WhenToBird

Melanitta americana · Anatidae

When Do Black Scoters Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult male Black Scoter
Photo: Kevin Krebs, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black Scoters are winter birds in Massachusetts: the first arrive in late September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in mid November (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakNov 15-21mid November
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: mid November. First arrivals late September; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 5.2% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 4.2% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.5% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.7% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.6% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.4% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.0% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.0% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.8% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.1% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.8% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.9% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.4% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.1% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.8% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.4% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.9% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.6% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.7% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.5% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.5% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.6% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.6% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.5% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.5% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.7% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.0% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.6% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.1% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.6% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.4% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.8% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.5% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.7% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.3% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.6% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.0% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.5% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.1% 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. Essex CountyBest mid February · 6257 checklists that week, 213,973 in all15%
  2. Dukes CountyBest the second week of November · 464 checklists that week, 23,670 in all15%
  3. Barnstable CountyBest mid November · 3064 checklists that week, 215,188 in all14%
  4. Nantucket CountyBest mid November · 344 checklists that week, 23,895 in all13%
  5. Plymouth CountyBest early December · 1409 checklists that week, 89,282 in all8.1%
  6. Bristol CountyBest early September · 967 checklists that week, 65,262 in all6.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lighthouse MarshBarnstable County, best late October · 20 checklists that week, 108 in all97%
  2. Race RunBarnstable County, best early December · 36 checklists that week, 2,504 in all93%
  3. Andrews PointEssex County, best early December · 72 checklists that week, 3,044 in all88%
  4. Corporation BeachBarnstable County, best early April · 20 checklists that week, 1,870 in all84%
  5. Horseneck Beach State ReservationBristol County, best early June · 42 checklists that week, 3,088 in all83%
  6. Orleans BeachBarnstable County, best late January · 45 checklists that week, 1,271 in all83%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Black Scoter is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (3.0% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 2.0% of 108601 checklists7 am: 1.9% of 186104 checklists8 am: 2.2% of 185905 checklists9 am: 2.5% of 166049 checklists10 am: 2.9% of 150508 checklists11 am: 3.1% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 2.9% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 3.0% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 2.9% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 2.3% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 0.6% 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
January4.2%4.5%4.7%4.6%
February4.4%4.0%4.0%3.8%
March3.1%2.8%2.9%2.4%
April2.1%1.8%1.4%1.1%
May0.9%0.9%0.6%0.7%
June0.5%0.5%0.5%0.5%
July0.6%0.7%0.6%0.6%
August0.6%0.6%0.6%0.5%
September0.5%0.5%0.7%1.0%
October1.6%2.1%2.6%4.4%
November4.8%5.5%4.7%5.3%
December4.6%4.0%3.5%5.1%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives late September, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives mid October, 3 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives late October, 4 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives mid October, 3 weeks later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Black Scoters arrive in Massachusetts?
Black Scoters are winter birds in Massachusetts: the first arrive in late September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in mid November (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Black Scoters leave Massachusetts?
Most Black Scoters have left Massachusetts by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Black Scoter in Massachusetts?
The Black Scoter is reported most often in mid November, on about 5.2% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Black Scoters seen most often?
By county, Essex County, Dukes County, and Barnstable County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black Scoter (counties with at least 200 checklists).