WhenToBird

Sitta canadensis · Sittidae

When Do Red-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Red-breasted Nuthatch
Photo: Joshua Liverman, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red-breasted Nuthatches are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid August, peak in the second week of September (11% of checklists), and fall back by late December. In the quietest week (mid July) they are still on about 3.7% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 15-21mid August
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Fall back byDec 22-31late December
FewestJul 15-21mid July

Best: the second week of September. Here all year; numbers build from mid August and fall back by late December. Peak: on about 11% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 6.9% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.7% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.5% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.6% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.1% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.2% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.3% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.6% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.6% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.3% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.0% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.4% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.5% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.2% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.2% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.5% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.2% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.6% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.8% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.8% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.3% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.9% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.2% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.1% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.1% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.3% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.7% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.9% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.3% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.3% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.6% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.8% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 10% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 10% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 10% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.9% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.1% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.8% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.7% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.8% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.8% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.5% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.5% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.8% 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. Barnstable CountyBest the second week of October · 4186 checklists that week, 215,188 in all27%
  2. Nantucket CountyBest mid November · 344 checklists that week, 23,895 in all19%
  3. Dukes CountyBest late October · 505 checklists that week, 23,670 in all17%
  4. Franklin CountyBest the second week of September · 657 checklists that week, 41,382 in all17%
  5. Berkshire CountyBest the second week of September · 1664 checklists that week, 92,890 in all13%
  6. Worcester CountyBest early September · 2024 checklists that week, 128,594 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Stearns MillpondMiddlesex County, best early January · 52 checklists that week, 128 in all93%
  2. Montague Plains Wildlife Management AreaFranklin County, best late November · 49 checklists that week, 951 in all82%
  3. Straits Pond (Rattlesnake Run)Norfolk County, best early November · 36 checklists that week, 159 in all81%
  4. Cole Neck Road Conservation AreaBarnstable County, best early February · 21 checklists that week, 206 in all80%
  5. J. C. Phillips SanctuaryEssex County, best late August · 24 checklists that week, 1,160 in all75%
  6. Thompson PondFranklin County, best late August · 25 checklists that week, 463 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.5% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 9.6% of 108601 checklists7 am: 9.5% of 186104 checklists8 am: 8.6% of 185905 checklists9 am: 7.8% of 166049 checklists10 am: 7.0% of 150508 checklists11 am: 6.2% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 5.6% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 5.5% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 5.0% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 3.9% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 3.3% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 2.8% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 2.0% 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
January6.9%6.7%6.5%6.6%
February6.1%7.2%6.3%5.6%
March5.6%5.3%5.0%5.4%
April5.5%6.2%6.2%6.5%
May6.2%5.6%4.8%3.8%
June3.3%3.9%4.2%4.1%
July4.1%3.3%3.7%3.9%
August4.3%5.3%6.6%8.8%
September10%11%11%10%
October11%10%10%8.9%
November8.1%7.8%7.7%7.8%
December6.8%7.5%7.5%7.8%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of August, 1 week earlier than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Connecticut: arrives mid June, 8 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: year-round, peaks the second week of September

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Massachusetts?
Red-breasted Nuthatches are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid August, peak in the second week of September (11% of checklists), and fall back by late December. In the quietest week (mid July) they are still on about 3.7% of checklists.
When do Red-breasted Nuthatches leave Massachusetts?
Red-breasted Nuthatches never fully leave Massachusetts: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late December, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.7% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Massachusetts?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 11% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Red-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Barnstable County, Nantucket County, and Dukes County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).