WhenToBird

Chordeiles minor · Caprimulgidae

When Do Common Nighthawks Arrive in New Jersey?

Adult Common Nighthawk
Photo: Donald Davesne, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Nighthawks arrive in New Jersey in the second week of August, peak in early September (2.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 8-14the second week of August
Common byAug 8-14the second week of August
PeakSep 1-7early September
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: early September. First arrivals the second week of August; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 2.9% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julrare
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.1% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.9% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.2% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.8% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.4% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.1% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.8% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.7% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.3% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.2% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.6% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.2% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.8% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in New Jersey

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Essex CountyBest early September · 533 checklists that week, 28,396 in all8.5%
  2. Sussex CountyBest early September · 530 checklists that week, 30,305 in all6.2%
  3. Passaic CountyBest late August · 519 checklists that week, 24,933 in all5.1%
  4. Somerset CountyBest the second week of September · 1095 checklists that week, 58,057 in all4.4%
  5. Morris CountyBest early September · 849 checklists that week, 59,212 in all4.3%
  6. Burlington CountyBest early September · 1003 checklists that week, 52,358 in all4.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sussex Branch TrailSussex County, best mid May · 22 checklists that week, 559 in all25%
  2. Montclair SanctuaryEssex County, best early September · 20 checklists that week, 401 in all24%
  3. Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area (Sassafras Island)Cape May County, best the second week of May · 34 checklists that week, 149 in all23%
  4. Appalachian TrailSussex County, best mid May · 23 checklists that week, 190 in all22%
  5. Cape May Point Beach (northwest)Cape May County, best early October · 26 checklists that week, 229 in all21%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Common Nighthawk is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (2.6% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 0.8% of 50447 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 118312 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 123273 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 107783 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 97537 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 2.0% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 3.6% 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.3%1.1%1.9%1.2%
June0.8%0.4%0.4%0.2%
July0.3%0.3%0.3%0.3%
August0.3%0.4%1.1%2.8%
September2.7%3.3%2.2%1.6%
October1.2%0.8%0.1%0.1%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives late July, 2 weeks earlier than New Jersey
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of August, in the same week than New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania: arrives the second week of August, in the same week than New Jersey
  • New York: arrives the second week of August, in the same week than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Common Nighthawks arrive in New Jersey?
Common Nighthawks arrive in New Jersey in the second week of August, peak in early September (2.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Common Nighthawks leave New Jersey?
Most Common Nighthawks have left New Jersey by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Common Nighthawk in New Jersey?
The Common Nighthawk is reported most often in early September, on about 2.9% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Common Nighthawks seen most often?
By county, Essex County, Sussex County, and Passaic County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Nighthawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).