WhenToBird

Setophaga pinus · Parulidae

When Do Pine Warblers Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult male Pine Warbler
Photo: northerly, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Pine Warblers reach Massachusetts in mid March, are common by early April, peak in late April (24% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 15-21mid March
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakApr 22-30late April
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: late April. First arrivals mid March; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 24% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.0% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.7% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.9% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.1% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 21% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 26% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 25% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 23% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 20% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 20% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 19% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 18% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 17% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 18% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 17% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.0% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.8% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.5% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.4% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.4% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.8% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.7% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.1% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.0% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.6% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.2% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.0% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.0% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.0% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.2% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.2% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Barnstable CountyBest late April · 6029 checklists that week, 215,188 in all40%
  2. Hampshire CountyBest mid April · 4381 checklists that week, 162,423 in all34%
  3. Worcester CountyBest late April · 4614 checklists that week, 128,594 in all31%
  4. Dukes CountyBest mid April · 356 checklists that week, 23,670 in all29%
  5. Franklin CountyBest late April · 1746 checklists that week, 41,382 in all28%
  6. Plymouth CountyBest mid April · 2305 checklists that week, 89,282 in all27%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Long PondBarnstable County, best late April · 55 checklists that week, 631 in all96%
  2. Clapps Round Pond (Snake Hills)Barnstable County, best late April · 29 checklists that week, 247 in all95%
  3. Clapps PondBarnstable County, best the second week of May · 32 checklists that week, 165 in all93%
  4. Round PondPlymouth County, best late June · 34 checklists that week, 417 in all93%
  5. Pond SwampBristol County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 436 in all92%
  6. Moody PondBarnstable County, best late April · 33 checklists that week, 493 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Pine Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%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: 15% of 108601 checklists7 am: 11% of 186104 checklists8 am: 9.6% of 185905 checklists9 am: 8.7% of 166049 checklists10 am: 7.8% of 150508 checklists11 am: 6.8% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 6.4% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 6.0% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 5.8% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 5.6% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 6.6% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 7.1% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 6.6% 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
January1.2%1.2%1.2%1.3%
February1.2%1.3%1.0%1.0%
March1.0%0.7%0.7%1.9%
April9.1%21%26%25%
May23%20%20%19%
June18%17%18%17%
July15%12%9.0%4.8%
August2.5%2.4%2.4%3.8%
September5.7%7.1%8.0%8.6%
October7.2%4.0%2.0%1.0%
November1.0%1.1%1.2%1.0%
December1.2%1.2%1.2%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives mid March, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives early April, 2 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives late March, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives early April, 2 weeks later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Pine Warblers arrive in Massachusetts?
Pine Warblers reach Massachusetts in mid March, are common by early April, peak in late April (24% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Pine Warblers leave Massachusetts?
Most Pine Warblers have left Massachusetts by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late October.
When is the best time to see a Pine Warbler in Massachusetts?
The Pine Warbler is reported most often in late April, on about 24% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Pine Warblers seen most often?
By county, Barnstable County, Hampshire County, and Worcester County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pine Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).