WhenToBird

Spiza americana · Cardinalidae

When Do Dickcissels Arrive in New Jersey?

Adult Dickcissel
Photo: cwwood, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Dickcissels are winter birds in New Jersey: they arrive in late August, peak in early October (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: early October. First arrivals late August; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 1.3% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Mayrare
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% 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: 0.1% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.6% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.9% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.8% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.5% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.5% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.7% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.7% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.2% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.2% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.1% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.7% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.5% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.3% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.3% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.2% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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. Mercer CountyBest late June · 1006 checklists that week, 56,614 in all7.4%
  2. Burlington CountyBest mid June · 804 checklists that week, 52,358 in all4.7%
  3. Salem CountyBest the second week of July · 105 checklists that week, 9,658 in all3.3%
  4. Cape May CountyBest mid September · 5541 checklists that week, 189,832 in all2.8%
  5. Cumberland CountyBest the second week of July · 100 checklists that week, 13,927 in all2.2%
  6. Ocean CountyBest late September · 1405 checklists that week, 87,340 in all1.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bishop FarmsteadBurlington County, best late June · 24 checklists that week, 585 in all66%
  2. Laurel RunBurlington County, best the second week of June · 68 checklists that week, 1,053 in all44%
  3. Rosedale ParkMercer County, best late June · 204 checklists that week, 6,841 in all33%
  4. Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area (north)Cape May County, best early October · 124 checklists that week, 1,492 in all32%
  5. Cape May County Park SouthCape May County, best early September · 23 checklists that week, 337 in all30%
  6. Cold Brook ReserveHunterdon County, best mid September · 21 checklists that week, 322 in all22%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Dickcissel is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.9% 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: 1.4% of 50447 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 118312 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 123273 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 107783 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 97537 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 0.1% 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.6%0.9%0.8%
July0.5%0.5%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.2%0.2%0.4%
September0.7%0.8%0.8%1.7%
October1.2%1.2%1.1%0.7%
November0.5%0.3%0.3%0.2%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives late May, 12 weeks earlier than New Jersey
  • Connecticut: arrives early September, 1 week later than New Jersey
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of August, 2 weeks earlier than New Jersey
  • Massachusetts: arrives early September, 1 week later than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Dickcissels arrive in New Jersey?
Dickcissels are winter birds in New Jersey: they arrive in late August, peak in early October (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Dickcissels leave New Jersey?
Most Dickcissels have left New Jersey by the second week of November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Dickcissel in New Jersey?
The Dickcissel is reported most often in early October, on about 1.3% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Dickcissels seen most often?
By county, Mercer County, Burlington County, and Salem County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Dickcissel (counties with at least 200 checklists).