WhenToBird

Aquila chrysaetos · Accipitridae

When Do Golden Eagles Arrive in Utah?

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

Golden Eagles are winter birds in Utah: the first arrive in mid July, they are common by the second week of September, peak in early March (4.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 15-21mid July
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakMar 1-7early March
Most gone byMay 22-31late May

Best: early March. First arrivals mid July; most are gone by late May. Peak: on about 4.0% of Utah 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%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.3% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.9% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.1% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.4% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.1% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.7% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.1% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.0% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.1% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.8% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.5% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.4% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.9% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.1% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.1% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.7% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.2% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.1% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.5% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.1% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.9% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.8% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.7% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.6% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.7% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.4% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.9% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.9% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.7% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.0% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.2% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.9% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.0% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.1% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.5% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.2% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.7% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.6% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.4% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.4% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.5% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.9% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.4% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.9% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.5% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.0% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.1% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Morgan CountyBest the second week of January · 17 checklists that week, 3,178 in all39%
  2. Piute CountyBest the second week of December · 13 checklists that week, 1,035 in all26%
  3. Sanpete CountyBest late January · 127 checklists that week, 6,190 in all20%
  4. Daggett CountyBest early March · 13 checklists that week, 1,885 in all18%
  5. Rich CountyBest the second week of March · 16 checklists that week, 1,563 in all17%
  6. Summit CountyBest early February · 161 checklists that week, 13,829 in all15%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pleasant Valley ReservoirSalt Lake County, best mid February · 29 checklists that week, 1,034 in all49%
  2. Rockport State ParkSummit County, best mid February · 21 checklists that week, 1,614 in all43%
  3. Indian CanyonWashington County, best late February · 20 checklists that week, 1,539 in all32%
  4. Coalpit GulchSalt Lake County, best late July · 27 checklists that week, 228 in all28%
  5. Cottonwood Canyon (Utah Bottoms)Grand County, best the second week of April · 22 checklists that week, 352 in all24%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Golden Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (3.6% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 2.0% of 11714 checklists7 am: 2.0% of 33209 checklists8 am: 2.2% of 46944 checklists9 am: 2.9% of 46290 checklists10 am: 3.5% of 43144 checklists11 am: 3.6% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 3.3% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 3.6% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 3.3% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 2.5% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 1.9% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 1.8% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 1.4% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 1.0% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January3.3%2.9%3.1%3.4%
February3.1%3.7%3.1%4.0%
March4.1%3.8%3.5%3.4%
April2.9%3.1%3.1%2.7%
May2.2%2.1%2.5%2.1%
June1.9%1.8%1.7%1.6%
July1.7%1.4%1.9%1.9%
August1.7%2.0%2.2%1.9%
September2.0%2.1%2.5%3.2%
October2.7%2.6%2.4%2.4%
November2.5%2.9%2.4%2.6%
December2.9%3.5%3.0%3.1%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives mid July, in the same week than Utah
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks late July
  • Colorado: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Idaho: arrives early August, 2 weeks later than Utah

Common questions

When do Golden Eagles arrive in Utah?
Golden Eagles are winter birds in Utah: the first arrive in mid July, they are common by the second week of September, peak in early March (4.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.
When do Golden Eagles leave Utah?
Most Golden Eagles have left Utah by late May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of June.
When is the best time to see a Golden Eagle in Utah?
The Golden Eagle is reported most often in early March, on about 4.0% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Golden Eagles seen most often?
By county, Morgan County, Piute County, and Sanpete County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Golden Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).