WhenToBird

Sturnella magna · Icteridae

When Do Eastern Meadowlarks Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Eastern Meadowlark
Photo: Matt Schultz, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Eastern Meadowlarks arrive in Massachusetts in early October, peak in the second week of June (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakJun 8-14the second week of June
Most gone byAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: the second week of June. First arrivals early October; most are gone by the second week of August. Peak: on about 1.6% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.4% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.4% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.3% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.5% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.9% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.1% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.3% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.2% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.2% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.8% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.2% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.5% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.8% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.5% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.3% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.1% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.9% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.8% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.6% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.9% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.0% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.7% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.6% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.5% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.5% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.4% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.3% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.4% of 44323 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hampden CountyBest the second week of June · 675 checklists that week, 35,410 in all8.5%
  2. Barnstable CountyBest the second week of June · 3755 checklists that week, 215,188 in all4.8%
  3. Hampshire CountyBest late April · 5853 checklists that week, 162,423 in all4.7%
  4. Plymouth CountyBest early June · 1638 checklists that week, 89,282 in all3.1%
  5. Bristol CountyBest the second week of November · 1197 checklists that week, 65,262 in all2.4%
  6. Dukes CountyBest the second week of November · 464 checklists that week, 23,670 in all2.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Spring PondPlymouth County, best early June · 44 checklists that week, 585 in all90%
  2. Lake GardnerEssex County, best the second week of June · 25 checklists that week, 313 in all81%
  3. Frances A. Crane Wildlife Management AreaBarnstable County, best the second week of June · 228 checklists that week, 3,777 in all78%
  4. Mud PondBerkshire County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 471 in all60%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Eastern Meadowlark 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 (630) to judge1 am: too few checklists (657) to judge2 am: too few checklists (645) to judge3 am: too few checklists (850) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3787) to judge5 am: too few checklists (29743) to judge6 am: 1.0% of 108601 checklists7 am: 0.9% of 186104 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 185905 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 166049 checklists10 am: 0.7% of 150508 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 0.5% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 41435 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (21041) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5240) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1094) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (704) 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
January0.4%0.5%0.4%0.5%
February0.3%0.3%0.3%0.4%
March0.3%0.5%0.8%0.9%
April1.1%1.1%1.3%1.2%
May1.2%0.8%0.9%1.2%
June1.5%1.8%1.5%1.3%
July1.1%0.9%0.8%0.6%
August0.5%0.4%0.4%0.2%
September0.2%0.1%0.1%0.2%
October0.4%0.5%0.9%1.0%
November0.7%0.6%0.5%0.5%
December0.4%0.3%0.4%0.4%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives early October, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives early October, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives early April, 24 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Maine: arrives late March, 23 weeks later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Eastern Meadowlarks arrive in Massachusetts?
Eastern Meadowlarks arrive in Massachusetts in early October, peak in the second week of June (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.
When do Eastern Meadowlarks leave Massachusetts?
Most Eastern Meadowlarks have left Massachusetts by the second week of August, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Meadowlark in Massachusetts?
The Eastern Meadowlark is reported most often in the second week of June, on about 1.6% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Eastern Meadowlarks seen most often?
By county, Hampden County, Barnstable County, and Hampshire County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Meadowlark (counties with at least 200 checklists).