WhenToBird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Accipitridae

When Do Bald Eagles Arrive in Indiana?

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

Bald Eagles are in Indiana all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from late September, peak in the second week of March (12% of checklists), and fall back by late April. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 3.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 22-30late September
PeakMar 8-14the second week of March
Fall back byApr 22-30late April
FewestJun 15-21mid June

Best: the second week of March. Here all year; numbers build from late September and fall back by late April. Peak: on about 12% of Indiana checklists.

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

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 9.6% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.9% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.5% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 11% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.9% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.9% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 12% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.5% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.2% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.1% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.2% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.4% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.7% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.1% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.7% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.8% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.6% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.6% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.7% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.0% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.9% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.0% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.3% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.9% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.6% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.8% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.6% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.9% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.2% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.5% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.7% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.1% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.9% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.7% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.8% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.1% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.3% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 10% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 10% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.7% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 10% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 10% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.7% of 15432 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 Indiana 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 Indiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Miami CountyBest early March · 26 checklists that week, 1,203 in all67%
  2. Daviess CountyBest the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 442 in all63%
  3. Adams CountyBest early March · 20 checklists that week, 1,306 in all56%
  4. Wabash CountyBest early February · 36 checklists that week, 2,218 in all56%
  5. Union CountyBest mid October · 107 checklists that week, 4,811 in all47%
  6. Parke CountyBest mid January · 23 checklists that week, 1,527 in all46%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Vaughn HollowBrown County, best early March · 21 checklists that week, 919 in all97%
  2. Beanblossom BottomsMonroe County, best mid March · 32 checklists that week, 1,003 in all78%
  3. Brookville Recreation AreaUnion County, best the second week of October · 68 checklists that week, 1,086 in all77%
  4. Summit Lake State ParkHenry County, best mid March · 24 checklists that week, 293 in all77%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Bald Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (8.9% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (240) to judge1 am: too few checklists (231) to judge2 am: too few checklists (222) to judge3 am: too few checklists (202) to judge4 am: too few checklists (674) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4329) to judge6 am: 8.5% of 20589 checklists7 am: 7.1% of 58470 checklists8 am: 8.1% of 86931 checklists9 am: 8.7% of 78239 checklists10 am: 8.7% of 66080 checklists11 am: 8.9% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 8.3% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 8.7% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 9.1% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 8.6% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 8.0% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 6.6% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 5.4% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 4.5% of 17740 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (7603) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1721) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (272) 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
January9.6%9.9%9.5%11%
February11%8.9%7.9%11%
March12%11%12%11%
April9.5%9.2%9.1%8.2%
May6.4%5.7%5.1%4.7%
June3.8%3.6%3.6%3.7%
July4.0%4.9%5.0%5.3%
August5.9%6.6%6.8%6.6%
September6.9%7.2%6.5%8.7%
October8.1%7.9%8.7%8.8%
November9.1%9.3%10%10%
December9.7%10%10%9.7%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives early November, 5 weeks later than Indiana
  • Kentucky: arrives mid October, 3 weeks later than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives late April, 20 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Michigan: year-round, peaks early January

Common questions

When do Bald Eagles arrive in Indiana?
Bald Eagles are in Indiana all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from late September, peak in the second week of March (12% of checklists), and fall back by late April. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 3.6% of checklists.
When do Bald Eagles leave Indiana?
Bald Eagles never fully leave Indiana: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late April, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Bald Eagle in Indiana?
The Bald Eagle is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 12% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Bald Eagles seen most often?
By county, Miami County, Daviess County, and Adams County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bald Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).