WhenToBird

Accipiter striatus · Accipitridae

When Do Sharp-shinned Hawks Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk
Photo: Kent P. McFarland, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Sharp-shinned Hawks are winter birds in Massachusetts: they arrive in late August, peak in the second week of October (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals late August; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 3.7% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.1% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.9% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.9% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.9% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.9% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.9% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.3% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.4% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.3% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.4% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.8% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.5% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.7% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.9% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.5% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.5% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.6% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.8% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.7% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.2% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.8% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.1% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.6% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.4% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.2% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.4% 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. Dukes CountyBest mid October · 446 checklists that week, 23,670 in all8.1%
  2. Worcester CountyBest late September · 2655 checklists that week, 128,594 in all7.1%
  3. Barnstable CountyBest mid October · 3882 checklists that week, 215,188 in all6.5%
  4. Bristol CountyBest mid October · 1117 checklists that week, 65,262 in all6.1%
  5. Hampden CountyBest mid September · 670 checklists that week, 35,410 in all5.6%
  6. Franklin CountyBest late September · 898 checklists that week, 41,382 in all5.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wachusett Mountain State ReservationWorcester County, best the second week of September · 56 checklists that week, 718 in all62%
  2. Watatic Mountain SanctuaryWorcester County, best mid September · 31 checklists that week, 269 in all51%
  3. J.A. Skinner State ParkHampshire County, best late September · 37 checklists that week, 1,818 in all40%
  4. Aquinnah CliffsDukes County, best late October · 45 checklists that week, 576 in all38%
  5. Flax PondBarnstable County, best mid October · 58 checklists that week, 668 in all32%
  6. Pilgrim SpringBarnstable County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 414 in all28%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Sharp-shinned Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 1.6% of 108601 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 186104 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 185905 checklists9 am: 1.5% of 166049 checklists10 am: 1.3% of 150508 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 1.0% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 0.4% 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
January1.1%1.1%1.1%1.0%
February1.0%0.9%0.9%0.9%
March0.8%0.9%0.9%0.9%
April1.0%1.3%1.4%1.3%
May1.4%0.8%0.5%0.2%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.2%0.3%0.5%0.7%
September1.1%1.9%3.5%3.5%
October3.6%3.8%3.7%3.2%
November2.8%2.1%1.6%1.4%
December1.2%1.2%1.4%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives late July, 4 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives early September, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives mid June, 9 weeks earlier than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Sharp-shinned Hawks arrive in Massachusetts?
Sharp-shinned Hawks are winter birds in Massachusetts: they arrive in late August, peak in the second week of October (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Sharp-shinned Hawks leave Massachusetts?
Most Sharp-shinned Hawks have left Massachusetts by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Sharp-shinned Hawk in Massachusetts?
The Sharp-shinned Hawk is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 3.7% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Sharp-shinned Hawks seen most often?
By county, Dukes County, Worcester County, and Barnstable County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Sharp-shinned Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).