WhenToBird

Spizella passerina · Passerellidae

When Do Chipping Sparrows Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Chipping Sparrow
Photo: Shirley Zundell, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Chipping Sparrows reach Massachusetts in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (41% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 1-7early April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: early May. First arrivals early April; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 41% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.3% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.2% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.2% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.2% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.2% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.5% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.2% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 15% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 29% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 39% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 43% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 40% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 38% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 34% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 33% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 32% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 33% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 33% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 31% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 29% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 26% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 22% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 18% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 16% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 14% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 12% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 15% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 16% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 15% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.1% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.6% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.0% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.5% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.5% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% 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. Worcester CountyBest early May · 4719 checklists that week, 128,594 in all51%
  2. Franklin CountyBest early May · 1762 checklists that week, 41,382 in all51%
  3. Bristol CountyBest early May · 2041 checklists that week, 65,262 in all51%
  4. Hampshire CountyBest early May · 6139 checklists that week, 162,423 in all47%
  5. Norfolk CountyBest early May · 4058 checklists that week, 114,756 in all45%
  6. Middlesex CountyBest the second week of May · 14184 checklists that week, 307,511 in all45%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Putnam PondWorcester County, best late May · 48 checklists that week, 1,801 in all100%
  2. Donahoe ParkMiddlesex County, best late May · 25 checklists that week, 634 in all99%
  3. Hope CemeteryWorcester County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 216 in all97%
  4. Memorial Park BeachNorfolk County, best early July · 28 checklists that week, 2,721 in all95%
  5. Milton CemeteryNorfolk County, best mid May · 25 checklists that week, 310 in all95%
  6. Walter Griffin PlaygroundNorfolk County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 691 in all95%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Chipping Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (23% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%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: 27% of 108601 checklists7 am: 20% of 186104 checklists8 am: 17% of 185905 checklists9 am: 14% of 166049 checklists10 am: 12% of 150508 checklists11 am: 11% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 10% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 9.7% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 9.5% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 9.8% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 13% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 16% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 18% 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
January0.3%0.2%0.3%0.2%
February0.3%0.2%0.2%0.2%
March0.2%0.2%0.2%0.5%
April3.2%15%29%39%
May43%40%38%34%
June33%32%33%33%
July31%29%26%22%
August18%16%14%12%
September11%11%12%15%
October16%15%12%7.1%
November2.6%1.0%0.9%0.7%
December0.5%0.4%0.5%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives early April, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives early April, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives early April, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of April, 1 week later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Chipping Sparrows arrive in Massachusetts?
Chipping Sparrows reach Massachusetts in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (41% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Chipping Sparrows leave Massachusetts?
Most Chipping Sparrows have left Massachusetts by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early November.
When is the best time to see a Chipping Sparrow in Massachusetts?
The Chipping Sparrow is reported most often in early May, on about 41% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Chipping Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Worcester County, Franklin County, and Bristol County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Chipping Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).