WhenToBird

Polioptila caerulea · Polioptilidae

When Do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Photo: Laura Clark, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers reach Connecticut in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (18% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 1-7early April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone bySep 8-14the second week of September

Best: early May. First arrivals early April; most are gone by the second week of September. Peak: on about 18% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 0% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.5% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.1% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.2% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 17% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 20% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 17% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.6% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.1% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.6% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.9% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.3% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.7% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.2% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.6% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.8% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.9% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.9% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.3% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.3% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.4% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.0% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.4% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.9% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Windham CountyBest early May · 858 checklists that week, 19,034 in all28%
  2. New London CountyBest early May · 1919 checklists that week, 65,205 in all27%
  3. Middlesex CountyBest early May · 1446 checklists that week, 39,919 in all21%
  4. Tolland CountyBest the second week of May · 1577 checklists that week, 39,004 in all21%
  5. Litchfield CountyBest early May · 2259 checklists that week, 69,766 in all20%
  6. Fairfield CountyBest early May · 4881 checklists that week, 139,848 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Appalachian National Scenic TrailLitchfield County, best early May · 34 checklists that week, 308 in all83%
  2. Bent of the River SanctuaryNew Haven County, best early May · 160 checklists that week, 2,125 in all80%
  3. E A Whitford PondNew London County, best early May · 101 checklists that week, 587 in all78%
  4. Alfred Mitchell WoodsNew London County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 208 in all77%
  5. Natchaug State Forest (Colts Pond)Windham County, best early May · 29 checklists that week, 174 in all72%
  6. Lake Mohegan Recreation AreaFairfield County, best early May · 71 checklists that week, 703 in all71%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (7.6% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 9.1% of 33657 checklists7 am: 6.7% of 62964 checklists8 am: 5.6% of 70645 checklists9 am: 4.4% of 64870 checklists10 am: 3.6% of 58827 checklists11 am: 3.1% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 2.9% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 2.8% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 3.0% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 3.2% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 4.2% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 5.7% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 5.6% 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0.1%
April0.5%3.1%9.2%17%
May20%17%14%9.6%
June7.1%6.6%6.9%6.3%
July5.7%5.2%5.6%4.8%
August4.9%5.9%6.3%7.3%
September6.4%5.0%3.4%0.9%
October0.4%0.2%0.2%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives early April, in the same week than Connecticut
  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of April, 1 week later than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: arrives late March, 1 week earlier than Connecticut
  • New York: arrives early April, in the same week than Connecticut

Common questions

When do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers arrive in Connecticut?
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers reach Connecticut in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (18% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.
When do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers leave Connecticut?
Most Blue-gray Gnatcatchers have left Connecticut by the second week of September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late September.
When is the best time to see a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in Connecticut?
The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is reported most often in early May, on about 18% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Blue-gray Gnatcatchers seen most often?
By county, Windham County, New London County, and Middlesex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (counties with at least 200 checklists).