WhenToBird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Accipitridae

When Do Bald Eagles Arrive in Oregon?

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

Bald Eagles are in Oregon all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from late October, peak in late January (18% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (the second week of September) they are still on about 2.8% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 22-31late October
PeakJan 22-31late January
Fall back byMay 15-21mid May
FewestSep 8-14the second week of September

Best: late January. Here all year; numbers build from late October and fall back by mid May. Peak: on about 18% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 16% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 17% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 19% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 19% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 18% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 17% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 16% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 17% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 16% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 16% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 15% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 15% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 15% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 15% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 14% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 14% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 10% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.7% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.6% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.9% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.9% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.6% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.7% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.8% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.2% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.4% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.3% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.0% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.9% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.8% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.5% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.0% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.9% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.3% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.9% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.4% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 14% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 14% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 15% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 15% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 15% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 15% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 16% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Morrow CountyBest early February · 33 checklists that week, 3,484 in all47%
  2. Clatsop CountyBest mid April · 920 checklists that week, 44,300 in all43%
  3. Columbia CountyBest the second week of February · 567 checklists that week, 27,750 in all41%
  4. Klamath CountyBest late February · 325 checklists that week, 26,875 in all39%
  5. Wasco CountyBest late January · 234 checklists that week, 13,127 in all39%
  6. Hood River CountyBest the second week of January · 129 checklists that week, 9,695 in all33%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Knowland SloughClatsop County, best early June · 21 checklists that week, 1,303 in all99%
  2. Svensen IslandClatsop County, best late December · 20 checklists that week, 476 in all92%
  3. Wagonwheel Hole (Oak Island)Columbia County, best late April · 34 checklists that week, 368 in all91%
  4. Guiles LakeColumbia County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 2,621 in all90%
  5. Bybee LakeMultnomah County, best the second week of April · 32 checklists that week, 1,688 in all88%
  6. Marquam LakeMultnomah County, best early February · 69 checklists that week, 2,050 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Bald Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (15% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 8.1% of 50677 checklists7 am: 10% of 125347 checklists8 am: 12% of 163668 checklists9 am: 14% of 160351 checklists10 am: 15% of 148940 checklists11 am: 15% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 13% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 13% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 13% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 12% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 9.2% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 7.3% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 5.9% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 3.7% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January16%17%19%19%
February18%17%16%17%
March16%16%15%15%
April15%15%14%14%
May14%13%12%10%
June8.7%8.6%8.9%7.9%
July8.6%8.7%8.8%8.2%
August7.4%6.3%5.0%3.9%
September2.8%2.5%3.0%3.9%
October5.3%7.9%9.4%12%
November12%14%14%15%
December15%15%15%16%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: year-round, peaks mid January
  • Idaho: arrives mid November, 3 weeks later than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives late October, in the same week than Oregon
  • California: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks earlier than Oregon

Common questions

When do Bald Eagles arrive in Oregon?
Bald Eagles are in Oregon all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from late October, peak in late January (18% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (the second week of September) they are still on about 2.8% of checklists.
When do Bald Eagles leave Oregon?
Bald Eagles never fully leave Oregon: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid May, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.8% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Bald Eagle in Oregon?
The Bald Eagle is reported most often in late January, on about 18% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Bald Eagles seen most often?
By county, Morrow County, Clatsop County, and Columbia County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bald Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).