WhenToBird

Bucephala clangula · Anatidae

When Do Common Goldeneyes Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult male Common Goldeneye
Photo: Bjoern Rost, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Goldeneyes are winter birds in Massachusetts: the first arrive in early November, they are common by early December, peak in late January (12% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byDec 1-7early December
PeakJan 22-31late January
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: late January. First arrivals early November; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 12% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 11% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 12% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 12% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 12% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 12% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 11% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 10% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.3% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.2% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.7% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.5% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.7% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.6% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.4% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.3% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.4% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.1% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.3% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.8% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.9% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% 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. Bristol CountyBest mid January · 1199 checklists that week, 65,262 in all25%
  2. Dukes CountyBest late January · 397 checklists that week, 23,670 in all24%
  3. Essex CountyBest mid February · 6257 checklists that week, 213,973 in all21%
  4. Franklin CountyBest early March · 824 checklists that week, 41,382 in all20%
  5. Barnstable CountyBest late January · 4944 checklists that week, 215,188 in all19%
  6. Plymouth CountyBest early February · 1591 checklists that week, 89,282 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Horseneck Beach State ReservationBristol County, best the second week of March · 38 checklists that week, 3,088 in all98%
  2. Upper Pawtucket Canal ReservoirMiddlesex County, best late December · 22 checklists that week, 406 in all98%
  3. Attaquin ParkBarnstable County, best early March · 46 checklists that week, 1,849 in all96%
  4. South BayWorcester County, best late December · 54 checklists that week, 320 in all95%
  5. Great Pond Upper ReservoirNorfolk County, best late March · 31 checklists that week, 1,084 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Common Goldeneye is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (5.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 1.6% of 108601 checklists7 am: 2.6% of 186104 checklists8 am: 3.3% of 185905 checklists9 am: 4.1% of 166049 checklists10 am: 4.6% of 150508 checklists11 am: 4.9% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 5.0% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 5.0% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 5.0% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 4.3% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 3.1% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 1.3% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 0.6% 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
January11%12%12%12%
February12%11%10%11%
March11%9.3%8.2%5.7%
April3.5%1.7%0.6%0.2%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
September0%0%0.1%0%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.4%
November1.4%2.3%3.4%4.1%
December5.3%6.8%8.9%11%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives mid November, 2 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives early November, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives mid October, 2 weeks earlier than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Common Goldeneyes arrive in Massachusetts?
Common Goldeneyes are winter birds in Massachusetts: the first arrive in early November, they are common by early December, peak in late January (12% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do Common Goldeneyes leave Massachusetts?
Most Common Goldeneyes have left Massachusetts by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Common Goldeneye in Massachusetts?
The Common Goldeneye is reported most often in late January, on about 12% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Common Goldeneyes seen most often?
By county, Bristol County, Dukes County, and Essex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Goldeneye (counties with at least 200 checklists).