WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

Cedar Waxwings reach Pennsylvania in mid April, are common by mid May, peak in early June (28% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 15-21mid April
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakJun 1-7early June
Most gone byNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: early June. First arrivals mid April; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 28% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 2.7% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.3% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.1% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.0% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.7% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.7% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.4% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.4% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.7% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.7% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.0% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.8% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.0% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.3% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.0% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 20% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 29% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 28% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 26% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 26% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 23% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 22% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 21% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 19% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 18% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 19% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 21% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 20% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 21% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 21% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 20% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 19% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 17% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 16% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 14% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 16% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 12% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.0% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.7% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.4% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.9% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.2% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.9% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Elk CountyBest the second week of August · 86 checklists that week, 6,751 in all59%
  2. Sullivan CountyBest late July · 106 checklists that week, 4,362 in all57%
  3. Wayne CountyBest early September · 180 checklists that week, 10,444 in all51%
  4. Forest CountyBest the second week of August · 151 checklists that week, 5,388 in all48%
  5. Warren CountyBest the second week of September · 62 checklists that week, 5,449 in all48%
  6. Clearfield CountyBest early September · 122 checklists that week, 9,768 in all47%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake NessmukTioga County, best the second week of August · 176 checklists that week, 872 in all89%
  2. Lake PerezHuntingdon County, best mid July · 26 checklists that week, 1,367 in all88%
  3. Hall PondLycoming County, best late August · 31 checklists that week, 1,740 in all87%
  4. Canoe Creek State ParkBlair County, best the second week of June · 24 checklists that week, 1,028 in all86%
  5. Woodland LakeMonroe County, best mid June · 20 checklists that week, 725 in all86%
  6. Haugh Family Farm (Scotia)Centre County, best mid August · 22 checklists that week, 1,379 in all84%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (16% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 19% of 92903 checklists7 am: 15% of 241233 checklists8 am: 13% of 271994 checklists9 am: 11% of 236842 checklists10 am: 9.3% of 199508 checklists11 am: 7.7% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 7.4% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 7.0% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 6.9% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 7.2% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 8.0% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 11% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 14% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 15% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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
January2.7%2.3%2.1%2.0%
February1.7%1.6%1.5%1.7%
March1.4%1.4%1.5%1.7%
April1.7%2.0%1.8%2.0%
May3.3%7.0%20%29%
June28%26%26%23%
July22%21%19%18%
August19%21%20%21%
September21%20%19%17%
October16%14%14%16%
November16%12%9.0%6.7%
December4.4%3.9%3.2%2.9%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives the second week of May, 3 weeks later than Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia: arrives early May, 2 weeks later than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives late April, 1 week later than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives early May, 2 weeks later than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in Pennsylvania?
Cedar Waxwings reach Pennsylvania in mid April, are common by mid May, peak in early June (28% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave Pennsylvania?
Most Cedar Waxwings have left Pennsylvania by the second week of November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid January.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in Pennsylvania?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in early June, on about 28% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Elk County, Sullivan County, and Wayne County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).