WhenToBird

Birding spot · Monmouth County, New Jersey

Birding at Gateway National Recreation Area (Plum Island): What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Gateway National Recreation Area (Plum Island) are Brant (93%), Bufflehead (79%), and American Black Duck (70%). It is busiest in spring, when 56 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in the second week of May (69 species). 163 species have been reported here across 821 complete checklists from 417 birders.

Species by week

020406080Jan 1-7: 28 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsJan 8-14: 34 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsJan 15-21: low data (9 checklists)Jan 22-31: 37 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsFeb 1-7: low data (7 checklists)Feb 8-14: 22 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsFeb 15-21: 32 species on 5%+ of 30 checklistsFeb 22-28: 28 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsMar 1-7: 45 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsMar 8-14: 43 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsMar 15-21: 49 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsMar 22-31: 33 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsApr 1-7: 52 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsApr 8-14: 52 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsApr 15-21: 57 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsApr 22-30: 44 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsMay 1-7: 60 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsMay 8-14: 69 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsMay 15-21: 51 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsMay 22-31: 44 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsJun 1-7: 51 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsJun 8-14: low data (7 checklists)Jun 15-21: low data (5 checklists)Jun 22-30: low data (2 checklists)Jul 1-7: low data (2 checklists)Jul 8-14: low data (3 checklists)Jul 15-21: 46 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsJul 22-31: low data (9 checklists)Aug 1-7: 43 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsAug 8-14: 42 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsAug 15-21: low data (8 checklists)Aug 22-31: 54 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsSep 1-7: 40 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsSep 8-14: 47 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsSep 15-21: 55 species on 5%+ of 33 checklistsSep 22-30: 59 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsOct 1-7: 52 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsOct 8-14: 64 species on 5%+ of 33 checklistsOct 15-21: 50 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsOct 22-31: 41 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsNov 1-7: 43 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsNov 8-14: 46 species on 5%+ of 33 checklistsNov 15-21: 40 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsNov 22-30: 33 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsDec 1-7: low data (8 checklists)Dec 8-14: 25 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsDec 15-21: 28 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsDec 22-31: 35 species on 5%+ of 28 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. 1Brant93%
  2. 2Bufflehead79%
  3. 3American Black Duck70%
  4. 4Song Sparrow68%
  5. 5Yellow-rumped Warbler66%
  6. 6American Herring Gull65%
  7. 7Northern Mockingbird63%
  8. 8Great Black-backed Gull57%
  9. 9House Finch42%
  10. 10Double-crested Cormorant40%
  11. 11Great Blue Heron38%
  12. 12Ring-billed Gull37%
  13. 13White-throated Sparrow35%
  14. 14Dark-eyed Junco30%
  15. 15Red-breasted Merganser28%

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 31 species

  1. Brant92%
  2. Bufflehead91%
  3. American Black Duck81%
  4. American Herring Gull68%
  5. Red-breasted Merganser68%

Spring 56 species

  1. Brant85%
  2. Red-winged Blackbird74%
  3. Song Sparrow70%
  4. Northern Mockingbird69%
  5. American Herring Gull64%

Summer 46 species

  1. Laughing Gull86%
  2. Red-winged Blackbird79%
  3. American Herring Gull68%
  4. Song Sparrow61%
  5. Double-crested Cormorant60%

Fall 56 species

  1. Northern Mockingbird77%
  2. Song Sparrow68%
  3. American Herring Gull68%
  4. Great Black-backed Gull62%
  5. Double-crested Cormorant60%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across New Jersey.

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.