WhenToBird

Passerina caerulea · Cardinalidae

When Do Blue Grosbeaks Arrive in New Jersey?

Adult male Blue Grosbeak
Photo: John Rosford, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Blue Grosbeaks reach New Jersey in late April, are common by early May, peak in early August (4.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakAug 1-7early August
Most gone bySep 8-14the second week of September

Best: early August. First arrivals late April; most are gone by the second week of September. Peak: on about 4.2% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.9% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.2% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.9% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.6% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.9% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.2% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.1% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.7% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.3% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.5% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.7% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.9% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.1% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.2% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.4% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.9% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.9% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.0% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.5% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.8% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Salem CountyBest early July · 101 checklists that week, 9,658 in all15%
  2. Burlington CountyBest late July · 1014 checklists that week, 52,358 in all14%
  3. Cape May CountyBest the second week of August · 2515 checklists that week, 189,832 in all11%
  4. Atlantic CountyBest late May · 900 checklists that week, 28,208 in all8.8%
  5. Mercer CountyBest late July · 1166 checklists that week, 56,614 in all7.5%
  6. Gloucester CountyBest late June · 623 checklists that week, 36,378 in all7.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Laurel RunBurlington County, best the second week of August · 24 checklists that week, 1,053 in all74%
  2. Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area (north)Cape May County, best early August · 82 checklists that week, 1,492 in all73%
  3. Cape May Corridor MacrositeCape May County, best mid June · 50 checklists that week, 2,246 in all51%
  4. Higbee Beach Wildlife Management AreaCape May County, best mid May · 616 checklists that week, 9,268 in all51%
  5. Manasquan River Wildlife Management AreaOcean County, best mid May · 90 checklists that week, 1,093 in all50%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Blue Grosbeak is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 5.0% of 50447 checklists7 am: 2.8% of 118312 checklists8 am: 1.8% of 123273 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 107783 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 97537 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 1.5% 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0.1%0.2%0.9%
May3.2%3.9%4.6%3.9%
June3.2%4.1%3.7%4.3%
July3.5%3.7%3.9%4.1%
August4.2%4.4%3.9%3.9%
September3.0%2.5%1.7%1.3%
October0.8%0.5%0.3%0.3%
November0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania: arrives mid May, 3 weeks later than New Jersey
  • Maryland: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than New Jersey
  • District of Columbia: arrives late April, in the same week than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Blue Grosbeaks arrive in New Jersey?
Blue Grosbeaks reach New Jersey in late April, are common by early May, peak in early August (4.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.
When do Blue Grosbeaks leave New Jersey?
Most Blue Grosbeaks have left New Jersey by the second week of September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late September.
When is the best time to see a Blue Grosbeak in New Jersey?
The Blue Grosbeak is reported most often in early August, on about 4.2% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Blue Grosbeaks seen most often?
By county, Salem County, Burlington County, and Cape May County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue Grosbeak (counties with at least 200 checklists).