WhenToBird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Accipitridae

When Do Bald Eagles Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult Bald Eagle
Photo: Marcel_Pepin, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Bald Eagles are winter birds in Connecticut: the first arrive in late July, they are common by late August, peak in early November (6.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 22-31late July
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: early November. First arrivals late July; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 6.6% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 6.1% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.0% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.2% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.2% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.9% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.8% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.2% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.8% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.2% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.1% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.4% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.2% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.0% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.0% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.8% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.9% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.4% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.7% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.0% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.7% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.4% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.7% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.7% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.2% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.0% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.1% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.4% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.6% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.6% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.5% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.1% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.7% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.9% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.1% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.6% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.6% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.5% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.7% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.1% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.9% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.0% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.9% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.6% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.7% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.8% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.1% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.3% 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. Windham CountyBest late January · 437 checklists that week, 19,034 in all14%
  2. Litchfield CountyBest mid March · 1356 checklists that week, 69,766 in all11%
  3. Middlesex CountyBest the second week of February · 786 checklists that week, 39,919 in all11%
  4. Hartford CountyBest early March · 1741 checklists that week, 105,735 in all8.6%
  5. New Haven CountyBest early October · 2762 checklists that week, 139,721 in all7.9%
  6. Fairfield CountyBest late September · 2968 checklists that week, 139,848 in all7.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Quinebaug Fish HatcheryWindham County, best late January · 61 checklists that week, 1,048 in all73%
  2. Storehouse BrookLitchfield County, best early May · 37 checklists that week, 258 in all60%
  3. Bantam LakeLitchfield County, best late December · 98 checklists that week, 2,470 in all58%
  4. North CoveNew London County, best early January · 21 checklists that week, 523 in all57%
  5. Glastonbury MeadowsHartford County, best late September · 49 checklists that week, 683 in all57%
  6. Broad Brook Mill PondHartford County, best early December · 85 checklists that week, 1,566 in all55%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Bald Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (5.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 5.4% of 33657 checklists7 am: 5.5% of 62964 checklists8 am: 5.1% of 70645 checklists9 am: 5.6% of 64870 checklists10 am: 5.8% of 58827 checklists11 am: 5.3% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 5.1% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 5.1% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 5.0% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 4.8% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 3.8% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 3.5% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 2.5% 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
January6.1%6.0%6.2%6.2%
February5.9%5.8%5.2%5.8%
March6.2%6.1%6.4%6.2%
April6.0%6.0%5.8%4.9%
May4.4%3.7%3.0%2.7%
June2.4%2.4%1.7%1.7%
July2.2%2.0%2.1%2.4%
August2.6%2.6%3.5%4.1%
September4.7%4.9%7.1%6.6%
October5.6%6.5%6.7%6.1%
November6.9%7.0%5.9%6.6%
December5.7%5.8%6.1%5.3%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of August, 2 weeks later than Connecticut
  • Massachusetts: arrives mid July, 1 week earlier than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of September, 6 weeks later than Connecticut
  • New York: year-round, peaks early March

Common questions

When do Bald Eagles arrive in Connecticut?
Bald Eagles are winter birds in Connecticut: the first arrive in late July, they are common by late August, peak in early November (6.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Bald Eagles leave Connecticut?
Most Bald Eagles have left Connecticut by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early June.
When is the best time to see a Bald Eagle in Connecticut?
The Bald Eagle is reported most often in early November, on about 6.6% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Bald Eagles seen most often?
By county, Windham County, Litchfield County, and Middlesex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bald Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).