WhenToBird

Quiscalus quiscula · Icteridae

When Do Common Grackles Arrive in Vermont?

Adult Common Grackle
Photo: Derek Spencer, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Grackles reach Vermont in late February, are common by the second week of March, peak in the second week of May (33% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byJul 15-21mid July

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals late February; most are gone by mid July. Peak: on about 33% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febrare
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seprare
  10. Octrare
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.7% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.4% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 15% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 24% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 29% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 28% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 31% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 32% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 32% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 33% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 32% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 32% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 33% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 30% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 29% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 27% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 27% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 23% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 20% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 16% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 10% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.9% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.0% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.8% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.2% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.1% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.1% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.0% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.8% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.9% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.8% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.3% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.0% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.3% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.3% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.3% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 10579 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 Vermont 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 Vermont

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grand Isle CountyBest the second week of May · 246 checklists that week, 8,507 in all57%
  2. Franklin CountyBest early June · 715 checklists that week, 25,284 in all41%
  3. Essex CountyBest the second week of May · 244 checklists that week, 9,416 in all40%
  4. Addison CountyBest mid April · 1788 checklists that week, 77,064 in all39%
  5. Windham CountyBest early April · 1193 checklists that week, 39,105 in all38%
  6. Bennington CountyBest late April · 873 checklists that week, 21,621 in all37%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Roundys CoveWindham County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 331 in all100%
  2. Pompanoosuc (east)Windsor County, best mid April · 39 checklists that week, 575 in all97%
  3. Waits RiverOrange County, best late April · 56 checklists that week, 903 in all95%
  4. McCuen Slang Wildlife Management AreaAddison County, best the second week of May · 35 checklists that week, 1,076 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Common Grackle is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (24% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (384) to judge1 am: too few checklists (418) to judge2 am: too few checklists (568) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3460) to judge5 am: 23% of 10340 checklists6 am: 25% of 30951 checklists7 am: 19% of 64150 checklists8 am: 16% of 70252 checklists9 am: 15% of 55280 checklists10 am: 14% of 47111 checklists11 am: 12% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 11% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 11% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 11% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 12% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 15% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 18% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 18% of 12110 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8203) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4425) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1829) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (597) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (309) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.2%0.4%3.7%
March7.4%15%24%29%
April28%31%32%32%
May33%32%32%33%
June30%29%27%27%
July23%20%16%13%
August10%8.9%7.0%4.8%
September3.2%2.1%2.1%2.0%
October2.8%2.9%3.8%4.3%
November3.0%2.3%1.1%0.6%
December0.3%0.3%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives late February, in the same week than Vermont
  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of February, 2 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Connecticut: arrives early March, 1 week later than Vermont
  • Rhode Island: arrives early February, 3 weeks earlier than Vermont

Common questions

When do Common Grackles arrive in Vermont?
Common Grackles reach Vermont in late February, are common by the second week of March, peak in the second week of May (33% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.
When do Common Grackles leave Vermont?
Most Common Grackles have left Vermont by mid July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early September.
When is the best time to see a Common Grackle in Vermont?
The Common Grackle is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 33% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Common Grackles seen most often?
By county, Grand Isle County, Franklin County, and Essex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Grackle (counties with at least 200 checklists).