WhenToBird

Calidris pusilla · Scolopacidae

When Do Semipalmated Sandpipers Arrive in New Jersey?

Adult Semipalmated Sandpiper
Photo: Kathy Richardson, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Semipalmated Sandpipers reach New Jersey in early July, are common by mid July, peak in the second week of August (17% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 1-7early July
Common byJul 15-21mid July
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone bySep 22-30late September

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals early July; most are gone by late September. Peak: on about 17% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 0% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% 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% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.6% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.0% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.5% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.7% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.8% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.9% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.4% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 16% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 16% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 18% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 15% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 13% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.1% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.7% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.2% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.9% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.8% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.4% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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.

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Where in New Jersey

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cumberland CountyBest late May · 763 checklists that week, 13,927 in all54%
  2. Hudson CountyBest early August · 332 checklists that week, 21,191 in all42%
  3. Cape May CountyBest the second week of August · 2515 checklists that week, 189,832 in all35%
  4. Bergen CountyBest early August · 1050 checklists that week, 73,457 in all31%
  5. Atlantic CountyBest mid August · 448 checklists that week, 28,208 in all30%
  6. Ocean CountyBest the second week of August · 1176 checklists that week, 87,340 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mill Creek MarshHudson County, best early August · 37 checklists that week, 1,764 in all93%
  2. Heislerville Wildlife Management AreaCumberland County, best late May · 109 checklists that week, 1,554 in all89%
  3. Wilmas PondCumberland County, best late May · 56 checklists that week, 298 in all89%
  4. Island Beach State Park (Sedge Islands)Ocean County, best late August · 34 checklists that week, 211 in all89%
  5. Heislerville Wildlife Management Area (west)Cumberland County, best late May · 79 checklists that week, 627 in all89%
  6. Pierces Point PondCape May County, best mid August · 29 checklists that week, 363 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Semipalmated Sandpiper is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (4.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 5.8% of 50447 checklists7 am: 3.3% of 118312 checklists8 am: 3.0% of 123273 checklists9 am: 3.2% of 107783 checklists10 am: 3.5% of 97537 checklists11 am: 3.1% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 3.0% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 3.4% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 3.4% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 3.3% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 3.8% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 4.7% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 4.8% 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%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0%0%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
April0.1%0%0.1%0.7%
May2.6%6.0%11%11%
June6.5%2.4%0.7%0.5%
July0.8%2.9%6.4%13%
August16%16%18%15%
September13%9.1%5.7%5.2%
October3.9%2.8%2.4%1.3%
November0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives late April, 9 weeks earlier than New Jersey
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of May, 7 weeks earlier than New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania: arrives mid July, 2 weeks later than New Jersey
  • New York: arrives the second week of July, 1 week later than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Semipalmated Sandpipers arrive in New Jersey?
Semipalmated Sandpipers reach New Jersey in early July, are common by mid July, peak in the second week of August (17% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.
When do Semipalmated Sandpipers leave New Jersey?
Most Semipalmated Sandpipers have left New Jersey by late September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late October.
When is the best time to see a Semipalmated Sandpiper in New Jersey?
The Semipalmated Sandpiper is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 17% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Semipalmated Sandpipers seen most often?
By county, Cumberland County, Hudson County, and Cape May County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Semipalmated Sandpiper (counties with at least 200 checklists).