WhenToBird

Chordeiles minor · Caprimulgidae

When Do Common Nighthawks Arrive in Vermont?

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

Common Nighthawks mostly pass through Vermont: the first show up in the second week of August, they are common by mid August, peak in late August (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 8-14the second week of August
Common byAug 15-21mid August
PeakAug 22-31late August
Most gone bySep 1-7early September

Best: late August. First arrivals the second week of August; most are gone by early September. Peak: on about 3.7% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.6% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.8% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.6% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.4% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.3% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Windham CountyBest late August · 879 checklists that week, 39,105 in all17%
  2. Lamoille CountyBest late August · 373 checklists that week, 16,426 in all6.0%
  3. Windsor CountyBest late August · 1944 checklists that week, 73,702 in all5.9%
  4. Orange CountyBest late August · 424 checklists that week, 16,964 in all5.9%
  5. Washington CountyBest late August · 875 checklists that week, 37,036 in all3.0%
  6. Rutland CountyBest late August · 996 checklists that week, 46,909 in all2.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Westminster StationWindham County, best mid August · 23 checklists that week, 202 in all98%
  2. Westminster Station (Newcomb Brook)Windham County, best late August · 50 checklists that week, 118 in all98%
  3. Second Branch White RiverWindsor County, best mid August · 24 checklists that week, 769 in all35%
  4. La Platte RiverChittenden County, best late May · 112 checklists that week, 4,615 in all17%
  5. Derby BayOrleans County, best late August · 23 checklists that week, 508 in all13%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Common Nighthawk is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (2.5% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 0.1% of 10340 checklists6 am: 0.1% of 30951 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 64150 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 70252 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 55280 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 47111 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 2.0% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 3.2% 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.2%0.6%
June0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0%0%0.1%
August0.1%0.3%3.8%4.6%
September2.4%1.3%0.3%0.1%
October0.1%0%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do Common Nighthawks arrive in Vermont?
Common Nighthawks mostly pass through Vermont: the first show up in the second week of August, they are common by mid August, peak in late August (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.
When do Common Nighthawks leave Vermont?
Most Common Nighthawks have left Vermont by early September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of September.
When is the best time to see a Common Nighthawk in Vermont?
The Common Nighthawk is reported most often in late August, on about 3.7% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Common Nighthawks seen most often?
By county, Windham County, Lamoille County, and Windsor County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Nighthawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).