WhenToBird

Setophaga tigrina · Parulidae

When Do Cape May Warblers Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult male Cape May Warbler
Photo: Mike Mulqueen, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Cape May Warblers arrive in Connecticut in the second week of August, peak in the second week of September (2.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 8-14the second week of August
Common byAug 8-14the second week of August
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byOct 22-31late October

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals the second week of August; most are gone by late October. Peak: on about 2.1% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decrare

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.9% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.4% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.9% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.5% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.5% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.3% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.6% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.0% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.6% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 16616 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Litchfield CountyBest the second week of September · 1119 checklists that week, 69,766 in all5.4%
  2. New London CountyBest mid September · 1000 checklists that week, 65,205 in all2.8%
  3. Hartford CountyBest mid September · 1717 checklists that week, 105,735 in all2.2%
  4. Fairfield CountyBest early September · 2123 checklists that week, 139,848 in all2.1%
  5. Tolland CountyBest the second week of September · 545 checklists that week, 39,004 in all1.9%
  6. New Haven CountyBest the second week of May · 5629 checklists that week, 139,721 in all1.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Liberty PointFairfield County, best mid March · 24 checklists that week, 750 in all41%
  2. Belding Wildlife AreaTolland County, best the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 369 in all32%
  3. Mineral Spring BrookNew London County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 470 in all25%
  4. Point Folly CampgroundLitchfield County, best late September · 53 checklists that week, 1,650 in all25%
  5. Bluff PointNew London County, best the second week of September · 100 checklists that week, 770 in all21%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Cape May Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (325) to judge1 am: too few checklists (367) to judge2 am: too few checklists (488) to judge3 am: too few checklists (792) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2722) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9489) to judge6 am: 1.3% of 33657 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 62964 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 70645 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 64870 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 58827 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 15856 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8126) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1994) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (533) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (349) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (286) 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
January0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.8%1.9%1.4%0.2%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0.1%0.1%0.2%0.9%
September1.5%2.5%2.3%1.6%
October1.0%0.6%0.2%0.1%
November0%0%0%0%
December0.1%0.1%0%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of August, in the same week than Connecticut
  • Massachusetts: arrives early May, 13 weeks earlier than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: arrives mid August, 1 week later than Connecticut
  • New York: arrives mid August, 1 week later than Connecticut

Common questions

When do Cape May Warblers arrive in Connecticut?
Cape May Warblers arrive in Connecticut in the second week of August, peak in the second week of September (2.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.
When do Cape May Warblers leave Connecticut?
Most Cape May Warblers have left Connecticut by late October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Cape May Warbler in Connecticut?
The Cape May Warbler is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 2.1% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Cape May Warblers seen most often?
By county, Litchfield County, New London County, and Hartford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cape May Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).