WhenToBird

Pluvialis dominica · Charadriidae

When Do American Golden-Plovers Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult American Golden-Plover
Photo: Rajan Rao, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Golden-Plovers mostly pass through Massachusetts: they arrive in late August, peak in mid September (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakSep 15-21mid September
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: mid September. First arrivals late August; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 1.3% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.7% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.2% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.5% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.1% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.5% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 44323 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Suffolk CountyBest mid September · 1860 checklists that week, 112,443 in all3.3%
  2. Nantucket CountyBest late October · 748 checklists that week, 23,895 in all3.3%
  3. Essex CountyBest mid September · 3250 checklists that week, 213,973 in all3.1%
  4. Dukes CountyBest the second week of September · 554 checklists that week, 23,670 in all2.2%
  5. Barnstable CountyBest late September · 4946 checklists that week, 215,188 in all1.8%
  6. Hampshire CountyBest mid September · 2870 checklists that week, 162,423 in all1.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rotten Pumpkin PondNantucket County, best late October · 30 checklists that week, 172 in all54%
  2. Strandway/Castle IslandSuffolk County, best mid September · 43 checklists that week, 2,489 in all49%
  3. Crystal CoveSuffolk County, best early October · 45 checklists that week, 1,290 in all40%
  4. Parker River National Wildlife Refuge (southeast)Essex County, best mid September · 54 checklists that week, 1,271 in all28%
  5. Race RunBarnstable County, best late September · 76 checklists that week, 2,504 in all27%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the American Golden-Plover is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (630) to judge1 am: too few checklists (657) to judge2 am: too few checklists (645) to judge3 am: too few checklists (850) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3787) to judge5 am: too few checklists (29743) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 108601 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 186104 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 185905 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 166049 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 150508 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 41435 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (21041) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5240) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1094) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (704) 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.2%0.4%
September0.7%1.2%1.5%1.1%
October0.9%0.5%0.5%0.4%
November0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives late August, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives late August, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives early September, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • New York: arrives late August, in the same week than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do American Golden-Plovers arrive in Massachusetts?
American Golden-Plovers mostly pass through Massachusetts: they arrive in late August, peak in mid September (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do American Golden-Plovers leave Massachusetts?
Most American Golden-Plovers have left Massachusetts by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Golden-Plover in Massachusetts?
The American Golden-Plover is reported most often in mid September, on about 1.3% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are American Golden-Plovers seen most often?
By county, Suffolk County, Nantucket County, and Essex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Golden-Plover (counties with at least 200 checklists).