WhenToBird

Leiothlypis celata · Parulidae

When Do Orange-crowned Warblers Arrive in New Jersey?

Adult Orange-crowned Warbler
Photo: Irene, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Orange-crowned Warblers are winter birds in New Jersey: they arrive in early October, peak in the second week of December (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Most gone byFeb 22-28late February

Best: the second week of December. First arrivals early October; most are gone by late February. Peak: on about 1.2% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.7% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.3% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.3% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.3% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.6% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.6% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.6% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.2% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.1% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.8% 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 early December · 1929 checklists that week, 189,832 in all4.0%
  2. Hudson CountyBest early December · 305 checklists that week, 21,191 in all4.0%
  3. Bergen CountyBest the second week of December · 1160 checklists that week, 73,457 in all2.1%
  4. Salem CountyBest the second week of December · 115 checklists that week, 9,658 in all1.7%
  5. Camden CountyBest mid December · 371 checklists that week, 25,931 in all1.6%
  6. Mercer CountyBest early January · 1570 checklists that week, 56,614 in all1.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Richard A Rutkowski ParkHudson County, best mid February · 23 checklists that week, 870 in all51%
  2. Sturgeon PondMercer County, best late December · 56 checklists that week, 539 in all36%
  3. Lake Lily (Sunset Beach)Cape May County, best mid December · 41 checklists that week, 231 in all21%
  4. Cape May Point State ParkCape May County, best the second week of December · 129 checklists that week, 13,012 in all20%
  5. Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area (Lake Lily)Cape May County, best late November · 23 checklists that week, 781 in all19%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Orange-crowned Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (0.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%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: 0.4% of 50447 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 118312 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 123273 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 107783 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 97537 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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
January0.8%0.7%0.6%0.4%
February0.3%0.3%0.4%0.3%
March0.3%0.3%0.3%0.2%
April0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.3%0.6%0.7%0.6%
November0.6%0.8%1.1%1.2%
December1.1%1.4%1.2%0.8%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives the second week of November, 5 weeks later than New Jersey
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid October, 2 weeks later than New Jersey
  • Rhode Island: arrives early October, in the same week than New Jersey
  • Massachusetts: arrives late September, 1 week earlier than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Orange-crowned Warblers arrive in New Jersey?
Orange-crowned Warblers are winter birds in New Jersey: they arrive in early October, peak in the second week of December (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.
When do Orange-crowned Warblers leave New Jersey?
Most Orange-crowned Warblers have left New Jersey by late February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Orange-crowned Warbler in New Jersey?
The Orange-crowned Warbler is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 1.2% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Orange-crowned Warblers seen most often?
By county, Cape May County, Hudson County, and Bergen County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Orange-crowned Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).