WhenToBird

Branta bernicla · Anatidae

When Do Brants Arrive in New York?

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

Brants are winter birds in New York: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in the second week of January (6.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byMay 15-21mid May

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by mid May. Peak: on about 6.2% of New York checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 5.9% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.4% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.3% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.7% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.5% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.1% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.4% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.3% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.0% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.5% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.8% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.9% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.0% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.0% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.9% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.3% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.9% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.1% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.1% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.7% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.9% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.5% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.5% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.0% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.5% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.6% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.1% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.0% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.0% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.8% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.2% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.4% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.9% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.2% 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. Kings CountyBest late January · 3096 checklists that week, 134,897 in all37%
  2. Nassau CountyBest early January · 3825 checklists that week, 95,019 in all33%
  3. Bronx CountyBest the second week of December · 354 checklists that week, 24,489 in all29%
  4. Queens CountyBest the second week of November · 1257 checklists that week, 76,201 in all28%
  5. Richmond CountyBest early January · 1631 checklists that week, 55,926 in all22%
  6. Wayne CountyBest late October · 705 checklists that week, 37,738 in all10%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sunset Cove ParkQueens County, best mid November · 23 checklists that week, 410 in all100%
  2. Point BreezeKings County, best early March · 23 checklists that week, 5,118 in all99%
  3. Tanner ParkSuffolk County, best mid December · 20 checklists that week, 512 in all98%
  4. Parsonage CoveNassau County, best the second week of January · 93 checklists that week, 5,941 in all98%
  5. Gateway National Recreation Area (Oakwood Beach)Richmond County, best late April · 28 checklists that week, 1,092 in all97%
  6. Lido Beach State Tidal WetlandNassau County, best mid March · 28 checklists that week, 2,631 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Brant is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (3.9% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 2.5% of 124869 checklists7 am: 2.5% of 298506 checklists8 am: 2.6% of 337334 checklists9 am: 3.8% of 307787 checklists10 am: 3.7% of 270801 checklists11 am: 4.0% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 3.8% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 4.0% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 3.7% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 3.4% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 3.1% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 1.7% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 1.3% 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
January5.9%6.4%6.3%5.7%
February5.5%5.1%4.4%5.3%
March5.0%4.5%4.8%4.9%
April4.0%4.0%3.9%3.3%
May2.9%3.1%3.1%1.7%
June0.9%0.5%0.3%0.2%
July0.1%0.2%0.2%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
October0.5%2.0%3.5%5.6%
November6.1%6.0%6.0%5.8%
December5.2%5.4%4.9%6.2%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than New York
  • Delaware: arrives late October, 2 weeks later than New York
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than New York

Common questions

When do Brants arrive in New York?
Brants are winter birds in New York: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in the second week of January (6.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.
When do Brants leave New York?
Most Brants have left New York by mid May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early June.
When is the best time to see a Brant in New York?
The Brant is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 6.2% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Brants seen most often?
By county, Kings County, Nassau County, and Bronx County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brant (counties with at least 200 checklists).