WhenToBird

Ammospiza nelsoni · Passerellidae

When Do Nelson's Sparrows Arrive in Rhode Island?

Adult Nelson's Sparrow
Photo: Kathy Richardson, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Nelson's Sparrows mostly pass through Rhode Island: they arrive in late September, peak in the second week of October (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byOct 22-31late October

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals late September; most are gone by late October. Peak: on about 1.5% of Rhode Island checklists.

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

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0% of 5678 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 4004 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 3691 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 4738 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 3178 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 3262 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 4286 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 3449 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 3014 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 3259 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 3320 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 4692 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 3280 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 3872 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 4037 checklistsApr 22-30: 0% of 5595 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 5699 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 6089 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 4937 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 5445 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 3031 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 2793 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 2736 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 3318 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 2629 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2561 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2580 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 3654 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 2629 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2912 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 2850 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 4007 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 2893 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 2850 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 2770 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.8% of 3888 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.2% of 3174 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.6% of 3278 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.6% of 3008 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 3678 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 3270 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.3% of 3405 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.3% of 2907 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 3607 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 2415 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 2345 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 2836 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 4826 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kent CountyBest the second week of October · 307 checklists that week, 16,966 in all3.4%
  2. Washington CountyBest the second week of October · 1176 checklists that week, 65,038 in all2.3%
  3. Bristol CountyBest mid October · 317 checklists that week, 15,899 in all2.1%
  4. Newport CountyBest mid October · 645 checklists that week, 33,574 in all0.7%
  5. Providence CountyBest mid October · 817 checklists that week, 40,898 in all0.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sandy Point BeachKent County, best the second week of October · 29 checklists that week, 522 in all36%
  2. Skippers IslandWashington County, best early October · 33 checklists that week, 345 in all21%
  3. Napatree PointWashington County, best the second week of October · 63 checklists that week, 3,109 in all21%
  4. Succotash Marsh Management AreaWashington County, best the second week of October · 23 checklists that week, 1,965 in all14%
  5. Jacobs PointBristol County, best mid October · 42 checklists that week, 2,006 in all13%
  6. South Shore Management Area (Sand Hill Cove State Beach)Washington County, best the second week of November · 53 checklists that week, 397 in all11%

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

Best time of day

In Rhode Island, the Nelson's Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (42) to judge1 am: too few checklists (58) to judge2 am: too few checklists (45) to judge3 am: too few checklists (69) to judge4 am: too few checklists (319) to judge5 am: too few checklists (3170) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 10493 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 17631 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 18834 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 17725 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 16696 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 14799 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 12580 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 12779 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 12302 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 11884 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 9762 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 6442 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 3947 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2119) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (452) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (105) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (69) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (53) 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0%0%
May0%0.1%0%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0.1%0.8%
October1.2%1.6%1.6%0.9%
November0.3%0.3%0.3%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives late September, in the same week than Rhode Island
  • Maine: arrives early June, 15 weeks earlier than Rhode Island
  • Illinois: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Rhode Island
  • Iowa: arrives late September, in the same week than Rhode Island

Common questions

When do Nelson's Sparrows arrive in Rhode Island?
Nelson's Sparrows mostly pass through Rhode Island: they arrive in late September, peak in the second week of October (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.
When do Nelson's Sparrows leave Rhode Island?
Most Nelson's Sparrows have left Rhode Island by late October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Nelson's Sparrow in Rhode Island?
The Nelson's Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 1.5% of Rhode Island checklists.
Where in Rhode Island are Nelson's Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Kent County, Washington County, and Bristol County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Nelson's Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).