WhenToBird

Larus smithsonianus · Laridae

When Do American Herring Gulls Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult American Herring Gull
Photo: Priya Sandhu, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The American Herring Gull is in Connecticut all year. It turns up on about 27% of checklists at its peak (the second week of January) and on 13% in its quietest week (the second week of May).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJan 8-14the second week of January
Quietest weekMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: the second week of January. Here all year. Peak: on about 27% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 27% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 27% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 26% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 26% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 26% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 21% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 17% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 21% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 23% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 21% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 21% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 22% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 19% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 17% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 14% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 13% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 15% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 14% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 14% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 15% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 16% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 18% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 20% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 22% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 22% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 23% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 24% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 24% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 23% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 20% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 20% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 19% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 19% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 19% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 19% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 20% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 21% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 22% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 22% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 22% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 24% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 23% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 22% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 25% of 16616 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. New Haven CountyBest late August · 3384 checklists that week, 139,721 in all49%
  2. New London CountyBest early January · 2720 checklists that week, 65,205 in all42%
  3. Fairfield CountyBest mid January · 3646 checklists that week, 139,848 in all41%
  4. Middlesex CountyBest the second week of January · 776 checklists that week, 39,919 in all22%
  5. Windham CountyBest late January · 437 checklists that week, 19,034 in all12%
  6. Hartford CountyBest the second week of January · 2785 checklists that week, 105,735 in all9.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chaffinch IslandNew Haven County, best early October · 21 checklists that week, 479 in all100%
  2. Seaside ParkFairfield County, best the second week of November · 33 checklists that week, 1,151 in all100%
  3. Short BeachFairfield County, best the second week of August · 25 checklists that week, 1,711 in all99%
  4. Shoal PointFairfield County, best late December · 28 checklists that week, 312 in all98%
  5. Clinton Town BeachMiddlesex County, best late September · 28 checklists that week, 294 in all98%
  6. Westcott CoveFairfield County, best late January · 36 checklists that week, 330 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the American Herring Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (23% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (325) to judge1 am: too few checklists (367) to judge2 am: too few checklists (488) to judge3 am: too few checklists (792) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2722) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9489) to judge6 am: 15% of 33657 checklists7 am: 16% of 62964 checklists8 am: 20% of 70645 checklists9 am: 21% of 64870 checklists10 am: 23% of 58827 checklists11 am: 23% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 23% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 23% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 23% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 21% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 18% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 14% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 13% of 15856 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8126) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1994) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (533) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (349) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (286) 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
January27%27%26%26%
February26%21%17%21%
March23%21%21%22%
April19%17%15%14%
May13%13%13%15%
June14%14%13%15%
July16%18%20%22%
August22%23%24%24%
September23%20%20%19%
October19%19%19%20%
November21%22%22%22%
December24%23%22%25%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: year-round, peaks the second week of August
  • Massachusetts: year-round, peaks mid January
  • New Jersey: year-round, peaks the second week of January
  • New York: all year, most in winter, peaks the second week of January

Common questions

When do American Herring Gulls arrive in Connecticut?
The American Herring Gull is in Connecticut all year. It turns up on about 27% of checklists at its peak (the second week of January) and on 13% in its quietest week (the second week of May).
When do American Herring Gulls leave Connecticut?
The American Herring Gull does not leave Connecticut: it is reported all year, from 13% of checklists in the second week of May to 27% in the second week of January.
When is the best time to see a American Herring Gull in Connecticut?
The American Herring Gull is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 27% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are American Herring Gulls seen most often?
By county, New Haven County, New London County, and Fairfield County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Herring Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).