WhenToBird

Spinus pinus · Fringillidae

When Do Pine Siskins Arrive in New York?

Adult Pine Siskin
Photo: Dominique Bérubé, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Pine Siskins are winter birds in New York: they arrive in early October, peak in early November (4.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: early November. First arrivals early October; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 4.4% of New York checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.4% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.8% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.0% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.1% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.3% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.5% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.4% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.2% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.3% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.2% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.2% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.4% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.3% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.3% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.4% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.6% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.0% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.9% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.7% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.2% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.8% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.3% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.6% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.4% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.6% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.1% of 62470 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 York 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 York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Franklin CountyBest early March · 227 checklists that week, 20,717 in all39%
  2. Hamilton CountyBest the second week of March · 132 checklists that week, 13,964 in all34%
  3. Warren CountyBest mid March · 138 checklists that week, 12,066 in all28%
  4. Essex CountyBest the second week of March · 560 checklists that week, 36,374 in all25%
  5. Lewis CountyBest early November · 43 checklists that week, 5,920 in all16%
  6. Schoharie CountyBest early March · 187 checklists that week, 10,483 in all15%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Niagara County-Krull Park LandNiagara County, best early November · 43 checklists that week, 710 in all47%
  2. Cooler PondFranklin County, best the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 417 in all45%
  3. Debar Mountain Wild Forest (Twobridge Brook)Franklin County, best mid February · 25 checklists that week, 399 in all44%
  4. Hamlin Beach State Park (west)Monroe County, best late October · 49 checklists that week, 382 in all43%
  5. Gateway National Recreation Area (northeast 4)Queens County, best the second week of November · 21 checklists that week, 177 in all41%
  6. Saranac Lakes Wild ForestFranklin County, best early April · 20 checklists that week, 1,899 in all39%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Pine Siskin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.5% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 2.3% of 124869 checklists7 am: 2.6% of 298506 checklists8 am: 2.1% of 337334 checklists9 am: 1.8% of 307787 checklists10 am: 1.5% of 270801 checklists11 am: 1.4% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 1.3% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 1.2% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January1.0%1.3%1.2%1.4%
February1.8%2.0%2.1%2.3%
March2.5%2.4%2.2%2.3%
April2.2%2.2%2.4%2.3%
May2.3%1.4%0.9%0.6%
June0.4%0.3%0.3%0.2%
July0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.4%
October1.0%2.9%3.7%4.2%
November4.8%4.3%3.6%2.4%
December1.6%1.4%1.2%1.1%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives early October, in the same week than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives early October, in the same week than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives early October, in the same week than New York
  • Vermont: arrives early October, in the same week than New York

Common questions

When do Pine Siskins arrive in New York?
Pine Siskins are winter birds in New York: they arrive in early October, peak in early November (4.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Pine Siskins leave New York?
Most Pine Siskins have left New York by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Pine Siskin in New York?
The Pine Siskin is reported most often in early November, on about 4.4% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Pine Siskins seen most often?
By county, Franklin County, Hamilton County, and Warren County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pine Siskin (counties with at least 200 checklists).