Birds in New Jersey in October: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in New Jersey in October in our iNaturalist sample; 15 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in October

Yellow-rumped Warbler971 obs.

White-throated Sparrow733 obs.

Canada Goose688 obs.

Great Blue Heron670 obs.

Mallard602 obs.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet515 obs.

Song Sparrow507 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk482 obs.

Great Egret466 obs.

Blue Jay456 obs.

Mute Swan450 obs.

Northern Mockingbird440 obs.

All birds seen in New Jersey in October

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	971	Oct (peak)
2	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	733	Oct (peak)
3	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	688	Apr (past peak)
4	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	670	Sep (past peak)
5	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	602	Mar (past peak)
6	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	515	Oct (peak)
7	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	507	Mar (past peak)
8	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	482	Mar (past peak)
9	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	466	Aug (past peak)
10	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	456	May (past peak)
11	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	450	Oct (peak)
12	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	440	Apr (past peak)
13	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	438	Oct (peak)
14	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	432	Oct (peak)
15	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	429	Aug (past peak)
16	Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	New World Sparrows	420	Oct (peak)
17	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	419	May (past peak)
18	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	401	Mar (past peak)
19	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	359	Aug (past peak)
20	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	354	Oct (peak)
21	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	353	Apr (past peak)
22	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	349	Aug (past peak)
23	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	340	Oct (peak)
24	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	334	Apr (past peak)
25	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	309	May (past peak)
26	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	281	Apr (past peak)
27	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	278	Aug (past peak)
28	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	278	Oct (peak)
29	Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis	New World Sparrows	263	Oct (peak)
30	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	258	Aug (past peak)
31	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	254	Apr (past peak)
32	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	246	Aug (past peak)
33	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	238	Mar (past peak)
34	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	234	Apr (past peak)
35	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	228	Jan (past peak)
36	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	227	Dec (rising)
37	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	227	May (past peak)
38	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	209	Oct (peak)
39	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	203	Oct (peak)
40	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	199	Apr (past peak)
41	Sharp-shinned Hawk	Accipiter striatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	192	Oct (peak)
42	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	189	Mar (past peak)
43	Greater Yellowlegs	Tringa melanoleuca	Sandpipers and Allies	188	Apr (past peak)
44	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	182	May (past peak)
45	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	181	Aug (past peak)
46	Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus	Falcons and Caracaras	179	Oct (peak)
47	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	176	Apr (past peak)
48	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	175	Apr (past peak)
49	Northern Parula	Setophaga americana	New World Warblers	173	Sep (past peak)
50	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	172	Jan (past peak)

Birds Seen in New Jersey in October

Top birds in October

All birds seen in New Jersey in October