Great Northern Diver is a winter visitor to our shores, found primarily along northern and western coasts and most frequently on the sheltered lochs of western Scotland, Orkney, Shetland and Northern Ireland. The peak counts for the species were recorded in the winter of 2015-16 and represented a 140% increase in the population compared with previous estimates (although the figures were still considered likely to be underestimates). Since then, WeBS data suggest a decrease in the population across the UK as a whole, although numbers in Scotland have increased in recent winters.

Since the 1981–84 Winter Atlas there has been a 39% increase in the number of 10-km squares occupied by Great Northern Divers in winter. In parts of northwest Scotland, apparent gains may be a consequence of improved coverage.

Bird Atlas distribution change maps show how bird distributions have changed through time. Coloured upward-pointing triangles show places apparently colonised over the period; grey downward-pointing triangles show places apparently vacated. Shading show places occupied.

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Wintering Great Northern Divers linger into spring, supplemented by spring passage, and occasional birds remain into summer, with return migration from September.

Weekly pattern of occurrence

The graph shows when the species is present in the UK, with taller bars indicating a higher likelihood of encountering the species in appropriate regions and habitats.