WhenToBird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Accipitridae

When Do Bald Eagles Arrive in Michigan?

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

The Bald Eagle is in Michigan all year. It turns up on about 11% of checklists at its peak (early January) and on 4.9% in its quietest week (mid June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJan 1-7early January
Quietest weekJun 15-21mid June

Best: early January. Here all year. Peak: on about 11% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  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%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 11% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 10% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 10% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.5% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 10% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.0% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.7% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 10% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 10% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 10% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.6% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.5% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.9% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.0% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.8% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.1% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.5% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.0% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.3% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.1% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.8% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.9% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.5% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.7% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.1% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.6% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.8% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.5% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.5% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.5% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.9% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.7% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.0% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.0% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.3% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.3% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.0% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.5% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.4% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.4% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.9% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.7% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.7% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 10% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.6% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gratiot CountyBest early August · 145 checklists that week, 5,892 in all53%
  2. Mackinac CountyBest the second week of November · 76 checklists that week, 7,988 in all49%
  3. Monroe CountyBest the second week of March · 453 checklists that week, 22,078 in all47%
  4. Schoolcraft CountyBest early November · 21 checklists that week, 3,719 in all40%
  5. Delta CountyBest the second week of April · 195 checklists that week, 6,537 in all38%
  6. Huron CountyBest mid April · 59 checklists that week, 4,733 in all37%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Big Marsh LakeCalhoun County, best late October · 27 checklists that week, 160 in all90%
  2. Erie Marsh PreserveMonroe County, best the second week of June · 25 checklists that week, 2,408 in all89%
  3. Grand River Ravines - NorthOttawa County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 383 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Bald Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (9.6% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 8.3% of 39298 checklists7 am: 7.9% of 120344 checklists8 am: 8.2% of 180109 checklists9 am: 9.0% of 171966 checklists10 am: 9.5% of 156332 checklists11 am: 9.7% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 9.3% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 9.4% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 9.0% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 8.5% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 7.6% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 6.6% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 5.8% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 4.9% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January11%10%10%9.5%
February10%9.0%7.7%11%
March11%10%10%10%
April9.6%9.5%8.9%9.0%
May7.8%7.1%7.5%7.0%
June5.3%5.1%4.8%4.9%
July5.5%5.7%6.1%6.6%
August7.8%8.5%8.5%8.5%
September7.9%7.7%8.0%8.0%
October7.3%8.3%8.0%8.5%
November9.4%9.4%8.9%9.7%
December9.7%10%9.6%11%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: all year, most in spring, peaks the second week of May
  • Indiana: all year, most in winter, peaks the second week of March
  • Illinois: all year, most in winter, peaks late January
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks the second week of March

Common questions

When do Bald Eagles arrive in Michigan?
The Bald Eagle is in Michigan all year. It turns up on about 11% of checklists at its peak (early January) and on 4.9% in its quietest week (mid June).
When do Bald Eagles leave Michigan?
The Bald Eagle does not leave Michigan: it is reported all year, from 4.9% of checklists in mid June to 11% in early January.
When is the best time to see a Bald Eagle in Michigan?
The Bald Eagle is reported most often in early January, on about 11% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Bald Eagles seen most often?
By county, Gratiot County, Mackinac County, and Monroe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bald Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).