WhenToBird

Corvus corax · Corvidae

When Do Common Ravens Arrive in New Jersey?

Adult Common Raven
Photo: Mila C., CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Ravens are in New Jersey all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in the second week of November (6.5% of checklists), and fall back by mid December. In the quietest week (the second week of July) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 1-7early September
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Fall back byDec 15-21mid December
FewestJul 8-14the second week of July

Best: the second week of November. Here all year; numbers build from early September and fall back by mid December. Peak: on about 6.5% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 3.1% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.6% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.3% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.1% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.0% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.2% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.7% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.0% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.3% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.3% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.1% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.1% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.0% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.2% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.1% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.1% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.6% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.0% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.5% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.7% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.5% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.5% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.2% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.2% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.9% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.2% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.3% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.4% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.0% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.5% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.9% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.3% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.5% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.3% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.3% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.2% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.5% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.4% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.9% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.8% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.6% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.9% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.4% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.2% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.2% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.6% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.3% 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. Sussex CountyBest late October · 620 checklists that week, 30,305 in all23%
  2. Warren CountyBest the second week of October · 283 checklists that week, 20,077 in all22%
  3. Passaic CountyBest mid November · 280 checklists that week, 24,933 in all17%
  4. Bergen CountyBest early November · 1385 checklists that week, 73,457 in all16%
  5. Essex CountyBest the second week of October · 615 checklists that week, 28,396 in all16%
  6. Somerset CountyBest mid October · 1098 checklists that week, 58,057 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Upper Township 1Cape May County, best early April · 20 checklists that week, 153 in all83%
  2. Palisades ParkBergen County, best late November · 71 checklists that week, 2,765 in all75%
  3. Cedar SwampSussex County, best mid May · 25 checklists that week, 275 in all70%
  4. Washington Valley ParkSomerset County, best late October · 48 checklists that week, 1,255 in all59%
  5. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation AreaSussex County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 316 in all55%
  6. Hilltop ReservationEssex County, best late September · 24 checklists that week, 616 in all54%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Common Raven is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 5.4% of 50447 checklists7 am: 4.9% of 118312 checklists8 am: 5.0% of 123273 checklists9 am: 5.0% of 107783 checklists10 am: 4.8% of 97537 checklists11 am: 4.4% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 3.9% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 3.5% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 3.1% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 2.5% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 2.1% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 2.0% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 1.7% 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
January3.1%3.6%3.3%4.1%
February4.0%3.2%2.7%4.0%
March4.3%4.3%4.1%4.1%
April4.0%4.2%4.1%4.1%
May3.6%3.0%2.5%2.7%
June2.5%2.4%2.5%2.2%
July2.2%1.9%2.2%2.3%
August2.4%3.0%3.5%3.9%
September5.3%5.5%6.3%5.3%
October5.2%5.5%5.4%5.9%
November6.8%6.6%5.9%5.4%
December5.2%4.2%4.6%4.3%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives mid August, 2 weeks earlier than New Jersey
  • Connecticut: arrives early September, in the same week than New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania: year-round, peaks late October
  • New York: year-round, peaks early October

Common questions

When do Common Ravens arrive in New Jersey?
Common Ravens are in New Jersey all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in the second week of November (6.5% of checklists), and fall back by mid December. In the quietest week (the second week of July) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.
When do Common Ravens leave New Jersey?
Common Ravens never fully leave New Jersey: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid December, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Common Raven in New Jersey?
The Common Raven is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 6.5% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Common Ravens seen most often?
By county, Sussex County, Warren County, and Passaic County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Raven (counties with at least 200 checklists).