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Wildlife calendar

Pick the month you travel and see which whale, bear, crane, elk or puffin seasons the official source puts in it, and the page we read it on.

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All sourced places

  • Humpback whales

    Hawai‘i, United States

    November through May; usual peak January through March.

    1. January: best month named
    2. February: best month named
    3. March: best month named
    4. April: in season
    5. May: in season
    6. June: not named
    7. July: not named
    8. August: not named
    9. September: not named
    10. October: not named
    11. November: in season
    12. December: in season

    The page adds that whales may be seen in smaller numbers in other months.

    NOAA, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuaryhttps://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/visit/boating.html · Checked 2026-10-24 · official source

  • Gray whales (northbound)

    U.S. West Coast, United States

    Mid-February to May, heading north.

    1. January: not named
    2. February: in season
    3. March: in season
    4. April: in season
    5. May: in season
    6. June: not named
    7. July: not named
    8. August: not named
    9. September: not named
    10. October: not named
    11. November: not named
    12. December: not named

    NOAA gives no months for the southbound trip beyond “in the fall”. It advises staying at least 100 yards from large whales.

    NOAA Fisherieshttps://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/gray-whale · Checked 2026-10-24 · official source

  • Gray whales

    Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, British Columbia, Canada

    March is the month Parks Canada features for the whales passing on their way north.

    1. January: not named
    2. February: not named
    3. March: best month named
    4. April: not named
    5. May: not named
    6. June: not named
    7. July: not named
    8. August: not named
    9. September: not named
    10. October: not named
    11. November: not named
    12. December: not named

    Parks Canada points to the Kwisitis Visitor Centre viewing deck, whale-watching tours and the Pacific Rim Whale Festival.

    Parks Canadahttps://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/nature/creatures · Checked 2026-10-24 · official source

  • Elk rut

    Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, United States

    September and October, when herds gather at lower elevations.

    1. January: not named
    2. February: not named
    3. March: not named
    4. April: not named
    5. May: not named
    6. June: not named
    7. July: not named
    8. August: not named
    9. September: in season
    10. October: in season
    11. November: not named
    12. December: not named

    NPS says to stay back at least 75 feet (about two bus lengths). Named viewing spots include Moraine Park, Sheep Lakes, Horseshoe Park and Harbison Meadow.

    National Park Servicehttps://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/romo_watchelk.htm · Checked 2026-10-24 · official source

  • Brown bears fishing for salmon

    Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park, Alaska, United States

    July is the best time to watch bears fishing at Brooks Falls.

    1. January: not named
    2. February: not named
    3. March: not named
    4. April: not named
    5. May: not named
    6. June: not named
    7. July: best month named
    8. August: not named
    9. September: not named
    10. October: not named
    11. November: not named
    12. December: not named

    The same page says that later in summer and fall a few bears may also fish at the falls. It names no other month as a peak.

    National Park Servicehttps://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/photosmultimedia/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls.htm · Checked 2026-10-24 · official source

  • Sandhill cranes

    Platte River Valley, Nebraska, United States

    Crane season February 15 to April 15; viewing typically in March and early April.

    1. January: not named
    2. February: in season
    3. March: in season
    4. April: in season
    5. May: not named
    6. June: not named
    7. July: not named
    8. August: not named
    9. September: not named
    10. October: not named
    11. November: not named
    12. December: not named

    Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary says cranes typically arrive around Valentine’s Day and leave around Tax Day. The page names no peak week.

    National Audubon Society, Rowe Sanctuaryhttps://www.audubon.org/rowe/explore/crane-season · Checked 2026-10-24 · official source

  • Puffins and nesting seabirds

    Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire, United Kingdom

    April to mid-July for puffins; seabirds gather March to August.

    1. January: not named
    2. February: not named
    3. March: not named
    4. April: in season
    5. May: in season
    6. June: in season
    7. July: in season
    8. August: not named
    9. September: not named
    10. October: not named
    11. November: not named
    12. December: not named

    RSPB: around half a million seabirds gather there between March and August.

    RSPBhttps://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/bempton-cliffs · Checked 2026-10-24 · official source

  • Polar bears

    Churchill, Manitoba, Canada

    October and November are the best months; bears start gathering as early as July.

    1. January: not named
    2. February: not named
    3. March: not named
    4. April: not named
    5. May: not named
    6. June: not named
    7. July: not named
    8. August: not named
    9. September: not named
    10. October: best month named
    11. November: best month named
    12. December: not named

    Travel Manitoba lists a lower-numbers summer window of July to September.

    Travel Manitobahttps://www.travelmanitoba.com/blog/5-polar-bear-trips-to-take-in-churchill-manitoba-this-fall/ · Checked 2026-10-24 · official source

  • Humpback whale migration

    New South Wales coast, Australia

    May to November each year.

    1. January: not named
    2. February: not named
    3. March: not named
    4. April: not named
    5. May: in season
    6. June: in season
    7. July: in season
    8. August: in season
    9. September: in season
    10. October: in season
    11. November: in season
    12. December: not named

    Visit NSW names no peak. Merimbula operators run mid-September to late November; Eden holds a whale festival in November.

    Visit NSWhttps://www.visitnsw.com/things-to-do/nature-and-parks/whale-watching · Checked 2026-10-24 · official source

  • Puffins

    Iceland, Iceland

    May through mid-August; they arrive late April or early May.

    1. January: not named
    2. February: not named
    3. March: not named
    4. April: not named
    5. May: in season
    6. June: in season
    7. July: in season
    8. August: in season
    9. September: not named
    10. October: not named
    11. November: not named
    12. December: not named

    Visit Iceland says most puffins have left the coast by September and nearly all by early October.

    Visit Icelandhttps://www.visiticeland.com/article/meet-the-peculiar-puffins-in-iceland/ · Checked 2026-10-24 · official source

  • Whale watching

    Iceland, Iceland

    April until September.

    1. January: not named
    2. February: not named
    3. March: not named
    4. April: in season
    5. May: in season
    6. June: in season
    7. July: in season
    8. August: in season
    9. September: in season
    10. October: not named
    11. November: not named
    12. December: not named

    Visit Iceland says tours run less often in winter.

    Visit Icelandhttps://www.visiticeland.com/article/whale-watching/ · Checked 2026-10-24 · official source

In the month strips, a filled box is the month the source calls best, an outlined box is a month it names, and a grey box is a month it does not name.

Not checked yet

We show no months for these, rather than a guess. The link is where to look.

  • Grey seal pups · Farne Islands, Northumberland, United Kingdom

    The National Trust page shows a browser check that we could not read past.

    Official page

  • Sandhill cranes (state wildlife agency) · Nebraska, United States

    The state agency's site blocked our reader; we used the Audubon sanctuary page above instead.

    Official page

  • Bears, wolves and bison · Yellowstone National Park, United States

    We could not confirm the month-by-month details reliably, so we show none.

    Official page

  • Sea turtle nesting · Tortuguero, Costa Rica, Costa Rica

    The park's own brochure would not open on the day we checked. This link is the national tourism board's home page, not a source for any month.

    Official page

Seasons shift with weather and from year to year. Each window was read off the publisher's own page on 2026-10-24; check that page and local conditions before you book. Keep your distance from wild animals and follow park rules. This is a summary, not safety advice.