WhenToBird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Accipitridae

When Do Bald Eagles Arrive in Vermont?

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

Bald Eagles are in Vermont all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid February, peak in mid March (8.0% of checklists), and fall back by late April. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.

When to look

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

Best: mid March. Here all year; numbers build from mid February and fall back by late April. Peak: on about 8.0% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 6.4% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.0% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.0% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.1% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.5% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.1% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.5% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.1% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.7% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.2% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.6% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.0% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.2% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.3% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.7% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.2% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.2% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.8% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.5% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.4% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.0% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.5% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.0% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.2% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.5% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.4% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.1% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.5% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.1% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.9% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.8% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.7% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.6% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.0% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.1% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.5% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.4% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.5% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.5% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.0% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.9% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.2% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.2% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.8% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.3% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.9% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.8% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.7% of 10579 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 Vermont 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 Vermont

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grand Isle CountyBest late January · 238 checklists that week, 8,507 in all17%
  2. Franklin CountyBest late August · 610 checklists that week, 25,284 in all16%
  3. Addison CountyBest mid March · 1957 checklists that week, 77,064 in all16%
  4. Windham CountyBest early April · 1193 checklists that week, 39,105 in all15%
  5. Orleans CountyBest the second week of November · 202 checklists that week, 11,785 in all9.7%
  6. Orange CountyBest mid October · 218 checklists that week, 16,964 in all8.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lower Otter Creek Wildlife Management AreaAddison County, best mid January · 37 checklists that week, 1,322 in all83%
  2. Town Farm BayChittenden County, best early November · 35 checklists that week, 361 in all68%
  3. Little Otter Creek Wildlife Management Area (East Slang Creek)Addison County, best early April · 57 checklists that week, 596 in all65%
  4. Roundys CoveWindham County, best the second week of April · 21 checklists that week, 331 in all65%
  5. Westminster Station (Newcomb Brook)Windham County, best early September · 20 checklists that week, 118 in all62%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Bald Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (7.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (384) to judge1 am: too few checklists (418) to judge2 am: too few checklists (568) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3460) to judge5 am: 2.6% of 10340 checklists6 am: 3.8% of 30951 checklists7 am: 3.9% of 64150 checklists8 am: 4.3% of 70252 checklists9 am: 6.0% of 55280 checklists10 am: 6.9% of 47111 checklists11 am: 7.2% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 6.5% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 6.4% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 6.1% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 5.7% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 5.4% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 4.4% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 3.1% of 12110 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8203) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4425) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1829) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (597) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (309) 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
January6.4%7.0%6.0%6.1%
February5.5%5.1%4.5%6.1%
March6.7%7.2%8.6%8.0%
April7.2%6.3%5.7%5.2%
May5.2%3.8%3.5%3.4%
June3.0%2.5%2.0%2.2%
July2.5%2.4%3.1%3.5%
August5.1%4.9%6.8%6.7%
September6.6%6.0%6.1%5.5%
October5.4%5.5%5.5%6.0%
November5.9%5.2%5.2%4.8%
December5.3%4.9%3.8%4.7%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives late February, 1 week later than Vermont
  • Massachusetts: arrives mid July, 20 weeks later than Vermont
  • Connecticut: arrives late July, 21 weeks later than Vermont
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of August, 23 weeks later than Vermont

Common questions

When do Bald Eagles arrive in Vermont?
Bald Eagles are in Vermont all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid February, peak in mid March (8.0% of checklists), and fall back by late April. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.
When do Bald Eagles leave Vermont?
Bald Eagles never fully leave Vermont: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late April, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Bald Eagle in Vermont?
The Bald Eagle is reported most often in mid March, on about 8.0% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Bald Eagles seen most often?
By county, Grand Isle County, Franklin County, and Addison County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bald Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).