WhenToBird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Accipitridae

When Do Bald Eagles Arrive in Massachusetts?

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

Bald Eagles are winter birds in Massachusetts: the first arrive in mid July, they are common by early September, peak in early March (6.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 15-21mid July
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakMar 1-7early March
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: early March. First arrivals mid July; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 6.1% of Massachusetts checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 4.9% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.6% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.9% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.4% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.6% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.4% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.3% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.1% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.2% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.9% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.3% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.1% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.1% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.8% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.3% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.8% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.5% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.9% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.4% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.2% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.0% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.9% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.6% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.3% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.7% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.6% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.7% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.0% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.4% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.3% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.6% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.8% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.0% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.1% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.7% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.4% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.1% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.6% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.6% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.3% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.6% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.1% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.7% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.7% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.5% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.2% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.8% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.0% of 44323 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hampden CountyBest the second week of March · 763 checklists that week, 35,410 in all18%
  2. Franklin CountyBest the second week of March · 1061 checklists that week, 41,382 in all16%
  3. Hampshire CountyBest mid November · 2670 checklists that week, 162,423 in all12%
  4. Berkshire CountyBest early December · 1255 checklists that week, 92,890 in all11%
  5. Bristol CountyBest mid December · 1696 checklists that week, 65,262 in all9.0%
  6. Essex CountyBest the second week of February · 4609 checklists that week, 213,973 in all7.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Deer Island (Eagle Island)Essex County, best the second week of February · 29 checklists that week, 533 in all91%
  2. Dighton Rock State ParkBristol County, best mid December · 95 checklists that week, 191 in all81%
  3. Wachusett Mountain State ReservationWorcester County, best the second week of September · 56 checklists that week, 718 in all74%
  4. Arcadia Wildlife SanctuaryHampshire County, best mid March · 86 checklists that week, 3,702 in all71%
  5. Quabbin Quabbin ParkHampshire County, best late November · 197 checklists that week, 5,805 in all68%
  6. Barton CoveFranklin County, best the second week of April · 34 checklists that week, 494 in all65%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Bald Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (4.6% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (630) to judge1 am: too few checklists (657) to judge2 am: too few checklists (645) to judge3 am: too few checklists (850) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3787) to judge5 am: too few checklists (29743) to judge6 am: 3.7% of 108601 checklists7 am: 3.8% of 186104 checklists8 am: 4.0% of 185905 checklists9 am: 4.7% of 166049 checklists10 am: 4.5% of 150508 checklists11 am: 4.4% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 4.0% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 4.1% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 4.1% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 3.8% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 3.5% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 2.8% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 2.0% of 41435 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (21041) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5240) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1094) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (704) 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
January4.9%5.6%5.9%5.4%
February5.6%5.4%5.3%6.1%
March6.2%5.9%5.3%5.1%
April5.1%4.8%4.3%3.8%
May3.5%2.9%2.4%2.2%
June2.0%1.9%1.6%1.3%
July1.7%1.6%1.7%2.0%
August2.4%2.3%2.6%2.8%
September3.0%3.1%3.7%3.4%
October3.1%3.6%3.6%4.3%
November4.6%5.1%4.7%4.7%
December4.5%5.2%5.8%5.0%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of August, 3 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives late February, 19 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives late July, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives mid February, 20 weeks earlier than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Bald Eagles arrive in Massachusetts?
Bald Eagles are winter birds in Massachusetts: the first arrive in mid July, they are common by early September, peak in early March (6.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Bald Eagles leave Massachusetts?
Most Bald Eagles have left Massachusetts by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of June.
When is the best time to see a Bald Eagle in Massachusetts?
The Bald Eagle is reported most often in early March, on about 6.1% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Bald Eagles seen most often?
By county, Hampden County, Franklin County, and Hampshire County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bald Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).