WhenToBird

Setophaga palmarum · Parulidae

When Do Palm Warblers Arrive in New Jersey?

Adult Palm Warbler
Photo: Sean Frey, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Palm Warblers are winter birds in New Jersey: they arrive in early September, peak in the second week of October (22% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byNov 22-30late November

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals early September; most are gone by late November. Peak: on about 22% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  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%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.9% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.8% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 16% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.8% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.9% 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: 0.1% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.1% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 18% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 21% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 23% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 21% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.5% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.5% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.5% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.5% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in New Jersey

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bergen CountyBest the second week of October · 1614 checklists that week, 73,457 in all33%
  2. Passaic CountyBest mid April · 799 checklists that week, 24,933 in all32%
  3. Hudson CountyBest the second week of October · 479 checklists that week, 21,191 in all29%
  4. Burlington CountyBest the second week of October · 981 checklists that week, 52,358 in all28%
  5. Somerset CountyBest the second week of October · 1126 checklists that week, 58,057 in all27%
  6. Morris CountyBest the second week of October · 1163 checklists that week, 59,212 in all25%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Central Park of Morris CountyMorris County, best early October · 21 checklists that week, 283 in all90%
  2. Wagner Farm ArboretumSomerset County, best the second week of October · 21 checklists that week, 260 in all84%
  3. Raritan River GreenwaySomerset County, best the second week of October · 23 checklists that week, 802 in all80%
  4. Cape May County Park SouthCape May County, best the second week of October · 30 checklists that week, 337 in all80%
  5. Havemeyer ReservoirBergen County, best the second week of October · 61 checklists that week, 3,689 in all79%
  6. Parsons Pond ParkBergen County, best the second week of October · 56 checklists that week, 937 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Palm Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.0% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 8.3% of 50447 checklists7 am: 7.8% of 118312 checklists8 am: 5.9% of 123273 checklists9 am: 4.9% of 107783 checklists10 am: 4.3% of 97537 checklists11 am: 3.6% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 3.2% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 3.2% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 3.3% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 3.5% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 3.9% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 3.8% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 2.1% 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
January0.3%0.3%0.2%0.4%
February0.5%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.9%
April8.8%16%15%12%
May4.8%0.9%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0.1%0%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September1.1%6.1%13%18%
October21%23%21%13%
November5.5%2.5%1.5%1.1%
December0.8%0.5%0.4%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives early September, in the same week than New Jersey
  • Connecticut: arrives early September, in the same week than New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania: arrives early September, in the same week than New Jersey
  • New York: arrives early September, in the same week than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Palm Warblers arrive in New Jersey?
Palm Warblers are winter birds in New Jersey: they arrive in early September, peak in the second week of October (22% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.
When do Palm Warblers leave New Jersey?
Most Palm Warblers have left New Jersey by late November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Palm Warbler in New Jersey?
The Palm Warbler is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 22% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Palm Warblers seen most often?
By county, Bergen County, Passaic County, and Hudson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Palm Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).