WhenToBird

Bubo scandiacus · Strigidae

When Do Snowy Owls Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult female Snowy Owl
Photo: Andrew Bazdyrev, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Snowy Owls are winter birds in Massachusetts: they arrive in late November, peak in mid January (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 22-30late November
Common byNov 22-30late November
PeakJan 15-21mid January
Most gone byMar 1-7early March

Best: mid January. First arrivals late November; most are gone by early March. Peak: on about 1.1% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.9% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.3% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.9% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.3% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.5% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.3% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.7% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.6% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.7% 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.

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Where in Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Essex CountyBest the second week of January · 4993 checklists that week, 213,973 in all4.2%
  2. Plymouth CountyBest mid December · 1879 checklists that week, 89,282 in all2.2%
  3. Nantucket CountyBest late February · 402 checklists that week, 23,895 in all2.1%
  4. Suffolk CountyBest early January · 2494 checklists that week, 112,443 in all1.8%
  5. Hampshire CountyBest mid December · 3184 checklists that week, 162,423 in all1.2%
  6. Franklin CountyBest the second week of November · 713 checklists that week, 41,382 in all1.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. High PinesPlymouth County, best the second week of February · 36 checklists that week, 1,924 in all50%
  2. Crane Beach on the Crane EstateEssex County, best the second week of January · 30 checklists that week, 1,698 in all48%
  3. Davis BeachBarnstable County, best mid December · 48 checklists that week, 1,668 in all43%
  4. Hate CoveEssex County, best mid January · 130 checklists that week, 8,243 in all36%
  5. Parker River National Wildlife Refuge (Long Point)Essex County, best late February · 22 checklists that week, 831 in all33%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Snowy Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (0.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%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: 0.1% of 108601 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 186104 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 185905 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 166049 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 150508 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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
January0.9%1.2%1.3%1.0%
February0.9%0.9%0.8%0.9%
March0.5%0.4%0.4%0.3%
April0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0%0%0.1%
July0%0.1%0%0%
August0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0%0%0%0.1%
November0.1%0.2%0.5%0.3%
December0.7%0.6%0.7%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives late November, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • New York: arrives late November, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid December, 3 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Ohio: arrives mid November, 1 week earlier than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Snowy Owls arrive in Massachusetts?
Snowy Owls are winter birds in Massachusetts: they arrive in late November, peak in mid January (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early March.
When do Snowy Owls leave Massachusetts?
Most Snowy Owls have left Massachusetts by early March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Snowy Owl in Massachusetts?
The Snowy Owl is reported most often in mid January, on about 1.1% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Snowy Owls seen most often?
By county, Essex County, Plymouth County, and Nantucket County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Snowy Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).