WhenToBird

Spatula discors · Anatidae

When Do Blue-winged Teals Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult female Blue-winged Teal
Photo: Guy Babineau, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Blue-winged Teals arrive in Massachusetts in the second week of March, peak in the second week of April (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 1.7% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.1% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.6% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.7% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.4% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.8% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.2% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.2% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.0% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.8% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.5% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hampden CountyBest the second week of September · 681 checklists that week, 35,410 in all4.6%
  2. Nantucket CountyBest mid April · 530 checklists that week, 23,895 in all3.2%
  3. Essex CountyBest the second week of April · 5586 checklists that week, 213,973 in all2.8%
  4. Worcester CountyBest the second week of April · 3378 checklists that week, 128,594 in all2.6%
  5. Plymouth CountyBest the second week of April · 2244 checklists that week, 89,282 in all2.2%
  6. Barnstable CountyBest early April · 3607 checklists that week, 215,188 in all2.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mill Pond (West Barnstable)Barnstable County, best the second week of January · 32 checklists that week, 321 in all58%
  2. Hood PondEssex County, best mid April · 37 checklists that week, 111 in all54%
  3. Topsfield FairgroundsEssex County, best late August · 33 checklists that week, 2,143 in all48%
  4. Milestone Cranberry BogNantucket County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 356 in all37%
  5. Round Hill BeachBristol County, best the second week of May · 29 checklists that week, 394 in all36%
  6. Red Brook ReservoirBarnstable County, best the second week of September · 22 checklists that week, 238 in all34%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Blue-winged Teal is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (0.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.5% of 108601 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 186104 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 185905 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 166049 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 150508 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 0.5% 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.3%1.1%
April1.6%1.6%1.7%0.7%
May0.4%0.2%0.1%0.2%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.3%0.6%0.8%
September1.2%1.3%1.2%1.0%
October0.8%0.7%0.5%0.3%
November0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives mid March, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives the second week of August, 20 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of August, 20 weeks later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Blue-winged Teals arrive in Massachusetts?
Blue-winged Teals arrive in Massachusetts in the second week of March, peak in the second week of April (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do Blue-winged Teals leave Massachusetts?
Most Blue-winged Teals have left Massachusetts by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Blue-winged Teal in Massachusetts?
The Blue-winged Teal is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 1.7% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Blue-winged Teals seen most often?
By county, Hampden County, Nantucket County, and Essex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue-winged Teal (counties with at least 200 checklists).