mallard85%
  4. Canada Goose85%
  5. Common Goldeneye85%

Spring 64 species

  1. Canada Goose88%
  2. Mallard87%
  3. Double-crested Cormorant85%
  4. Snowy Egret76%
  5. American Crow69%

Summer 48 species

  1. Double-crested Cormorant94%
  2. Canada Goose91%
  3. Snowy Egret82%
  4. American White Pelican79%
  5. Mallard76%

Fall 62 species

  1. Double-crested Cormorant93%
  2. American Coot90%
  3. Canada Goose86%
  4. Mallard85%
  5. American White Pelican82%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across California.

Nearby spots

Frequency is the share of complete checklists at this location that listed the bird, 2016–2025. Busy places report more of everything, and the weekly chart counts species on at least 5% of checklists so a few stray reports do not inflate it. How to read it.