WhenToBird

Podilymbus podiceps · Podicipedidae

When Do Pied-billed Grebes Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Pied-billed Grebe
Photo: Rodrigo Paiva Lázaro, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Pied-billed Grebes are winter birds in Massachusetts: they arrive in early September, peak in early November (3.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of January.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: early November. First arrivals early September; most are gone by the second week of January. Peak: on about 3.5% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.4% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.5% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.9% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.9% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.3% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.9% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.0% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.5% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.6% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.0% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.0% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.2% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.8% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.2% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.8% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.4% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.7% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.4% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.4% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.9% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.7% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.9% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.8% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.7% 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. Nantucket CountyBest early December · 375 checklists that week, 23,895 in all11%
  2. Hampden CountyBest early April · 842 checklists that week, 35,410 in all8.6%
  3. Bristol CountyBest late October · 1507 checklists that week, 65,262 in all6.2%
  4. Berkshire CountyBest late October · 2488 checklists that week, 92,890 in all5.3%
  5. Middlesex CountyBest early November · 5533 checklists that week, 307,511 in all5.2%
  6. Franklin CountyBest early November · 816 checklists that week, 41,382 in all4.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Richmond Consolidated School PlaygroundBerkshire County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 238 in all70%
  2. Putnamville ReservoirEssex County, best mid October · 33 checklists that week, 654 in all59%
  3. Parsons Marsh ReserveBerkshire County, best early May · 51 checklists that week, 726 in all54%
  4. Johnsons PondEssex County, best early November · 28 checklists that week, 341 in all54%
  5. Nelson PointWorcester County, best late October · 22 checklists that week, 397 in all52%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Pied-billed Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 1.0% of 108601 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 186104 checklists8 am: 1.0% of 185905 checklists9 am: 1.0% of 166049 checklists10 am: 1.0% of 150508 checklists11 am: 1.0% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 1.0% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 0.5% 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
January0.8%0.5%0.6%0.5%
February0.5%0.5%0.4%0.4%
March0.4%0.5%0.9%1.9%
April2.3%1.9%1.0%0.5%
May0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
June0.3%0.3%0.3%0.2%
July0.3%0.3%0.3%0.2%
August0.2%0.3%0.3%0.5%
September0.6%1.0%1.0%1.2%
October1.8%2.2%2.8%3.4%
November3.7%3.4%2.4%1.9%
December1.7%0.9%0.8%0.7%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of September, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives mid March, 22 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of September, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives early August, 4 weeks earlier than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Pied-billed Grebes arrive in Massachusetts?
Pied-billed Grebes are winter birds in Massachusetts: they arrive in early September, peak in early November (3.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of January.
When do Pied-billed Grebes leave Massachusetts?
Most Pied-billed Grebes have left Massachusetts by the second week of January, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Pied-billed Grebe in Massachusetts?
The Pied-billed Grebe is reported most often in early November, on about 3.5% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Pied-billed Grebes seen most often?
By county, Nantucket County, Hampden County, and Bristol County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pied-billed Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).