WhenToBird

Poecile atricapillus · Paridae

When Do Black-capped Chickadees Arrive in New Jersey?

Adult Black-capped Chickadee
Photo: Marcel_Pepin, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Black-capped Chickadee is in New Jersey all year. It turns up on about 15% of checklists at its peak (mid November) and on 6.5% in its quietest week (late May).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekNov 15-21mid November
Quietest weekMay 22-31late May

Best: mid November. Here all year. Peak: on about 15% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 11% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 12% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 12% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 12% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 12% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 13% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 14% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 12% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 13% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 13% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 13% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 14% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 14% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 13% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.8% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.8% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.3% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.6% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.5% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.7% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.3% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.3% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.8% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.7% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.7% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.9% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.2% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.3% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.5% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.2% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 10% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 10% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 10% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.3% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.5% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.9% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.3% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 15% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 14% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 13% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 13% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 26651 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Warren CountyBest mid November · 275 checklists that week, 20,077 in all46%
  2. Passaic CountyBest the second week of November · 349 checklists that week, 24,933 in all45%
  3. Sussex CountyBest late October · 620 checklists that week, 30,305 in all45%
  4. Bergen CountyBest the second week of February · 1492 checklists that week, 73,457 in all41%
  5. Morris CountyBest the second week of November · 943 checklists that week, 59,212 in all41%
  6. Somerset CountyBest mid November · 855 checklists that week, 58,057 in all33%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ingersoll Reservoir (northeast)Warren County, best the second week of March · 50 checklists that week, 586 in all93%
  2. Hariton SanctuaryWarren County, best early November · 22 checklists that week, 411 in all88%
  3. Ringwood Mill PondPassaic County, best the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 737 in all85%
  4. Scherman Hoffman Wildlife PresserveSomerset County, best mid February · 23 checklists that week, 1,964 in all83%
  5. Havemeyer ReservoirBergen County, best the second week of December · 25 checklists that week, 3,689 in all82%
  6. Celery FarmBergen County, best the second week of January · 167 checklists that week, 7,257 in all81%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Black-capped Chickadee is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (746) to judge1 am: too few checklists (640) to judge2 am: too few checklists (606) to judge3 am: too few checklists (755) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1681) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11258) to judge6 am: 14% of 50447 checklists7 am: 14% of 118312 checklists8 am: 14% of 123273 checklists9 am: 12% of 107783 checklists10 am: 11% of 97537 checklists11 am: 9.6% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 9.7% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 9.4% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 8.9% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 8.4% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 7.1% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 7.1% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 5.6% of 28122 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14727) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4257) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1273) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (920) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (693) 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
January11%12%12%12%
February12%13%14%12%
March13%13%13%14%
April14%13%12%11%
May9.8%7.8%6.3%6.6%
June6.5%6.7%7.3%7.3%
July7.8%7.7%7.7%6.9%
August7.2%7.3%7.5%9.2%
September10%10%10%9.3%
October8.5%8.9%9.3%12%
November15%15%15%15%
December14%13%13%11%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: year-round, peaks early November
  • Pennsylvania: year-round, peaks late November
  • New York: year-round, peaks the second week of November
  • Maryland: year-round, peaks the second week of December

Common questions

When do Black-capped Chickadees arrive in New Jersey?
The Black-capped Chickadee is in New Jersey all year. It turns up on about 15% of checklists at its peak (mid November) and on 6.5% in its quietest week (late May).
When do Black-capped Chickadees leave New Jersey?
The Black-capped Chickadee does not leave New Jersey: it is reported all year, from 6.5% of checklists in late May to 15% in mid November.
When is the best time to see a Black-capped Chickadee in New Jersey?
The Black-capped Chickadee is reported most often in mid November, on about 15% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Black-capped Chickadees seen most often?
By county, Warren County, Passaic County, and Sussex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-capped Chickadee (counties with at least 200 checklists).