WhenToBird

Birding spot · Essex County, Massachusetts

Birding at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge (Sandy Beach): What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge (Sandy Beach) are Red-throated Loon (69%), American Herring Gull (66%), and Common Loon (62%). It is busiest in spring, when 61 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in the second week of May (68 species). 214 species have been reported here across 3,234 complete checklists from 1,478 birders.

Species by week

020406080Jan 1-7: 30 species on 5%+ of 83 checklistsJan 8-14: 35 species on 5%+ of 35 checklistsJan 15-21: 33 species on 5%+ of 44 checklistsJan 22-31: 34 species on 5%+ of 55 checklistsFeb 1-7: 38 species on 5%+ of 34 checklistsFeb 8-14: 32 species on 5%+ of 44 checklistsFeb 15-21: 34 species on 5%+ of 73 checklistsFeb 22-28: 39 species on 5%+ of 63 checklistsMar 1-7: 35 species on 5%+ of 44 checklistsMar 8-14: 35 species on 5%+ of 41 checklistsMar 15-21: 42 species on 5%+ of 66 checklistsMar 22-31: 43 species on 5%+ of 51 checklistsApr 1-7: 57 species on 5%+ of 58 checklistsApr 8-14: 55 species on 5%+ of 83 checklistsApr 15-21: 62 species on 5%+ of 88 checklistsApr 22-30: 55 species on 5%+ of 108 checklistsMay 1-7: 62 species on 5%+ of 111 checklistsMay 8-14: 68 species on 5%+ of 186 checklistsMay 15-21: 66 species on 5%+ of 156 checklistsMay 22-31: 46 species on 5%+ of 123 checklistsJun 1-7: 46 species on 5%+ of 76 checklistsJun 8-14: 45 species on 5%+ of 62 checklistsJun 15-21: 42 species on 5%+ of 62 checklistsJun 22-30: 41 species on 5%+ of 83 checklistsJul 1-7: 42 species on 5%+ of 59 checklistsJul 8-14: 49 species on 5%+ of 37 checklistsJul 15-21: 51 species on 5%+ of 54 checklistsJul 22-31: 47 species on 5%+ of 84 checklistsAug 1-7: 51 species on 5%+ of 66 checklistsAug 8-14: 53 species on 5%+ of 45 checklistsAug 15-21: 52 species on 5%+ of 64 checklistsAug 22-31: 50 species on 5%+ of 66 checklistsSep 1-7: 39 species on 5%+ of 41 checklistsSep 8-14: 52 species on 5%+ of 47 checklistsSep 15-21: 68 species on 5%+ of 51 checklistsSep 22-30: 56 species on 5%+ of 71 checklistsOct 1-7: 49 species on 5%+ of 56 checklistsOct 8-14: 68 species on 5%+ of 76 checklistsOct 15-21: 43 species on 5%+ of 43 checklistsOct 22-31: 52 species on 5%+ of 68 checklistsNov 1-7: 50 species on 5%+ of 39 checklistsNov 8-14: 49 species on 5%+ of 53 checklistsNov 15-21: 43 species on 5%+ of 48 checklistsNov 22-30: 35 species on 5%+ of 84 checklistsDec 1-7: 49 species on 5%+ of 58 checklistsDec 8-14: 50 species on 5%+ of 37 checklistsDec 15-21: 31 species on 5%+ of 30 checklistsDec 22-31: 39 species on 5%+ of 128 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Number of species reported on at least 5% of complete checklists, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

In November: what to expect

  1. 1Red-throated Loon69%
  2. 2American Herring Gull66%
  3. 3Common Loon62%
  4. 4White-winged Scoter54%
  5. 5Great Black-backed Gull49%
  6. 6Ring-billed Gull37%
  7. 7Black Scoter36%
  8. 8Long-tailed Duck32%
  9. 9Red-necked Grebe30%
  10. 10American Black Duck28%
  11. 11Northern Gannet28%
  12. 12Northern Harrier27%
  13. 13Double-crested Cormorant25%
  14. 14Rock Pigeon23%
  15. 15Sanderling21%

Share of complete checklists at this spot that reported the bird in November. The sparkline is the whole year, with this month highlighted.

Season by season

Winter 38 species

  1. American Herring Gull57%
  2. White-winged Scoter46%
  3. Long-tailed Duck42%
  4. Common Loon41%
  5. Northern Harrier39%

Spring 61 species

  1. Common Grackle61%
  2. Red-winged Blackbird52%
  3. Purple Martin51%
  4. American Herring Gull51%
  5. Song Sparrow47%

Summer 51 species

  1. Purple Martin75%
  2. American Herring Gull65%
  3. Double-crested Cormorant57%
  4. Great Black-backed Gull51%
  5. Mourning Dove48%

Fall 55 species

  1. American Herring Gull69%
  2. Great Black-backed Gull51%
  3. Double-crested Cormorant40%
  4. Ring-billed Gull40%
  5. Common Loon31%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across Massachusetts.

Nearby spots

Frequency is the share of complete checklists at this location that listed the bird, 2016–2025. Busy places report more of everything, and the weekly chart counts species on at least 5% of checklists so a few stray reports do not inflate it. How to read it.