WhenToBird

Branta bernicla · Anatidae

When Do Brants Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Brant
Photo: Donald Hobern, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Brants are winter birds in Massachusetts: they arrive in mid October, peak in early February (4.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakFeb 1-7early February
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: early February. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 4.3% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.5% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.1% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.0% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.1% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.6% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.2% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.5% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.1% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.6% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.7% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.4% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.1% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.9% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.4% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.1% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.4% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.0% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.6% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.0% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% 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: 0.1% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.5% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.0% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.4% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.1% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.4% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.1% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.5% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.0% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.8% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.5% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.7% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.6% 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. Nantucket CountyBest mid March · 318 checklists that week, 23,895 in all16%
  2. Bristol CountyBest mid January · 1199 checklists that week, 65,262 in all14%
  3. Plymouth CountyBest the second week of April · 2244 checklists that week, 89,282 in all12%
  4. Barnstable CountyBest mid March · 3632 checklists that week, 215,188 in all12%
  5. Suffolk CountyBest late January · 2860 checklists that week, 112,443 in all8.6%
  6. Essex CountyBest late March · 6394 checklists that week, 213,973 in all7.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fort Phoenix Beach State ReservationBristol County, best the second week of December · 41 checklists that week, 1,098 in all100%
  2. Red River BeachBarnstable County, best the second week of March · 21 checklists that week, 796 in all96%
  3. Ladys CoveEssex County, best late April · 54 checklists that week, 1,920 in all95%
  4. Clarks PointBristol County, best the second week of February · 22 checklists that week, 435 in all94%
  5. Green Hill RockPlymouth County, best late March · 32 checklists that week, 298 in all92%
  6. Nelson Memorial ParkPlymouth County, best the second week of November · 23 checklists that week, 548 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Brant is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (2.7% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 1.4% of 108601 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 186104 checklists8 am: 2.0% of 185905 checklists9 am: 2.2% of 166049 checklists10 am: 2.5% of 150508 checklists11 am: 2.7% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 2.7% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 2.7% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 2.8% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 2.5% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 1.8% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 1.3% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 0.9% 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
January3.5%4.1%4.0%4.1%
February4.6%4.2%3.5%4.1%
March3.6%3.7%4.4%4.1%
April3.9%3.4%3.1%2.4%
May2.0%1.6%1.0%0.3%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.5%1.0%1.4%3.1%
November3.4%3.1%2.5%3.0%
December2.8%2.5%2.7%3.6%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Massachusetts
  • New York: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Massachusetts
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Brants arrive in Massachusetts?
Brants are winter birds in Massachusetts: they arrive in mid October, peak in early February (4.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Brants leave Massachusetts?
Most Brants have left Massachusetts by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid May.
When is the best time to see a Brant in Massachusetts?
The Brant is reported most often in early February, on about 4.3% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Brants seen most often?
By county, Nantucket County, Bristol County, and Plymouth County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brant (counties with at least 200 checklists).