WhenToBird

Larus fuscus · Laridae

When Do Lesser Black-backed Gulls Arrive in New Jersey?

Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull
Photo: danielarah, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Lesser Black-backed Gulls are winter birds in New Jersey: the first arrive in late June, they are common by the second week of July, peak in the second week of October (5.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 22-30late June
Common byJul 8-14the second week of July
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals late June; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 5.5% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 1.9% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.0% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.1% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.4% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.0% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.6% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.5% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.4% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.7% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.1% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.6% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.7% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.8% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.4% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.0% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.1% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.9% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.8% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.1% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.0% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.1% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.4% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.9% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.0% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.5% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.7% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.8% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.5% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.8% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.0% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.4% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.0% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.9% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.4% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.2% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.8% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.4% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.9% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.9% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.9% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.8% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.3% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.8% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.7% 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. Hunterdon CountyBest early March · 1194 checklists that week, 57,610 in all19%
  2. Cape May CountyBest late October · 7449 checklists that week, 189,832 in all14%
  3. Warren CountyBest early February · 411 checklists that week, 20,077 in all8.0%
  4. Ocean CountyBest late November · 1605 checklists that week, 87,340 in all5.4%
  5. Monmouth CountyBest early November · 1203 checklists that week, 79,748 in all3.5%
  6. Atlantic CountyBest early September · 558 checklists that week, 28,208 in all3.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Spruce Run Recreation AreaHunterdon County, best the second week of March · 167 checklists that week, 7,795 in all86%
  2. Cape May Point Beach (Sunset Beach)Cape May County, best late October · 27 checklists that week, 537 in all75%
  3. Sand MarshCape May County, best early October · 178 checklists that week, 3,777 in all72%
  4. Spruce Run Recreation Area (Union)Hunterdon County, best early March · 23 checklists that week, 1,093 in all68%
  5. Cape May City Beach or BoardwalkCape May County, best late October · 79 checklists that week, 1,295 in all67%
  6. Cape May Point BeachCape May County, best early November · 169 checklists that week, 5,796 in all63%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Lesser Black-backed Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.6% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 4.2% of 50447 checklists7 am: 3.4% of 118312 checklists8 am: 2.2% of 123273 checklists9 am: 2.0% of 107783 checklists10 am: 2.0% of 97537 checklists11 am: 1.7% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 1.8% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 2.2% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 2.5% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 2.3% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 2.3% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 1.7% 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
January1.9%2.0%2.1%2.4%
February2.0%1.8%1.6%2.5%
March2.4%2.7%2.1%2.6%
April2.7%1.8%1.4%1.0%
May0.9%1.0%1.1%0.9%
June0.8%0.7%1.1%1.0%
July1.1%1.4%1.9%2.0%
August2.5%2.7%2.8%2.5%
September2.8%3.0%3.4%5.0%
October4.9%5.4%6.2%4.8%
November3.4%2.9%2.9%2.9%
December2.8%2.3%1.8%1.7%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives mid May, 5 weeks earlier than New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late October, 16 weeks later than New Jersey
  • New York: arrives late May, 4 weeks earlier than New Jersey
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid November, 19 weeks later than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrive in New Jersey?
Lesser Black-backed Gulls are winter birds in New Jersey: the first arrive in late June, they are common by the second week of July, peak in the second week of October (5.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Lesser Black-backed Gulls leave New Jersey?
Most Lesser Black-backed Gulls have left New Jersey by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Lesser Black-backed Gull in New Jersey?
The Lesser Black-backed Gull is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 5.5% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Lesser Black-backed Gulls seen most often?
By county, Hunterdon County, Cape May County, and Warren County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Lesser Black-backed Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).