WhenToBird

Melospiza lincolnii · Passerellidae

When Do Lincoln's Sparrows Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Lincoln's Sparrow
Photo: Elijah Jaeger, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Lincoln's Sparrows mostly pass through Massachusetts: the first show up in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in early October (6.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: early October. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 6.4% of Massachusetts checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% 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% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.8% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.1% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.2% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.3% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.7% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.8% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.5% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.4% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.9% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.5% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.3% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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. Berkshire CountyBest late September · 1978 checklists that week, 92,890 in all13%
  2. Worcester CountyBest late September · 2655 checklists that week, 128,594 in all12%
  3. Hampshire CountyBest late September · 3514 checklists that week, 162,423 in all11%
  4. Franklin CountyBest late September · 898 checklists that week, 41,382 in all11%
  5. Middlesex CountyBest early October · 5405 checklists that week, 307,511 in all7.6%
  6. Hampden CountyBest early October · 603 checklists that week, 35,410 in all6.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Riley PondWorcester County, best late September · 53 checklists that week, 876 in all58%
  2. Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (Great Pond)Hampshire County, best late September · 27 checklists that week, 1,656 in all58%
  3. Fountain PondBerkshire County, best late September · 31 checklists that week, 418 in all56%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Lincoln's Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.3% 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: 1.4% of 108601 checklists7 am: 1.3% of 186104 checklists8 am: 1.0% of 185905 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 166049 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 150508 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0%0%0.1%
March0%0.1%0.1%0%
April0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.3%0.8%1.1%0.2%
June0.1%0%0.1%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0.1%1.2%4.3%6.7%
October6.8%5.5%3.4%1.9%
November0.5%0.3%0.2%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Lincoln's Sparrows arrive in Massachusetts?
Lincoln's Sparrows mostly pass through Massachusetts: the first show up in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in early October (6.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Lincoln's Sparrows leave Massachusetts?
Most Lincoln's Sparrows have left Massachusetts by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late October.
When is the best time to see a Lincoln's Sparrow in Massachusetts?
The Lincoln's Sparrow is reported most often in early October, on about 6.4% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Lincoln's Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Berkshire County, Worcester County, and Hampshire County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Lincoln's Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).