WhenToBird

Catharus guttatus · Turdidae

When Do Hermit Thrushes Arrive in New York?

Adult Hermit Thrush
Photo: Amber M. King, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Hermit Thrushes are winter birds in New York: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in late October (14% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of December.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byDec 8-14the second week of December

Best: late October. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by the second week of December. Peak: on about 14% of New York checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 1.3% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.1% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.6% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.2% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.1% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.6% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.6% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.9% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.6% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.0% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.2% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.2% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.6% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.6% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.0% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.2% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.7% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.0% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.2% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.6% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.9% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.6% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.0% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.0% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.8% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 15% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 15% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.7% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.8% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.8% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.1% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.4% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.4% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.5% 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. Franklin CountyBest late July · 756 checklists that week, 20,717 in all50%
  2. New York CountyBest late October · 5462 checklists that week, 187,471 in all48%
  3. Kings CountyBest late October · 3874 checklists that week, 134,897 in all47%
  4. Hamilton CountyBest the second week of July · 596 checklists that week, 13,964 in all36%
  5. Lewis CountyBest the second week of July · 214 checklists that week, 5,920 in all30%
  6. Queens CountyBest late October · 1866 checklists that week, 76,201 in all25%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. South CoveNew York County, best early November · 26 checklists that week, 565 in all88%
  2. Saranac Lakes Wild ForestFranklin County, best the second week of July · 58 checklists that week, 1,899 in all83%
  3. Central Park (north)New York County, best late October · 285 checklists that week, 16,111 in all83%
  4. Debar Mountain Wild Forest (Twobridge Brook)Franklin County, best mid July · 27 checklists that week, 399 in all80%
  5. Madawaska Flow - Quebec Brook Primitive AreaFranklin County, best mid July · 20 checklists that week, 151 in all79%
  6. Central ParkNew York County, best late October · 692 checklists that week, 25,287 in all79%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Hermit Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%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: 6.1% of 124869 checklists7 am: 5.5% of 298506 checklists8 am: 5.3% of 337334 checklists9 am: 5.2% of 307787 checklists10 am: 4.6% of 270801 checklists11 am: 4.1% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 3.9% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 3.9% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 3.9% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 3.8% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 3.7% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 3.8% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 3.0% 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
January1.3%1.1%1.2%1.1%
February1.0%0.9%0.8%0.8%
March0.7%0.7%0.6%1.2%
April5.1%9.6%12%13%
May9.6%5.9%3.6%3.0%
June3.2%4.2%4.6%4.6%
July6.0%5.2%4.7%4.0%
August3.2%1.6%0.9%0.6%
September0.6%0.8%1.0%1.8%
October5.0%9.8%15%15%
November11%6.7%5.8%3.8%
December3.1%2.4%2.4%1.5%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives late September, 1 week later than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives early October, 2 weeks later than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late September, 1 week later than New York
  • Vermont: arrives early April, 22 weeks earlier than New York

Common questions

When do Hermit Thrushes arrive in New York?
Hermit Thrushes are winter birds in New York: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in late October (14% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of December.
When do Hermit Thrushes leave New York?
Most Hermit Thrushes have left New York by the second week of December, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late January.
When is the best time to see a Hermit Thrush in New York?
The Hermit Thrush is reported most often in late October, on about 14% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Hermit Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Franklin County, New York County, and Kings County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hermit Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).