WhenToBird

Strix varia · Strigidae

When Do Barred Owls Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Barred Owl
Photo: David Bird, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Barred Owls reach Massachusetts in mid August, are common by late August, peak in early May (2.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of July.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 15-21mid August
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone byJul 8-14the second week of July

Best: early May. First arrivals mid August; most are gone by the second week of July. Peak: on about 2.1% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.1% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.0% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.9% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.2% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.4% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.7% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.5% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.8% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.9% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.2% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.1% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.2% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.9% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.6% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.6% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.4% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.3% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.2% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.2% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.1% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.0% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.7% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.8% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.8% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.8% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.0% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.4% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.5% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.2% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.9% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.8% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.2% 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. Berkshire CountyBest mid May · 2673 checklists that week, 92,890 in all5.1%
  2. Franklin CountyBest early June · 766 checklists that week, 41,382 in all4.3%
  3. Worcester CountyBest early May · 4719 checklists that week, 128,594 in all3.7%
  4. Hampden CountyBest mid April · 1026 checklists that week, 35,410 in all3.2%
  5. Middlesex CountyBest late April · 11474 checklists that week, 307,511 in all3.2%
  6. Hampshire CountyBest the second week of May · 6237 checklists that week, 162,423 in all2.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Great Hill Recreation AreaMiddlesex County, best the second week of May · 34 checklists that week, 194 in all35%
  2. October Mountain State ForestBerkshire County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 473 in all35%
  3. Halls PondNorfolk County, best early December · 39 checklists that week, 3,274 in all33%
  4. Muddy Brook Wildlife Management AreaWorcester County, best the second week of May · 34 checklists that week, 289 in all32%
  5. Post FarmBerkshire County, best mid April · 50 checklists that week, 733 in all29%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Barred Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (2.5% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 1.6% of 108601 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 186104 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 185905 checklists9 am: 0.9% of 166049 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 150508 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 1.0% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 1.9% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 2.4% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 2.6% 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
January1.1%1.1%1.0%1.0%
February1.0%1.0%0.9%1.2%
March1.2%1.4%1.7%1.4%
April1.5%1.8%1.9%2.2%
May2.1%2.2%1.9%1.6%
June1.6%1.4%1.3%1.2%
July1.2%1.1%1.0%0.7%
August0.8%0.8%0.8%1.0%
September1.1%1.4%1.5%1.3%
October1.2%1.1%0.9%0.9%
November0.8%0.8%0.8%0.9%
December1.0%1.1%1.1%1.2%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives late August, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives the second week of December, 15 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives mid January, 20 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives late January, 21 weeks later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Barred Owls arrive in Massachusetts?
Barred Owls reach Massachusetts in mid August, are common by late August, peak in early May (2.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of July.
When do Barred Owls leave Massachusetts?
Most Barred Owls have left Massachusetts by the second week of July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late July.
When is the best time to see a Barred Owl in Massachusetts?
The Barred Owl is reported most often in early May, on about 2.1% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Barred Owls seen most often?
By county, Berkshire County, Franklin County, and Worcester County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Barred Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).