WhenToBird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Accipitridae

When Do Bald Eagles Arrive in New Hampshire?

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

Bald Eagles are in New Hampshire all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late February, peak in mid March (8.2% of checklists), and fall back by early May. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 2.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildFeb 22-28late February
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Fall back byMay 1-7early May
FewestJun 15-21mid June

Best: mid March. Here all year; numbers build from late February and fall back by early May. Peak: on about 8.2% of New Hampshire 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. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 5.9% of 8253 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.6% of 5998 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.8% of 5734 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.8% of 7776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.8% of 5253 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.3% of 6802 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.9% of 8852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.5% of 5792 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.7% of 6187 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.1% of 6977 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.5% of 7863 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.9% of 11746 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.9% of 9329 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.7% of 10499 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.5% of 10376 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.6% of 13086 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.6% of 13198 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.0% of 14980 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.7% of 12487 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.7% of 14294 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.2% of 8974 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.9% of 8395 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.5% of 7670 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.2% of 9188 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.2% of 7707 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.0% of 6554 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.5% of 6636 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.3% of 9599 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.2% of 6436 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.7% of 6477 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.5% of 6510 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.7% of 9762 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.5% of 6700 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.6% of 6012 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.4% of 6238 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.7% of 7619 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.7% of 6702 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.0% of 6863 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.4% of 6284 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.1% of 8287 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.2% of 7584 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.4% of 6056 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.6% of 5597 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.6% of 7140 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.0% of 4623 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.6% of 4920 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.5% of 6416 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.1% of 7659 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Belknap CountyBest mid December · 138 checklists that week, 13,295 in all19%
  2. Strafford CountyBest the second week of September · 588 checklists that week, 41,888 in all14%
  3. Cheshire CountyBest mid March · 898 checklists that week, 39,834 in all14%
  4. Merrimack CountyBest mid March · 816 checklists that week, 36,980 in all10%
  5. Coos CountyBest mid April · 626 checklists that week, 27,719 in all9.8%
  6. Sullivan CountyBest late March · 492 checklists that week, 13,105 in all9.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Leavitt ParkBelknap County, best early November · 20 checklists that week, 186 in all76%
  2. Otter Brook LakeCheshire County, best mid May · 35 checklists that week, 204 in all65%
  3. Chapman's Landing - Stratham Boat LaunchRockingham County, best the second week of February · 35 checklists that week, 1,876 in all58%
  4. Surry Mountain LakeCheshire County, best early September · 22 checklists that week, 462 in all57%
  5. Lewis SwaleSullivan County, best mid December · 22 checklists that week, 136 in all57%

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

Best time of day

In New Hampshire, the Bald Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (6.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (219) to judge1 am: too few checklists (192) to judge2 am: too few checklists (176) to judge3 am: too few checklists (234) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1042) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6352) to judge6 am: 5.0% of 23140 checklists7 am: 4.7% of 43401 checklists8 am: 5.9% of 48039 checklists9 am: 6.0% of 43328 checklists10 am: 6.4% of 37073 checklists11 am: 6.1% of 32028 checklists12 pm: 5.9% of 27396 checklists1 pm: 6.4% of 25182 checklists2 pm: 6.3% of 24318 checklists3 pm: 5.8% of 21974 checklists4 pm: 5.8% of 17958 checklists5 pm: 5.6% of 14528 checklists6 pm: 4.2% of 9144 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (5341) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1845) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (578) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (346) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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
January5.9%6.6%5.8%5.8%
February5.8%5.3%4.9%6.5%
March7.7%8.1%8.5%7.9%
April6.9%6.7%6.5%6.6%
May6.6%5.0%4.7%3.7%
June3.2%2.9%2.5%3.2%
July3.2%4.0%3.5%4.3%
August5.2%5.7%6.5%6.7%
September6.5%6.6%6.4%5.7%
October5.7%6.0%5.4%6.1%
November6.2%6.4%6.6%6.6%
December5.0%6.6%5.5%6.1%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives mid July, 19 weeks later than New Hampshire
  • Vermont: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of August, 22 weeks later than New Hampshire
  • Maine: year-round, peaks the second week of September

Common questions

When do Bald Eagles arrive in New Hampshire?
Bald Eagles are in New Hampshire all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late February, peak in mid March (8.2% of checklists), and fall back by early May. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 2.9% of checklists.
When do Bald Eagles leave New Hampshire?
Bald Eagles never fully leave New Hampshire: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early May, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Bald Eagle in New Hampshire?
The Bald Eagle is reported most often in mid March, on about 8.2% of New Hampshire checklists.
Where in New Hampshire are Bald Eagles seen most often?
By county, Belknap County, Strafford County, and Cheshire County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bald Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).