WhenToBird

Ardea alba · Ardeidae

When Do Great Egrets Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Great Egret
Photo: Marcelo Maux, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Great Egrets reach Massachusetts in mid March, are common by the second week of April, peak in the second week of August (16% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 15-21mid March
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals mid March; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 16% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.5% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.5% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.3% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.6% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.1% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.4% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.4% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.8% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.9% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.2% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.8% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.2% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 10% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 11% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 15% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 16% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 16% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 17% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 15% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 11% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 10% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.1% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.1% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.7% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.1% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.5% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.4% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.2% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% 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.

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Where in Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Nantucket CountyBest mid July · 356 checklists that week, 23,895 in all48%
  2. Essex CountyBest late June · 3356 checklists that week, 213,973 in all31%
  3. Bristol CountyBest the second week of August · 852 checklists that week, 65,262 in all27%
  4. Dukes CountyBest the second week of July · 467 checklists that week, 23,670 in all26%
  5. Plymouth CountyBest early August · 1388 checklists that week, 89,282 in all23%
  6. Hampden CountyBest late August · 929 checklists that week, 35,410 in all23%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Blacks Creek (Pine Island)Norfolk County, best the second week of September · 79 checklists that week, 186 in all96%
  2. Allens PondBristol County, best the second week of August · 26 checklists that week, 688 in all96%
  3. UMass Field StationNantucket County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 672 in all96%
  4. Black BeachBarnstable County, best the second week of August · 21 checklists that week, 626 in all95%
  5. Castle Neck River MarshesEssex County, best late April · 49 checklists that week, 849 in all92%
  6. Hate CoveEssex County, best early August · 119 checklists that week, 8,243 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Great Egret is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (7.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%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: 7.3% of 108601 checklists7 am: 5.9% of 186104 checklists8 am: 5.9% of 185905 checklists9 am: 6.0% of 166049 checklists10 am: 5.8% of 150508 checklists11 am: 5.6% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 5.4% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 5.2% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 5.0% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 5.1% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 6.0% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 7.2% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 8.0% 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
January0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.5%2.5%
April5.3%6.6%7.1%7.4%
May6.4%6.8%6.9%8.2%
June8.8%9.2%10%11%
July11%11%14%15%
August16%16%17%15%
September14%13%12%11%
October10%8.1%6.1%3.7%
November2.1%1.1%0.8%0.5%
December0.4%0.2%0.2%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives mid March, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives mid April, 4 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives mid March, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of April, 3 weeks later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Great Egrets arrive in Massachusetts?
Great Egrets reach Massachusetts in mid March, are common by the second week of April, peak in the second week of August (16% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Great Egrets leave Massachusetts?
Most Great Egrets have left Massachusetts by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of November.
When is the best time to see a Great Egret in Massachusetts?
The Great Egret is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 16% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Great Egrets seen most often?
By county, Nantucket County, Essex County, and Bristol County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Great Egret (counties with at least 200 checklists).