WhenToBird

Aquila chrysaetos · Accipitridae

When Do Golden Eagles Arrive in Colorado?

Adult Golden Eagle
Photo: Anne Parsons, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The Golden Eagle is in Colorado all year. It turns up on about 2.1% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 1.0% in its quietest week (mid July).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 8-14the second week of April
Quietest weekJul 15-21mid July

Best: the second week of April. Here all year. Peak: on about 2.1% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.6% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.7% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.7% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.0% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.8% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.6% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.1% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.8% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.9% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.1% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.9% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.1% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.2% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.0% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.6% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.3% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.5% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.5% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.3% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.4% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.1% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.1% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.1% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.1% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.0% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.1% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.0% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.1% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.2% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.2% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.2% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.2% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.2% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.6% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.6% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.4% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.2% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.3% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.4% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.6% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.6% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.8% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.8% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dolores CountyBest late October · 26 checklists that week, 2,000 in all19%
  2. Rio Blanco CountyBest the second week of December · 10 checklists that week, 2,806 in all19%
  3. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of December · 10 checklists that week, 2,707 in all14%
  4. Baca CountyBest late January · 50 checklists that week, 3,209 in all14%
  5. Sedgwick CountyBest the second week of November · 14 checklists that week, 1,168 in all13%
  6. Custer CountyBest late November · 12 checklists that week, 3,017 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Meadow ParkBoulder County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 160 in all63%
  2. Watson LakeLarimer County, best late April · 139 checklists that week, 2,081 in all54%
  3. South Side ReservoirLarimer County, best late March · 45 checklists that week, 684 in all49%
  4. Matthews/Winters ParkJefferson County, best mid March · 34 checklists that week, 502 in all43%
  5. Rabbit MountainBoulder County, best early January · 22 checklists that week, 1,238 in all36%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Golden Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (2.0% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 0.8% of 71991 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 159189 checklists8 am: 1.3% of 177206 checklists9 am: 1.7% of 165269 checklists10 am: 2.0% of 141029 checklists11 am: 2.0% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 2.0% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 1.9% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 1.8% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 1.1% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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
January1.6%1.7%1.7%2.0%
February1.8%1.8%1.6%2.1%
March1.8%1.9%2.1%1.9%
April2.1%2.2%2.0%1.6%
May1.3%1.5%1.5%1.3%
June1.4%1.1%1.1%1.1%
July1.1%1.0%1.1%1.0%
August1.1%1.2%1.2%1.2%
September1.1%1.2%1.3%1.2%
October1.6%1.6%1.4%1.3%
November1.3%1.2%1.3%1.4%
December1.6%1.6%1.8%1.8%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: winter visitor, peaks late February
  • Utah: winter visitor, peaks early March
  • South Dakota: winter visitor, peaks the second week of January
  • Montana: year-round, peaks the second week of October

Common questions

When do Golden Eagles arrive in Colorado?
The Golden Eagle is in Colorado all year. It turns up on about 2.1% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 1.0% in its quietest week (mid July).
When do Golden Eagles leave Colorado?
The Golden Eagle does not leave Colorado: it is reported all year, from 1.0% of checklists in mid July to 2.1% in the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Golden Eagle in Colorado?
The Golden Eagle is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 2.1% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Golden Eagles seen most often?
By county, Dolores County, Rio Blanco County, and Lincoln County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Golden Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).