WhenToBird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Accipitridae

When Do Bald Eagles Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

The Bald Eagle is in Pennsylvania all year. It turns up on about 11% of checklists at its peak (early March) and on 4.0% in its quietest week (mid June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 1-7early March
Quietest weekJun 15-21mid June

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

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  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: 9.8% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.6% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.6% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.4% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.3% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.5% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.1% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 12% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 10% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 10% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 10% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.2% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.5% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.2% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.6% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.8% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.6% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.3% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.1% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.8% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.5% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.0% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.5% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.8% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.3% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.6% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.0% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.7% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.3% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.3% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.6% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.5% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.3% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.7% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.9% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.3% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 10% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 10% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 11% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.3% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.0% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.2% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.7% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Perry CountyBest early November · 207 checklists that week, 10,281 in all38%
  2. Mercer CountyBest early March · 378 checklists that week, 17,853 in all37%
  3. Montour CountyBest late November · 91 checklists that week, 6,082 in all33%
  4. Crawford CountyBest mid March · 622 checklists that week, 23,552 in all33%
  5. Schuylkill CountyBest the second week of October · 384 checklists that week, 22,261 in all31%
  6. Armstrong CountyBest late November · 239 checklists that week, 11,221 in all28%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Susquehannock State ParkLancaster County, best mid March · 40 checklists that week, 1,999 in all92%
  2. Conestoga RiverLancaster County, best late December · 24 checklists that week, 710 in all89%
  3. Lackawaxen RiverPike County, best late January · 23 checklists that week, 256 in all87%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Bald Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (9.7% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 8.2% of 92903 checklists7 am: 8.0% of 241233 checklists8 am: 8.5% of 271994 checklists9 am: 9.1% of 236842 checklists10 am: 9.7% of 199508 checklists11 am: 9.7% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 9.2% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 9.5% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 9.3% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 8.6% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 7.5% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 6.9% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 5.7% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 3.9% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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
January9.8%9.6%8.6%9.4%
February9.3%8.5%8.1%11%
March12%11%11%11%
April10%10%10%9.2%
May7.5%7.2%6.6%5.8%
June4.6%4.3%4.1%3.8%
July4.5%5.0%5.5%5.8%
August7.3%7.6%8.0%7.7%
September8.3%8.3%9.6%9.5%
October9.3%9.7%9.9%9.3%
November10%11%10%11%
December9.3%9.0%9.2%9.7%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Bald Eagles arrive in Pennsylvania?
The Bald Eagle is in Pennsylvania all year. It turns up on about 11% of checklists at its peak (early March) and on 4.0% in its quietest week (mid June).
When do Bald Eagles leave Pennsylvania?
The Bald Eagle does not leave Pennsylvania: it is reported all year, from 4.0% of checklists in mid June to 11% in early March.
When is the best time to see a Bald Eagle in Pennsylvania?
The Bald Eagle is reported most often in early March, on about 11% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Bald Eagles seen most often?
By county, Perry County, Mercer County, and Montour County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bald Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).