WhenToBird

Polioptila caerulea · Polioptilidae

When Do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers Arrive in New York?

Adult Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Photo: Laura Clark, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers reach New York in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (11% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 1-7early April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone bySep 8-14the second week of September

Best: early May. First arrivals early April; most are gone by the second week of September. Peak: on about 11% of New York checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.1% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.3% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.9% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 10% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.6% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.5% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.4% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.7% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.4% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.9% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.7% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.6% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.6% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.3% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.5% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.0% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.8% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.8% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.0% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.5% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.0% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 62470 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 York 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 York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sullivan CountyBest early May · 1034 checklists that week, 28,620 in all38%
  2. Rockland CountyBest early May · 1079 checklists that week, 35,579 in all33%
  3. Putnam CountyBest early May · 468 checklists that week, 13,177 in all30%
  4. Orange CountyBest the second week of May · 2653 checklists that week, 74,227 in all28%
  5. Dutchess CountyBest early May · 2835 checklists that week, 76,123 in all25%
  6. Ulster CountyBest early May · 2670 checklists that week, 71,816 in all23%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bear Mountain State ParkRockland County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 288 in all95%
  2. Nuclear LakeDutchess County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 248 in all94%
  3. Doodletown BightRockland County, best late April · 46 checklists that week, 1,325 in all90%
  4. SUFFOLK COUNTYDEPT REAL EST C/O C KENNY LandSuffolk County, best late April · 31 checklists that week, 378 in all90%
  5. Big Fish Creek PondSuffolk County, best late April · 32 checklists that week, 626 in all90%
  6. Bashakill Wma (Pine Kill)Sullivan County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 312 in all86%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 6.3% of 124869 checklists7 am: 4.1% of 298506 checklists8 am: 3.4% of 337334 checklists9 am: 2.9% of 307787 checklists10 am: 2.6% of 270801 checklists11 am: 2.2% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 2.0% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 2.0% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 2.0% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 2.0% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 2.3% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 2.9% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 2.9% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January0.1%0.1%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April1.1%3.3%6.9%11%
May13%10%8.6%5.5%
June4.4%3.7%3.4%2.9%
July2.7%2.6%2.6%2.3%
August2.5%3.0%3.8%3.8%
September3.0%2.5%1.0%0.4%
October0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives early April, in the same week than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives late March, 1 week earlier than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives early April, in the same week than New York
  • Vermont: arrives mid April, 2 weeks later than New York

Common questions

When do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers arrive in New York?
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers reach New York in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (11% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.
When do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers leave New York?
Most Blue-gray Gnatcatchers have left New York by the second week of September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid September.
When is the best time to see a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in New York?
The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is reported most often in early May, on about 11% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Blue-gray Gnatcatchers seen most often?
By county, Sullivan County, Rockland County, and Putnam County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (counties with at least 200 checklists).