WhenToBird

Birding spot · Essex County, Massachusetts

Birding at Pigeon Cove: What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Pigeon Cove are Common Eider (99%), Harlequin Duck (94%), and American Herring Gull (72%). It is busiest in spring, when 37 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in the second week of March (40 species). 87 species have been reported here across 1,032 complete checklists from 488 birders.

Species by week

010203040Jan 1-7: 26 species on 5%+ of 95 checklistsJan 8-14: 29 species on 5%+ of 60 checklistsJan 15-21: 28 species on 5%+ of 103 checklistsJan 22-31: 30 species on 5%+ of 107 checklistsFeb 1-7: 27 species on 5%+ of 64 checklistsFeb 8-14: 27 species on 5%+ of 66 checklistsFeb 15-21: 28 species on 5%+ of 101 checklistsFeb 22-28: 29 species on 5%+ of 73 checklistsMar 1-7: 26 species on 5%+ of 43 checklistsMar 8-14: 40 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsMar 15-21: 32 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsMar 22-31: low data (8 checklists)Apr 1-7: 27 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsApr 8-14: low data (4 checklists)Apr 15-21: low data (4 checklists)Apr 22-30: low data (1 checklists)May 1-7: 30 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsMay 8-14: low data (3 checklists)May 15-21: low data (4 checklists)May 22-31: low data (2 checklists)Jun 1-7: low data (1 checklists)Jun 8-14: low data (1 checklists)Jun 15-21: low data (2 checklists)Jun 22-30: low data (3 checklists)Jul 1-7: low data (4 checklists)Jul 8-14: low data (1 checklists)Jul 15-21: low data (2 checklists)Jul 22-31: low data (1 checklists)Aug 1-7: low data (0 checklists)Aug 8-14: low data (0 checklists)Aug 15-21: low data (0 checklists)Aug 22-31: low data (1 checklists)Sep 1-7: low data (0 checklists)Sep 8-14: low data (1 checklists)Sep 15-21: low data (0 checklists)Sep 22-30: low data (1 checklists)Oct 1-7: low data (2 checklists)Oct 8-14: low data (3 checklists)Oct 15-21: low data (6 checklists)Oct 22-31: low data (7 checklists)Nov 1-7: 29 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsNov 8-14: 27 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsNov 15-21: 30 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsNov 22-30: 36 species on 5%+ of 36 checklistsDec 1-7: 23 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsDec 8-14: 25 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsDec 15-21: 38 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsDec 22-31: 36 species on 5%+ of 40 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. 1Common Eider99%
  2. 2Harlequin Duck94%
  3. 3American Herring Gull72%
  4. 4Black Scoter60%
  5. 5Bufflehead53%
  6. 6Great Black-backed Gull50%
  7. 7Northern Gannet49%
  8. 8Common Loon46%
  9. 9Red-breasted Merganser40%
  10. 10White-winged Scoter39%
  11. 11Double-crested Cormorant37%
  12. 12Song Sparrow34%
  13. 13Surf Scoter34%
  14. 14American Crow33%
  15. 15Red-throated Loon26%

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 28 species

  1. Harlequin Duck95%
  2. Common Eider93%
  3. Bufflehead80%
  4. American Herring Gull68%
  5. Red-breasted Merganser61%

Spring 37 species

  1. Common Eider92%
  2. Harlequin Duck74%
  3. American Herring Gull63%
  4. Black Scoter56%
  5. Red-breasted Merganser52%

Summer 0 species

    Fall 28 species

    1. Common Eider97%
    2. Harlequin Duck84%
    3. American Herring Gull72%
    4. Black Scoter52%
    5. Northern Gannet50%

    Specialties

    Birds reported far more often here than across Massachusetts.

    • Harlequin Duck90% of checklists here vs 0.8% statewide: 113.6×
    • Dovekie6.5% of checklists here vs 0.1% statewide: 47.4×
    • Razorbill20% of checklists here vs 0.8% statewide: 26.2×
    • Purple Sandpiper11% of checklists here vs 0.4% statewide: 26.0×
    • Red-necked Grebe15% of checklists here vs 0.6% statewide: 25.7×
    • Great Cormorant23% of checklists here vs 1.0% statewide: 21.9×
    • Black Scoter45% of checklists here vs 2.3% statewide: 19.6×
    • Common Eider93% of checklists here vs 7.3% statewide: 12.7×

    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.