WhenToBird

Melanitta americana · Anatidae

When Do Black Scoters Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult male Black Scoter
Photo: Kevin Krebs, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black Scoters are winter birds in Connecticut: they arrive in late October, peak in early January (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakJan 1-7early January
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: early January. First arrivals late October; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 1.3% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 1.3% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.9% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.8% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.6% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.3% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.8% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.9% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.2% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.9% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.8% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.5% 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 London CountyBest early January · 2720 checklists that week, 65,205 in all5.4%
  2. Middlesex CountyBest mid January · 768 checklists that week, 39,919 in all2.6%
  3. New Haven CountyBest mid March · 2709 checklists that week, 139,721 in all1.7%
  4. Fairfield CountyBest the second week of November · 2105 checklists that week, 139,848 in all1.7%
  5. Tolland CountyBest early November · 711 checklists that week, 39,004 in all1.6%
  6. Litchfield CountyBest early December · 816 checklists that week, 69,766 in all1.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Town BeachNew London County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 222 in all53%
  2. Ocean Beach ParkNew London County, best early January · 43 checklists that week, 569 in all47%
  3. Jennings BeachFairfield County, best late December · 21 checklists that week, 169 in all44%
  4. Cornfield PointMiddlesex County, best late December · 24 checklists that week, 382 in all39%
  5. Stonington PointNew London County, best late December · 110 checklists that week, 1,092 in all36%
  6. Columbia LakeTolland County, best late October · 20 checklists that week, 278 in all31%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Black Scoter is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (0.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.3% of 33657 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 62964 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 70645 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 64870 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 58827 checklists11 am: 0.7% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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
January1.3%1.2%1.1%0.9%
February0.8%0.6%0.4%0.7%
March0.6%0.7%0.6%0.7%
April0.7%0.2%0.3%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.3%0.8%
November0.9%1.3%1.0%1.2%
December1.2%0.9%0.8%1.5%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives late September, 4 weeks earlier than Connecticut
  • Massachusetts: arrives late September, 4 weeks earlier than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: arrives late September, 4 weeks earlier than Connecticut
  • New York: arrives mid October, 1 week earlier than Connecticut

Common questions

When do Black Scoters arrive in Connecticut?
Black Scoters are winter birds in Connecticut: they arrive in late October, peak in early January (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Black Scoters leave Connecticut?
Most Black Scoters have left Connecticut by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Black Scoter in Connecticut?
The Black Scoter is reported most often in early January, on about 1.3% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Black Scoters seen most often?
By county, New London County, Middlesex County, and New Haven County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black Scoter (counties with at least 200 checklists).