WhenToBird

Falco columbarius · Falconidae

When Do Merlins Arrive in New Jersey?

Adult female Merlin
Photo: Cricket Raspet, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Merlins mostly pass through New Jersey: the first show up in late August, they are common by the second week of September, peak in early October (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: early October. First arrivals late August; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 14% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.5% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.5% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.4% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.0% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.1% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.2% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.2% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.4% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.5% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.8% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.9% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.6% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.9% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.9% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.9% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.5% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.1% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.6% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.5% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.5% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.2% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.9% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.1% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.8% 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. Cape May CountyBest late September · 9174 checklists that week, 189,832 in all29%
  2. Cumberland CountyBest mid September · 162 checklists that week, 13,927 in all12%
  3. Ocean CountyBest late September · 1405 checklists that week, 87,340 in all10%
  4. Monmouth CountyBest early October · 1249 checklists that week, 79,748 in all9.4%
  5. Atlantic CountyBest mid September · 500 checklists that week, 28,208 in all9.0%
  6. Hunterdon CountyBest late September · 1208 checklists that week, 57,610 in all8.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cape May Point State Park (southwest)Cape May County, best mid September · 635 checklists that week, 9,860 in all63%
  2. Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area (north)Cape May County, best early October · 124 checklists that week, 1,492 in all59%
  3. Cape May Point BeachCape May County, best the second week of October · 302 checklists that week, 5,796 in all53%
  4. Cape May Point Beach (northwest)Cape May County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 229 in all51%
  5. Cape May County Park SouthCape May County, best the second week of October · 30 checklists that week, 337 in all51%
  6. Cape May Point State ParkCape May County, best late September · 815 checklists that week, 13,012 in all49%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Merlin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.6% 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: 5.0% of 50447 checklists7 am: 4.4% of 118312 checklists8 am: 3.1% of 123273 checklists9 am: 2.8% of 107783 checklists10 am: 2.9% of 97537 checklists11 am: 2.5% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 2.4% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 2.8% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 3.0% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 3.0% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 3.1% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 3.0% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 1.6% 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
January1.5%1.6%1.5%1.6%
February1.5%1.4%1.0%1.1%
March1.0%1.1%1.2%1.2%
April1.4%1.5%1.8%1.9%
May1.6%0.9%0.4%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.3%0.3%0.9%
September3.9%8.5%13%14%
October13%14%13%9.1%
November4.6%3.5%3.5%2.6%
December2.2%1.9%2.1%1.8%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives early September, 1 week later than New Jersey
  • Connecticut: arrives late August, in the same week than New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late August, in the same week than New Jersey
  • New York: arrives the second week of July, 6 weeks earlier than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Merlins arrive in New Jersey?
Merlins mostly pass through New Jersey: the first show up in late August, they are common by the second week of September, peak in early October (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Merlins leave New Jersey?
Most Merlins have left New Jersey by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of February.
When is the best time to see a Merlin in New Jersey?
The Merlin is reported most often in early October, on about 14% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Merlins seen most often?
By county, Cape May County, Cumberland County, and Ocean County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Merlin (counties with at least 200 checklists).