WhenToBird

Melospiza melodia · Passerellidae

When Do Song Sparrows Arrive in New Jersey?

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

The Song Sparrow is in New Jersey all year. It turns up on about 51% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 21% in its quietest week (the second week of September).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 22-31late March
Quietest weekSep 8-14the second week of September

Best: late March. Here all year. Peak: on about 51% of New Jersey 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. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 32% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 33% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 33% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 34% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 34% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 35% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 32% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 38% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 43% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 48% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 52% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 52% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 50% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 48% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 46% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 45% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 43% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 38% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 40% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 44% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 47% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 47% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 47% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 46% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 48% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 49% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 49% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 48% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 44% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 37% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 30% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 25% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 22% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 21% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 21% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 23% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 30% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 41% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 46% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 48% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 46% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 42% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 41% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 39% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 38% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 38% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 41% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 37% 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. Hunterdon CountyBest the second week of July · 791 checklists that week, 57,610 in all70%
  2. Mercer CountyBest late June · 1006 checklists that week, 56,614 in all63%
  3. Warren CountyBest mid October · 270 checklists that week, 20,077 in all62%
  4. Morris CountyBest the second week of July · 719 checklists that week, 59,212 in all62%
  5. Somerset CountyBest early June · 1205 checklists that week, 58,057 in all61%
  6. Bergen CountyBest early April · 1568 checklists that week, 73,457 in all60%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hariton SanctuaryWarren County, best the second week of October · 26 checklists that week, 411 in all100%
  2. Bishop FarmsteadBurlington County, best late October · 24 checklists that week, 585 in all100%
  3. Cold Brook ReserveHunterdon County, best mid October · 25 checklists that week, 322 in all100%
  4. West Essex ParkEssex County, best early April · 26 checklists that week, 1,556 in all100%
  5. Meadowlands Commission Trust ParkBergen County, best late October · 25 checklists that week, 369 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Song Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (49% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 51% of 50447 checklists7 am: 48% of 118312 checklists8 am: 46% of 123273 checklists9 am: 43% of 107783 checklists10 am: 39% of 97537 checklists11 am: 36% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 35% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 34% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 34% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 33% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 33% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 35% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 35% 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
January32%33%33%34%
February34%35%32%38%
March43%48%52%52%
April50%48%46%45%
May43%38%40%44%
June47%47%47%46%
July48%49%49%48%
August44%37%30%25%
September22%21%21%23%
October30%41%46%48%
November46%42%41%39%
December38%38%41%37%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Song Sparrows arrive in New Jersey?
The Song Sparrow is in New Jersey all year. It turns up on about 51% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 21% in its quietest week (the second week of September).
When do Song Sparrows leave New Jersey?
The Song Sparrow does not leave New Jersey: it is reported all year, from 21% of checklists in the second week of September to 51% in late March.
When is the best time to see a Song Sparrow in New Jersey?
The Song Sparrow is reported most often in late March, on about 51% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Song Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Hunterdon County, Mercer County, and Warren County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Song Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).