WhenToBird

Catharus minimus · Turdidae

When Do Gray-cheeked Thrushes Arrive in New York?

Adult Gray-cheeked Thrush
Photo: Jonathan Layman, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Gray-cheeked Thrushes mostly pass through New York: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in late September (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: late September. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 1.5% of New York checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 0% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.2% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.5% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.9% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.2% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 62470 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 York 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 York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Orleans CountyBest late September · 253 checklists that week, 16,706 in all7.7%
  2. Niagara CountyBest late September · 487 checklists that week, 28,936 in all5.2%
  3. Monroe CountyBest late September · 3113 checklists that week, 166,009 in all4.7%
  4. New York CountyBest late May · 5939 checklists that week, 187,471 in all4.5%
  5. Chenango CountyBest mid September · 173 checklists that week, 10,785 in all4.2%
  6. Kings CountyBest late May · 4039 checklists that week, 134,897 in all3.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lakeside Beach State ParkOrleans County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 1,060 in all40%
  2. Braddock PointMonroe County, best late September · 60 checklists that week, 3,345 in all34%
  3. Hamlin Beach State Park (Yanty Creek)Monroe County, best mid September · 20 checklists that week, 1,060 in all32%
  4. Lake Erie State ParkChautauqua County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 473 in all29%
  5. Hamlin Beach State Park (Devils Nose)Monroe County, best the second week of October · 21 checklists that week, 254 in all29%
  6. Wilson-Tuscarora State ParkNiagara County, best late September · 27 checklists that week, 764 in all27%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Gray-cheeked Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 0.4% of 124869 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 298506 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 337334 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 307787 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 270801 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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%
May0.1%0.3%1.2%0.8%
June0.1%0.1%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.5%1.3%1.9%
October1.2%0.5%0.2%0.1%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Pennsylvania: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than New York
  • Maryland: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than New York
  • District of Columbia: arrives early May, 17 weeks earlier than New York
  • Virginia: arrives mid September, 1 week later than New York

Common questions

When do Gray-cheeked Thrushes arrive in New York?
Gray-cheeked Thrushes mostly pass through New York: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in late September (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Gray-cheeked Thrushes leave New York?
Most Gray-cheeked Thrushes have left New York by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Gray-cheeked Thrush in New York?
The Gray-cheeked Thrush is reported most often in late September, on about 1.5% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Gray-cheeked Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Orleans County, Niagara County, and Monroe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Gray-cheeked Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).