WhenToBird

Certhia americana · Certhiidae

When Do Brown Creepers Arrive in New York?

Adult Brown Creeper
Photo: Melanie Gaddy, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Brown Creepers reach New York in the second week of September, are common by mid September, peak in the second week of April (8.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of July.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byJul 8-14the second week of July

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by the second week of July. Peak: on about 8.4% of New York checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 3.5% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.0% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.9% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.0% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.9% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.9% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.5% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.9% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.0% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.0% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.8% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.4% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.4% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.2% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.4% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.0% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.2% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.3% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.1% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.2% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.6% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.0% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.0% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.6% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.7% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.3% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.1% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.8% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.6% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.4% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.1% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.2% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.5% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.7% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.5% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.5% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.3% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.6% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.6% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.4% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.6% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.5% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.7% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.6% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.1% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.2% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.2% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.9% 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. Warren CountyBest late March · 260 checklists that week, 12,066 in all27%
  2. Kings CountyBest early April · 3526 checklists that week, 134,897 in all19%
  3. New York CountyBest the second week of April · 5725 checklists that week, 187,471 in all18%
  4. Hamilton CountyBest the second week of June · 876 checklists that week, 13,964 in all17%
  5. Chenango CountyBest late June · 298 checklists that week, 10,785 in all17%
  6. Essex CountyBest mid April · 721 checklists that week, 36,374 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Swan Lake (historical)Erie County, best the second week of April · 67 checklists that week, 2,734 in all64%
  2. Island Cottage Woods PreserveMonroe County, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 738 in all62%
  3. Goodhue ParkRichmond County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 702 in all62%
  4. Hamlin Beach State Park (Yanty Creek)Monroe County, best the second week of April · 22 checklists that week, 1,060 in all61%
  5. Crab Hollow State ForestAllegany County, best mid September · 20 checklists that week, 498 in all59%
  6. Slim PointWarren County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 394 in all57%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Brown Creeper is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 4.4% of 124869 checklists7 am: 4.9% of 298506 checklists8 am: 4.6% of 337334 checklists9 am: 4.4% of 307787 checklists10 am: 4.1% of 270801 checklists11 am: 3.8% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 3.6% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 3.6% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 3.6% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 3.3% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 2.6% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 2.2% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 1.4% 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
January3.5%3.0%2.9%3.0%
February2.9%2.9%2.5%2.9%
March3.0%3.0%3.8%5.4%
April8.4%9.2%7.4%5.0%
May3.2%2.3%2.1%2.2%
June2.6%3.0%3.0%2.6%
July2.7%2.3%2.1%1.8%
August1.6%1.4%1.1%1.2%
September1.5%1.7%2.5%4.5%
October7.3%7.6%7.6%6.4%
November5.6%4.5%4.7%4.6%
December4.1%4.2%4.2%3.9%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives late August, 2 weeks earlier than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives late September, 2 weeks later than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives mid September, 1 week later than New York
  • Vermont: arrives late March, 22 weeks earlier than New York

Common questions

When do Brown Creepers arrive in New York?
Brown Creepers reach New York in the second week of September, are common by mid September, peak in the second week of April (8.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of July.
When do Brown Creepers leave New York?
Most Brown Creepers have left New York by the second week of July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early August.
When is the best time to see a Brown Creeper in New York?
The Brown Creeper is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 8.4% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Brown Creepers seen most often?
By county, Warren County, Kings County, and New York County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brown Creeper (counties with at least 200 checklists).