WhenToBird

Pluvialis squatarola · Charadriidae

When Do Black-bellied Plovers Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult Black-bellied Plover
Photo: Евгений Маринкин, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black-bellied Plovers reach Connecticut in mid July, are common by late July, peak in mid August (6.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 15-21mid July
Common byJul 22-31late July
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Most gone byNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: mid August. First arrivals mid July; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 6.8% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0.4% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.3% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.2% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.3% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.2% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.4% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.6% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.6% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.3% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.4% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.4% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.5% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.1% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.6% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.4% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.9% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.7% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.7% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.2% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.2% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.9% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.6% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.5% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.9% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.7% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.3% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.1% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.2% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.6% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.0% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.4% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.7% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.7% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.3% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% of 16616 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. New Haven CountyBest mid August · 2004 checklists that week, 139,721 in all23%
  2. Fairfield CountyBest late May · 4170 checklists that week, 139,848 in all4.3%
  3. New London CountyBest late May · 1936 checklists that week, 65,205 in all4.1%
  4. Middlesex CountyBest mid August · 516 checklists that week, 39,919 in all2.4%
  5. Hartford CountyBest late September · 2030 checklists that week, 105,735 in all0.7%
  6. Windham CountyBest early October · 266 checklists that week, 19,034 in all0.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Morse ParkNew Haven County, best mid August · 207 checklists that week, 3,681 in all89%
  2. Beard Cove (historical)New Haven County, best mid August · 215 checklists that week, 8,925 in all82%
  3. Beard Cove (historical) (Cedar Beach)New Haven County, best late August · 63 checklists that week, 1,177 in all79%
  4. Great Island MarshesNew London County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 439 in all75%
  5. Hammonasset Natural Area Preserve (Dardanells)New Haven County, best mid May · 29 checklists that week, 611 in all63%
  6. GreenwayFairfield County, best mid May · 28 checklists that week, 712 in all56%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Black-bellied Plover is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (2.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (325) to judge1 am: too few checklists (367) to judge2 am: too few checklists (488) to judge3 am: too few checklists (792) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2722) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9489) to judge6 am: 1.6% of 33657 checklists7 am: 1.5% of 62964 checklists8 am: 2.0% of 70645 checklists9 am: 2.2% of 64870 checklists10 am: 2.1% of 58827 checklists11 am: 2.0% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 1.9% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 2.1% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 2.2% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 1.8% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 1.8% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 1.7% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 1.5% of 15856 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8126) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1994) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (533) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (349) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (286) 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
January0.4%0.5%0.3%0.4%
February0.3%0.4%0.2%0.2%
March0.2%0.3%0.2%0.2%
April0.6%0.4%0.6%0.7%
May1.6%2.3%4.4%5.4%
June2.5%1.1%0.6%0.3%
July0.3%0.4%0.9%2.7%
August4.7%6.2%7.2%6.9%
September5.6%3.5%3.9%3.7%
October3.3%3.1%3.2%3.6%
November3.0%2.4%1.7%0.9%
December0.7%0.4%0.3%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives mid April, 12 weeks earlier than Connecticut
  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of July, 1 week earlier than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: arrives late July, 1 week later than Connecticut
  • New York: arrives late July, 1 week later than Connecticut

Common questions

When do Black-bellied Plovers arrive in Connecticut?
Black-bellied Plovers reach Connecticut in mid July, are common by late July, peak in mid August (6.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Black-bellied Plovers leave Connecticut?
Most Black-bellied Plovers have left Connecticut by the second week of November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late November.
When is the best time to see a Black-bellied Plover in Connecticut?
The Black-bellied Plover is reported most often in mid August, on about 6.8% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Black-bellied Plovers seen most often?
By county, New Haven County, Fairfield County, and New London County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-bellied Plover (counties with at least 200 checklists).