WhenToBird

Anas platyrhynchos · Anatidae

When Do Mallards Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult male Mallard
Photo: euqirneto, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Mallard is in Massachusetts all year. It turns up on about 39% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 17% in its quietest week (the second week of July).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 22-31late March
Quietest weekJul 8-14the second week of July

Best: late March. Here all year. Peak: on about 39% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 28% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 28% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 26% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 26% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 26% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 25% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 24% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 31% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 33% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 37% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 39% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 39% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 38% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 37% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 36% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 35% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 32% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 29% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 28% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 25% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 23% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 20% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 19% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 17% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 17% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 17% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 17% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 19% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 21% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 21% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 23% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 23% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 23% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 23% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 23% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 23% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 25% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 26% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 28% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 29% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 32% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 32% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 32% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 32% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 32% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 29% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 27% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 26% 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. Hampden CountyBest the second week of March · 763 checklists that week, 35,410 in all53%
  2. Middlesex CountyBest early April · 7152 checklists that week, 307,511 in all50%
  3. Nantucket CountyBest mid April · 530 checklists that week, 23,895 in all49%
  4. Berkshire CountyBest the second week of November · 1587 checklists that week, 92,890 in all48%
  5. Suffolk CountyBest mid April · 3066 checklists that week, 112,443 in all44%
  6. Essex CountyBest early April · 4936 checklists that week, 213,973 in all42%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Greenlawn CemeteryEssex County, best the second week of March · 23 checklists that week, 681 in all100%
  2. Lowell Heritage State ParkMiddlesex County, best early March · 20 checklists that week, 354 in all100%
  3. Needham ReservoirNorfolk County, best the second week of February · 20 checklists that week, 845 in all100%
  4. Arms House PondPlymouth County, best late November · 20 checklists that week, 670 in all100%
  5. Lower Mystic LakeMiddlesex County, best late January · 28 checklists that week, 446 in all100%
  6. Leverett Pond (Brookline Village)Suffolk County, best the second week of August · 23 checklists that week, 1,895 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Mallard is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (30% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%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: 30% of 108601 checklists7 am: 29% of 186104 checklists8 am: 28% of 185905 checklists9 am: 27% of 166049 checklists10 am: 26% of 150508 checklists11 am: 26% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 27% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 28% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 29% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 30% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 30% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 28% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 27% 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
January28%28%26%26%
February26%25%24%31%
March33%37%39%39%
April38%37%36%35%
May32%29%28%25%
June23%20%19%17%
July17%17%17%19%
August21%21%23%23%
September23%23%23%23%
October25%26%28%29%
November32%32%32%32%
December32%29%27%26%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Mallards arrive in Massachusetts?
The Mallard is in Massachusetts all year. It turns up on about 39% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 17% in its quietest week (the second week of July).
When do Mallards leave Massachusetts?
The Mallard does not leave Massachusetts: it is reported all year, from 17% of checklists in the second week of July to 39% in late March.
When is the best time to see a Mallard in Massachusetts?
The Mallard is reported most often in late March, on about 39% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Mallards seen most often?
By county, Hampden County, Middlesex County, and Nantucket County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mallard (counties with at least 200 checklists).