WhenToBird

Bucephala clangula · Anatidae

When Do Common Goldeneyes Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult male Common Goldeneye
Photo: Bjoern Rost, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Goldeneyes are winter birds in Connecticut: the first arrive in the second week of November, they are common by the second week of December, peak in late January (11% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 8-14the second week of November
Common byDec 8-14the second week of December
PeakJan 22-31late January
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: late January. First arrivals the second week of November; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 11% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 9.0% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 10% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 10% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 12% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.8% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.5% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.3% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 10% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.7% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.4% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.0% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.7% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% 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% 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% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% 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% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% 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% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.4% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.8% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.1% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.4% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.2% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.4% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.6% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Connecticut

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fairfield CountyBest late January · 4195 checklists that week, 139,848 in all17%
  2. New Haven CountyBest late January · 3581 checklists that week, 139,721 in all16%
  3. New London CountyBest early February · 1468 checklists that week, 65,205 in all14%
  4. Litchfield CountyBest early December · 816 checklists that week, 69,766 in all11%
  5. Middlesex CountyBest early February · 588 checklists that week, 39,919 in all9.3%
  6. Hartford CountyBest mid January · 2713 checklists that week, 105,735 in all5.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tuxis IslandNew Haven County, best late January · 30 checklists that week, 256 in all100%
  2. Weed Beach ParkFairfield County, best late January · 24 checklists that week, 122 in all94%
  3. Connecticut River ReservoirHartford County, best mid January · 33 checklists that week, 640 in all86%
  4. Fort Hale ParkNew Haven County, best the second week of January · 30 checklists that week, 498 in all86%
  5. Burial Hill BeachFairfield County, best the second week of February · 21 checklists that week, 1,335 in all86%
  6. Freshwater PondHartford County, best late January · 62 checklists that week, 505 in all80%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Common Goldeneye is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (4.1% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 1.9% of 33657 checklists7 am: 2.7% of 62964 checklists8 am: 2.8% of 70645 checklists9 am: 3.4% of 64870 checklists10 am: 4.0% of 58827 checklists11 am: 4.0% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 4.1% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 4.0% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 4.3% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 3.4% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 2.1% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 0.2% 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
January9.0%10%10%11%
February12%9.8%7.5%9.3%
March10%7.7%6.4%4.0%
April1.7%0.6%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0%0%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
November0.4%1.4%1.8%3.1%
December4.4%5.2%6.4%8.6%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives mid November, 1 week later than Connecticut
  • Massachusetts: arrives early November, 1 week earlier than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of December, 4 weeks later than Connecticut
  • New York: arrives late October, 2 weeks earlier than Connecticut

Common questions

When do Common Goldeneyes arrive in Connecticut?
Common Goldeneyes are winter birds in Connecticut: the first arrive in the second week of November, they are common by the second week of December, peak in late January (11% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Common Goldeneyes leave Connecticut?
Most Common Goldeneyes have left Connecticut by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early April.
When is the best time to see a Common Goldeneye in Connecticut?
The Common Goldeneye is reported most often in late January, on about 11% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Common Goldeneyes seen most often?
By county, Fairfield County, New Haven County, and New London County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Goldeneye (counties with at least 200 checklists).