WhenToBird

Bucephala clangula · Anatidae

When Do Common Goldeneyes Arrive in New Jersey?

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

Common Goldeneyes are winter birds in New Jersey: the first arrive in the second week of December, they are common by mid December, peak in early February (3.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 8-14the second week of December
Common byDec 15-21mid December
PeakFeb 1-7early February
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: early February. First arrivals the second week of December; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 3.3% of New Jersey checklists.

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

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 2.2% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.0% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.9% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.5% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.4% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.0% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.5% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.6% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.6% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.7% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.1% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.4% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.2% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.3% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.7% of 26651 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Warren CountyBest late February · 658 checklists that week, 20,077 in all18%
  2. Hudson CountyBest mid January · 377 checklists that week, 21,191 in all11%
  3. Cumberland CountyBest late February · 288 checklists that week, 13,927 in all8.0%
  4. Sussex CountyBest mid January · 420 checklists that week, 30,305 in all6.8%
  5. Burlington CountyBest late February · 1159 checklists that week, 52,358 in all4.8%
  6. Middlesex CountyBest mid January · 975 checklists that week, 46,761 in all4.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Culvers LakeSussex County, best the second week of January · 21 checklists that week, 710 in all83%
  2. Ingersoll Reservoir (Allens Mills)Warren County, best late February · 32 checklists that week, 768 in all75%
  3. Harvey Cedars RecreationOcean County, best mid January · 52 checklists that week, 534 in all74%
  4. Ingersoll ReservoirWarren County, best late January · 72 checklists that week, 1,691 in all61%
  5. Wright CoveBurlington County, best late January · 21 checklists that week, 793 in all60%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Common Goldeneye is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (746) to judge1 am: too few checklists (640) to judge2 am: too few checklists (606) to judge3 am: too few checklists (755) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1681) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11258) to judge6 am: 0.4% of 50447 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 118312 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 123273 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 107783 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 97537 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 1.2% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 28122 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14727) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4257) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1273) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (920) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (693) 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
January2.2%3.0%2.9%3.5%
February3.4%3.0%2.5%3.6%
March2.6%1.7%1.1%0.6%
April0.4%0.2%0.1%0.1%
May0%0.1%0.1%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0.1%0.1%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.2%0.4%0.6%0.6%
December1.0%1.2%1.3%1.7%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives mid December, 1 week later than New Jersey
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of November, 4 weeks earlier than New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late November, 2 weeks earlier than New Jersey
  • New York: arrives late October, 6 weeks earlier than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Common Goldeneyes arrive in New Jersey?
Common Goldeneyes are winter birds in New Jersey: the first arrive in the second week of December, they are common by mid December, peak in early February (3.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Common Goldeneyes leave New Jersey?
Most Common Goldeneyes have left New Jersey by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid March.
When is the best time to see a Common Goldeneye in New Jersey?
The Common Goldeneye is reported most often in early February, on about 3.3% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Common Goldeneyes seen most often?
By county, Warren County, Hudson County, and Cumberland County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Goldeneye (counties with at least 200 checklists).