Season · December – February
Winter peaksacross the U.S.
20 places we follow are in their winter window now; 65 more are coming up, soonest first. Dated reports come first, then each place's usual timing in its source's words.
In season now
- BEST VIEWING · WINTER WILDLIFESeney RefugeSept. and Oct. are the best months for fall migratory birdsMichigan
“Sept. and Oct. are the best months for fall migratory birds” · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
- BEST VIEWING · WINTER WILDLIFEShiawassee RefugeSeptember and October are the best months for fall migratory birdsMichigan
“September and October are the best months for fall migratory birds” · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
- More winter wildlife:Wheeler RefugeCibola RefugeMerced RefugeSan Diego RefugeBayou Sauvage Refugeand 13 more
Coming up
- BEST VIEWING · WINTER WILDLIFEKern RefugeBirding is best on the refuge from October through MarchCalifornia
“Birding is best on the refuge from October through March” · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
- PHASE · WILDLIFE BY SEASONChannel IslandsBegins at the end of December and lasts until April (and 2 more phases)California
“begins at the end of December and lasts until April” · National Park Service ↗
- USUAL PEAK · WILDLIFE BY SEASONCabrilloMid-January is the peak time for migration, but whales are visible from mid- to late December through MarchCalifornia
“Mid-January is the peak time for migration, but whales are visible from mid- to late December through March” · National Park Service ↗
- More winter wildlife:Ten Thousand Islands RefugeDeer Flat RefugeTwo Rivers RefugeMandalay RefugeClarence Cannon Refugeand 48 more
- More wildflowers:Figueroa MountainPoint ReyesNoxubee RefugeNorth Cascades
- More wildlife by season:Cuyahoga ValleyAttwater Prairie Chicken Refuge
Winter by state
New England
Southeast
Midwest
South Central
West Coast
For the curious: tree species · this week's fall color ranking · first snow · spring green-up · how we know