WhenToBird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Accipitridae

When Do Bald Eagles Arrive in New York?

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

The Bald Eagle is in New York all year. It turns up on about 11% of checklists at its peak (early March) and on 3.6% in its quietest week (late June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 1-7early March
Quietest weekJun 22-30late June

Best: early March. Here all year. Peak: on about 11% of New York checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 8.2% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.3% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.4% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.2% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.7% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.1% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.3% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 10% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.3% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.9% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.1% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.7% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.2% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.6% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.2% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.9% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.3% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.9% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.6% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.6% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.7% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.5% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.9% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.5% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.6% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.3% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.7% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.0% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.9% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.0% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.9% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.1% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.8% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.0% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.0% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.2% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.3% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.5% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.2% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.8% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.7% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.9% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.8% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.9% of 62470 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 York 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 York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sullivan CountyBest the second week of March · 551 checklists that week, 28,620 in all46%
  2. Seneca CountyBest the second week of April · 1341 checklists that week, 47,387 in all39%
  3. Genesee CountyBest late March · 517 checklists that week, 17,726 in all32%
  4. Wayne CountyBest mid April · 1035 checklists that week, 37,738 in all27%
  5. Delaware CountyBest the second week of November · 278 checklists that week, 18,557 in all25%
  6. Oswego CountyBest mid September · 498 checklists that week, 39,208 in all25%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Erie Canal (Onondaga Creek)Onondaga County, best mid January · 30 checklists that week, 604 in all96%
  2. Stockport Flats Estuarine SanctuaryColumbia County, best the second week of March · 21 checklists that week, 394 in all96%
  3. Haverstraw Bay ParkRockland County, best late January · 31 checklists that week, 690 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Bald Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (9.3% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 6.9% of 124869 checklists7 am: 6.8% of 298506 checklists8 am: 7.3% of 337334 checklists9 am: 8.5% of 307787 checklists10 am: 9.3% of 270801 checklists11 am: 9.2% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 8.6% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 8.6% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 8.6% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 7.6% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 6.7% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 5.7% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 5.0% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January8.2%9.3%9.4%9.2%
February9.7%9.1%8.3%11%
March11%11%11%10%
April9.3%8.9%9.1%8.7%
May7.2%6.6%6.2%5.9%
June4.3%3.9%3.6%3.6%
July3.7%4.5%4.9%5.5%
August6.6%7.3%7.7%8.0%
September7.9%8.0%7.9%8.1%
October7.8%8.0%8.0%8.2%
November8.3%8.5%8.2%8.8%
December7.7%7.9%7.8%7.9%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: winter visitor, peaks early November
  • New Jersey: all year, most in fall, peaks the second week of October
  • Pennsylvania: year-round, peaks early March
  • Vermont: all year, most in spring, peaks mid March

Common questions

When do Bald Eagles arrive in New York?
The Bald Eagle is in New York all year. It turns up on about 11% of checklists at its peak (early March) and on 3.6% in its quietest week (late June).
When do Bald Eagles leave New York?
The Bald Eagle does not leave New York: it is reported all year, from 3.6% of checklists in late June to 11% in early March.
When is the best time to see a Bald Eagle in New York?
The Bald Eagle is reported most often in early March, on about 11% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Bald Eagles seen most often?
By county, Sullivan County, Seneca County, and Genesee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bald Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).