WhenToBird

Spiza americana · Cardinalidae

When Do Dickcissels Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult Dickcissel
Photo: cwwood, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Dickcissels mostly pass through Connecticut: they arrive in early September, peak in late September (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byOct 22-31late October

Best: late September. First arrivals early September; most are gone by late October. Peak: on about 1.2% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.4% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 0% 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: 0.3% 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: 0.1% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.6% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.1% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.4% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.2% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.9% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.2% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.3% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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 late September · 1328 checklists that week, 65,205 in all2.5%
  2. New Haven CountyBest early October · 2762 checklists that week, 139,721 in all1.9%
  3. Fairfield CountyBest early October · 2440 checklists that week, 139,848 in all1.5%
  4. Hartford CountyBest the second week of June · 2349 checklists that week, 105,735 in all1.0%
  5. Tolland CountyBest early October · 770 checklists that week, 39,004 in all0.8%
  6. Middlesex CountyBest mid October · 593 checklists that week, 39,919 in all0.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Griswold CoveNew London County, best the second week of December · 23 checklists that week, 896 in all33%
  2. UnspecifiedHartford County, best late May · 90 checklists that week, 824 in all25%
  3. Bluff PointNew London County, best late September · 113 checklists that week, 770 in all20%
  4. Spring LakeNew London County, best early October · 25 checklists that week, 152 in all19%
  5. Sasco CreekFairfield County, best late August · 50 checklists that week, 899 in all17%
  6. Old Egg FarmNew Haven County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 136 in all14%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Dickcissel is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.5% 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: 0.5% of 33657 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 62964 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 70645 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 64870 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 58827 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 0.1% 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
January0.4%0.2%0.2%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0%0%0%
April0.1%0%0%0%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.4%
September0.5%0.6%1.1%1.4%
October1.2%0.9%0.7%0.4%
November0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%
December0.3%0.4%0.2%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of August, 3 weeks earlier than Connecticut
  • Massachusetts: arrives early September, in the same week than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: arrives late August, 1 week earlier than Connecticut
  • New Hampshire: arrives the second week of September, 1 week later than Connecticut

Common questions

When do Dickcissels arrive in Connecticut?
Dickcissels mostly pass through Connecticut: they arrive in early September, peak in late September (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.
When do Dickcissels leave Connecticut?
Most Dickcissels have left Connecticut by late October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Dickcissel in Connecticut?
The Dickcissel is reported most often in late September, on about 1.2% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Dickcissels seen most often?
By county, New London County, New Haven County, and Fairfield County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Dickcissel (counties with at least 200 checklists).