WhenToBird

Rallus limicola · Rallidae

When Do Virginia Rails Arrive in New Jersey?

Adult Virginia Rail
Photo: sprcrkwild, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Virginia Rails are winter birds in New Jersey: they arrive in the second week of March, peak in mid October (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late January.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Most gone byJan 22-31late January

Best: mid October. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by late January. Peak: on about 1.2% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.2% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.3% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.5% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.7% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.9% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.9% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.0% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.6% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.4% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.6% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.5% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.4% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.3% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.3% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.4% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.0% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.2% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.6% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.7% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.6% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.7% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.4% 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. Sussex CountyBest late April · 1290 checklists that week, 30,305 in all3.8%
  2. Cape May CountyBest early November · 3485 checklists that week, 189,832 in all3.6%
  3. Cumberland CountyBest early May · 791 checklists that week, 13,927 in all2.7%
  4. Morris CountyBest early May · 2105 checklists that week, 59,212 in all2.0%
  5. Bergen CountyBest mid January · 1568 checklists that week, 73,457 in all1.9%
  6. Burlington CountyBest the second week of November · 804 checklists that week, 52,358 in all1.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Paulinskill River Wildlife Management AreaSussex County, best late April · 86 checklists that week, 1,041 in all42%
  2. Glades Wildlife RefugeCumberland County, best the second week of May · 58 checklists that week, 588 in all30%
  3. Cape May Migratory Bird RefugeCape May County, best early November · 271 checklists that week, 15,664 in all26%
  4. Kittatinny Valley State ParkSussex County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 406 in all24%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Virginia Rail is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 1.0% of 50447 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 118312 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 123273 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 107783 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 97537 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 1.0% 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
January0.3%0.2%0.4%0.3%
February0.2%0.2%0.1%0.2%
March0.2%0.3%0.4%0.4%
April0.5%0.7%0.9%0.9%
May0.7%1.0%0.6%0.5%
June0.4%0.4%0.4%0.5%
July0.6%0.6%0.5%0.4%
August0.3%0.3%0.4%0.3%
September0.3%0.3%0.4%0.6%
October1.0%1.1%1.2%1.3%
November1.0%0.6%0.7%0.6%
December0.6%0.6%0.7%0.4%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than New Jersey
  • Connecticut: arrives early April, 3 weeks later than New Jersey
  • New York: arrives early April, 3 weeks later than New Jersey
  • Massachusetts: arrives early April, 3 weeks later than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Virginia Rails arrive in New Jersey?
Virginia Rails are winter birds in New Jersey: they arrive in the second week of March, peak in mid October (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late January.
When do Virginia Rails leave New Jersey?
Most Virginia Rails have left New Jersey by late January, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Virginia Rail in New Jersey?
The Virginia Rail is reported most often in mid October, on about 1.2% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Virginia Rails seen most often?
By county, Sussex County, Cape May County, and Cumberland County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Virginia Rail (counties with at least 200 checklists).