WhenToBird

Uria lomvia · Alcidae

When Do Thick-billed Murres Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Thick-billed Murre
Photo: Jason Alexander, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Thick-billed Murres mostly pass through Massachusetts: they arrive in mid January, peak in the second week of February (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsJan 15-21mid January
Common byJan 15-21mid January
PeakFeb 8-14the second week of February
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: the second week of February. First arrivals mid January; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 1.0% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.1% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.2% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% 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% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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 early February · 4211 checklists that week, 213,973 in all3.2%
  2. Barnstable CountyBest the second week of February · 3560 checklists that week, 215,188 in all2.7%
  3. Middlesex CountyBest mid February · 7557 checklists that week, 307,511 in all0.8%
  4. Dukes CountyBest late January · 397 checklists that week, 23,670 in all0.4%
  5. Plymouth CountyBest early February · 1591 checklists that week, 89,282 in all0.4%
  6. Suffolk CountyBest early February · 1974 checklists that week, 112,443 in all0.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Macmillan WharfBarnstable County, best the second week of February · 112 checklists that week, 2,253 in all51%
  2. Draw 7 ParkMiddlesex County, best mid February · 108 checklists that week, 1,231 in all48%
  3. State Fish PierEssex County, best mid March · 65 checklists that week, 2,575 in all45%
  4. Race RunBarnstable County, best late February · 54 checklists that week, 2,504 in all36%
  5. Eastern Point Wildlife SanctuaryEssex County, best early February · 107 checklists that week, 2,004 in all23%
  6. Mystic River Reservation (Malden River)Middlesex County, best the second week of February · 37 checklists that week, 1,044 in all21%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Thick-billed Murre is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (0.2% 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: 0.1% of 186104 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 185905 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 166049 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 150508 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 0.1% 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
January0.1%0.3%0.4%0.8%
February1.0%1.1%1.0%0.6%
March0.7%0.4%0.2%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0%0%0%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Alaska: arrives mid May, 16 weeks later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Thick-billed Murres arrive in Massachusetts?
Thick-billed Murres mostly pass through Massachusetts: they arrive in mid January, peak in the second week of February (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Thick-billed Murres leave Massachusetts?
Most Thick-billed Murres have left Massachusetts by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Thick-billed Murre in Massachusetts?
The Thick-billed Murre is reported most often in the second week of February, on about 1.0% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Thick-billed Murres seen most often?
By county, Essex County, Barnstable County, and Middlesex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Thick-billed Murre (counties with at least 200 checklists).