WhenToBird

Melospiza melodia · Passerellidae

When Do Song Sparrows Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Song Sparrow
Photo: Bill Keim, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Song Sparrow is in Massachusetts all year. It turns up on about 61% of checklists at its peak (early July) and on 29% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJul 1-7early July
Quietest weekJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: early July. Here all year. Peak: on about 61% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 29% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 30% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 29% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 30% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 29% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 30% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 29% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 35% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 38% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 45% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 53% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 58% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 60% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 62% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 60% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 60% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 60% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 58% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 58% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 60% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 61% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 61% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 60% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 62% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 62% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 61% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 61% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 58% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 53% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 44% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 37% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 34% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 33% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 35% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 37% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 42% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 47% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 49% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 50% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 47% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 41% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 37% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 35% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 34% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 35% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 34% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 37% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 34% 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 June · 3755 checklists that week, 215,188 in all73%
  2. Nantucket CountyBest the second week of June · 358 checklists that week, 23,895 in all73%
  3. Hampshire CountyBest the second week of April · 4013 checklists that week, 162,423 in all70%
  4. Plymouth CountyBest late June · 1627 checklists that week, 89,282 in all67%
  5. Berkshire CountyBest the second week of July · 1387 checklists that week, 92,890 in all66%
  6. Bristol CountyBest the second week of May · 2245 checklists that week, 65,262 in all65%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Forge PondPlymouth County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 366 in all100%
  2. Heard FarmMiddlesex County, best the second week of April · 29 checklists that week, 1,139 in all100%
  3. Gully Point CoveEssex County, best late April · 30 checklists that week, 810 in all100%
  4. Craigville Marshes (Craigville Beach)Barnstable County, best early July · 22 checklists that week, 396 in all100%
  5. Hinckleys PondBarnstable County, best late May · 30 checklists that week, 847 in all100%
  6. Two PondsBarnstable County, best late March · 25 checklists that week, 1,271 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Song Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (59% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%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: 61% of 108601 checklists7 am: 57% of 186104 checklists8 am: 54% of 185905 checklists9 am: 50% of 166049 checklists10 am: 46% of 150508 checklists11 am: 42% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 40% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 39% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 38% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 37% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 39% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 42% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 44% 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
January29%30%29%30%
February29%30%29%35%
March38%45%53%58%
April60%62%60%60%
May60%58%58%60%
June61%61%60%62%
July62%61%61%58%
August53%44%37%34%
September33%35%37%42%
October47%49%50%47%
November41%37%35%34%
December35%34%37%34%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Song Sparrows arrive in Massachusetts?
The Song Sparrow is in Massachusetts all year. It turns up on about 61% of checklists at its peak (early July) and on 29% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Song Sparrows leave Massachusetts?
The Song Sparrow does not leave Massachusetts: it is reported all year, from 29% of checklists in the second week of January to 61% in early July.
When is the best time to see a Song Sparrow in Massachusetts?
The Song Sparrow is reported most often in early July, on about 61% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Song Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Barnstable County, Nantucket County, and Hampshire County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Song Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).