WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Cedar Waxwing
Photo: Sean Frey, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cedar Waxwings reach Massachusetts in early May, are common by mid May, peak in the second week of June (30% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakJun 8-14the second week of June
Most gone bySep 22-30late September

Best: the second week of June. First arrivals early May; most are gone by late September. Peak: on about 30% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 2.5% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.1% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.9% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.9% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.7% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.6% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.7% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.7% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.4% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.4% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.6% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.7% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.4% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.4% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.3% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.1% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 25% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 29% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 30% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 31% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 28% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 26% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 26% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 26% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 27% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 27% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 24% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 22% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 21% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 19% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 17% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 10% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.4% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.6% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.7% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.3% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.6% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.8% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.1% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.8% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.5% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.9% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.3% 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.

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Where in Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Berkshire CountyBest early August · 1367 checklists that week, 92,890 in all52%
  2. Worcester CountyBest late July · 2380 checklists that week, 128,594 in all38%
  3. Franklin CountyBest early July · 511 checklists that week, 41,382 in all38%
  4. Hampshire CountyBest mid June · 2678 checklists that week, 162,423 in all37%
  5. Essex CountyBest mid June · 2972 checklists that week, 213,973 in all36%
  6. Norfolk CountyBest the second week of June · 2152 checklists that week, 114,756 in all31%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Martin H. Burns Wildlife Management AreaEssex County, best early July · 21 checklists that week, 1,546 in all92%
  2. Squantum PointNorfolk County, best late June · 104 checklists that week, 4,708 in all88%
  3. Field Farm ReservationBerkshire County, best early July · 21 checklists that week, 691 in all86%
  4. Putnam PondWorcester County, best mid June · 30 checklists that week, 1,801 in all85%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (15% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%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: 17% of 108601 checklists7 am: 13% of 186104 checklists8 am: 11% of 185905 checklists9 am: 9.8% of 166049 checklists10 am: 8.1% of 150508 checklists11 am: 7.0% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 6.4% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 6.3% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 6.3% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 6.6% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 8.3% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 11% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 13% 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
January2.5%2.1%1.9%1.7%
February1.9%1.7%1.6%1.7%
March1.7%1.4%1.4%1.4%
April1.6%1.7%1.4%1.4%
May2.3%4.1%12%25%
June29%30%31%28%
July26%26%26%27%
August27%24%22%21%
September19%17%14%12%
October10%7.4%7.6%7.7%
November8.3%6.6%5.8%5.1%
December3.8%3.5%3.9%3.3%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of April, 3 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives the second week of May, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives mid April, 2 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives early June, 4 weeks later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in Massachusetts?
Cedar Waxwings reach Massachusetts in early May, are common by mid May, peak in the second week of June (30% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave Massachusetts?
Most Cedar Waxwings have left Massachusetts by late September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of January.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in Massachusetts?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in the second week of June, on about 30% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Berkshire County, Worcester County, and Franklin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).