WhenToBird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Accipitridae

When Do Bald Eagles Arrive in Minnesota?

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

Bald Eagles are in Minnesota all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late February, peak in mid March (26% of checklists), and fall back by late April. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 8.8% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildFeb 22-28late February
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Fall back byApr 22-30late April
FewestJun 22-30late June

Best: mid March. Here all year; numbers build from late February and fall back by late April. Peak: on about 26% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  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%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 17% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 16% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 14% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 15% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 15% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 14% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 14% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 20% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 25% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 25% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 28% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 26% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 23% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 22% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 21% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 20% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 17% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 15% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.8% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.2% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.0% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.7% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.8% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.7% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 13% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 14% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 16% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 17% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 17% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 18% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 18% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 20% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 20% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 20% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 22% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 23% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 24% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 25% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 22% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 20% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 19% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 17% of 19759 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Houston CountyBest mid November · 191 checklists that week, 4,754 in all76%
  2. Yellow Medicine CountyBest the second week of March · 21 checklists that week, 1,931 in all58%
  3. Goodhue CountyBest the second week of March · 334 checklists that week, 16,294 in all57%
  4. Lac qui Parle CountyBest early December · 26 checklists that week, 3,681 in all55%
  5. Swift CountyBest early March · 13 checklists that week, 1,275 in all55%
  6. Chippewa CountyBest the second week of March · 10 checklists that week, 1,298 in all54%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Port Crosby ParkDakota County, best the second week of February · 25 checklists that week, 1,038 in all100%
  2. Colvill ParkGoodhue County, best early January · 42 checklists that week, 579 in all100%
  3. Rapids LakeCarver County, best the second week of March · 22 checklists that week, 591 in all98%
  4. Enger ParkSt. Louis County, best late March · 54 checklists that week, 447 in all97%
  5. Lake Rebecca (Pool 2)Dakota County, best mid March · 28 checklists that week, 793 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Bald Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (20% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 15% of 35775 checklists7 am: 15% of 90565 checklists8 am: 16% of 110612 checklists9 am: 18% of 106128 checklists10 am: 20% of 96131 checklists11 am: 19% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 19% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 19% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 19% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 17% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 16% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 14% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 12% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 9.1% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) 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
January17%16%14%15%
February15%14%14%20%
March25%25%28%26%
April23%22%21%20%
May17%15%14%11%
June8.8%9.2%9.0%8.7%
July8.8%9.7%11%11%
August12%12%13%14%
September16%17%17%18%
October18%20%20%20%
November22%23%24%25%
December22%20%19%17%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: arrives the second week of November, 14 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks the second week of March
  • South Dakota: arrives early November, 15 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • North Dakota: arrives mid October, 17 weeks earlier than Minnesota

Common questions

When do Bald Eagles arrive in Minnesota?
Bald Eagles are in Minnesota all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late February, peak in mid March (26% of checklists), and fall back by late April. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 8.8% of checklists.
When do Bald Eagles leave Minnesota?
Bald Eagles never fully leave Minnesota: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late April, but some are still reported in every week, about 8.8% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Bald Eagle in Minnesota?
The Bald Eagle is reported most often in mid March, on about 26% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Bald Eagles seen most often?
By county, Houston County, Yellow Medicine County, and Goodhue County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bald Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).