WhenToBird

Melanitta perspicillata · Anatidae

When Do Surf Scoters Arrive in New Jersey?

Adult male Surf Scoter
Photo: Elliott Gordon, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Surf Scoters are winter birds in New Jersey: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in early January (4.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakJan 1-7early January
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: early January. First arrivals early October; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 4.8% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 4.9% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.7% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.8% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.0% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.5% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.0% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.5% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.6% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.1% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.6% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.7% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.6% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.9% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.2% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.9% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.6% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.6% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.5% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.6% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.7% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.0% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.7% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.7% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.2% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.0% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.0% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.9% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.7% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.1% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.8% 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. Cape May CountyBest early January · 4219 checklists that week, 189,832 in all17%
  2. Ocean CountyBest mid January · 2447 checklists that week, 87,340 in all11%
  3. Monmouth CountyBest late December · 2791 checklists that week, 79,748 in all9.8%
  4. Atlantic CountyBest late January · 725 checklists that week, 28,208 in all6.5%
  5. Middlesex CountyBest mid December · 790 checklists that week, 46,761 in all2.9%
  6. Cumberland CountyBest early February · 329 checklists that week, 13,927 in all2.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cape May Point BeachCape May County, best late November · 105 checklists that week, 5,796 in all88%
  2. North Wildwood BeachCape May County, best mid February · 35 checklists that week, 899 in all78%
  3. Cape May Point Beach (Sunset Beach)Cape May County, best late October · 27 checklists that week, 537 in all78%
  4. Cape May City Beach or BoardwalkCape May County, best early January · 34 checklists that week, 1,295 in all76%
  5. Malibu Beach Wildlife Management AreaAtlantic County, best late January · 23 checklists that week, 250 in all73%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Surf Scoter is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.7% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 2.9% of 50447 checklists7 am: 2.7% of 118312 checklists8 am: 2.0% of 123273 checklists9 am: 2.2% of 107783 checklists10 am: 2.4% of 97537 checklists11 am: 2.3% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 2.6% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 1.9% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 0.4% 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
January4.9%4.7%4.8%4.0%
February3.5%3.0%2.5%3.6%
March3.1%3.6%2.7%2.6%
April1.9%1.6%1.2%1.0%
May0.7%0.9%0.9%0.8%
June0.4%0.6%0.6%0.3%
July0.2%0.2%0.2%0.3%
August0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.5%
October1.6%2.7%4.0%4.7%
November4.7%4.2%4.0%4.0%
December3.9%3.7%4.1%4.8%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than New Jersey
  • Connecticut: arrives late October, 3 weeks later than New Jersey
  • New York: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than New Jersey
  • Maryland: arrives late October, 3 weeks later than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Surf Scoters arrive in New Jersey?
Surf Scoters are winter birds in New Jersey: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in early January (4.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Surf Scoters leave New Jersey?
Most Surf Scoters have left New Jersey by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid April.
When is the best time to see a Surf Scoter in New Jersey?
The Surf Scoter is reported most often in early January, on about 4.8% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Surf Scoters seen most often?
By county, Cape May County, Ocean County, and Monmouth County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Surf Scoter (counties with at least 200 checklists).