WhenToBird

Tringa semipalmata · Scolopacidae

When Do Willets Arrive in New Jersey?

Adult Willet
Photo: Sam Kieschnick, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Willets reach New Jersey in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in late May (8.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 22-31late May
Most gone byAug 15-21mid August

Best: late May. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by mid August. Peak: on about 8.5% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octrare
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.7% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.8% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.7% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.4% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.2% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 9.7% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.3% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.5% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.8% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.0% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.2% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.3% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.1% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.4% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.4% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.9% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.6% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.6% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.6% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.3% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.1% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.3% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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. Cumberland CountyBest early June · 199 checklists that week, 13,927 in all35%
  2. Atlantic CountyBest early June · 556 checklists that week, 28,208 in all34%
  3. Cape May CountyBest early June · 2758 checklists that week, 189,832 in all21%
  4. Ocean CountyBest late May · 2579 checklists that week, 87,340 in all17%
  5. Monmouth CountyBest late May · 2266 checklists that week, 79,748 in all7.6%
  6. Middlesex CountyBest mid May · 1278 checklists that week, 46,761 in all5.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cheesequake State Park (Conaskonk Point)Monmouth County, best late May · 46 checklists that week, 718 in all96%
  2. The Wetlands Institute PreserveCape May County, best the second week of June · 36 checklists that week, 3,679 in all94%
  3. Great Bay Boulevard Wildlife Management AreaOcean County, best the second week of June · 20 checklists that week, 1,138 in all94%
  4. Cedar BonnetOcean County, best the second week of June · 27 checklists that week, 2,506 in all92%
  5. Sand MarshCape May County, best the second week of June · 46 checklists that week, 3,777 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Willet is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (3.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 3.3% of 50447 checklists7 am: 2.1% of 118312 checklists8 am: 2.2% of 123273 checklists9 am: 2.2% of 107783 checklists10 am: 2.4% of 97537 checklists11 am: 2.4% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 2.5% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 2.5% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 2.4% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 2.6% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 3.0% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 3.3% 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
January0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.7%2.8%5.7%
May6.4%7.2%9.7%8.3%
June6.5%5.8%6.0%6.2%
July5.3%5.1%4.4%3.4%
August2.9%3.6%3.6%2.6%
September1.3%1.3%1.1%1.3%
October1.3%1.1%0.8%0.5%
November0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than New Jersey
  • Connecticut: arrives mid April, 1 week later than New Jersey
  • New York: arrives late April, 2 weeks later than New Jersey
  • Maryland: arrives mid April, 1 week later than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Willets arrive in New Jersey?
Willets reach New Jersey in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in late May (8.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.
When do Willets leave New Jersey?
Most Willets have left New Jersey by mid August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a Willet in New Jersey?
The Willet is reported most often in late May, on about 8.5% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Willets seen most often?
By county, Cumberland County, Atlantic County, and Cape May County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Willet (counties with at least 200 checklists).