WhenToBird

Catharus guttatus · Turdidae

When Do Hermit Thrushes Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult Hermit Thrush
Photo: Amber M. King, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Hermit Thrushes are winter birds in Connecticut: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in late October (8.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byAug 1-7early August

Best: late October. First arrivals late September; most are gone by early August. Peak: on about 8.1% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 2.3% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.9% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.3% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.4% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.2% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.4% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.2% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.9% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.2% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.9% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.5% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.6% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.4% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.4% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.0% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.3% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.0% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.7% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.5% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.5% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.7% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.2% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.3% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.2% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.9% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.4% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.3% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.6% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.7% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.8% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.9% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.7% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.3% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.7% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.8% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.0% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.7% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.0% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.4% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.6% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.5% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.1% 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 Haven CountyBest late October · 3368 checklists that week, 139,721 in all11%
  2. Litchfield CountyBest early July · 1453 checklists that week, 69,766 in all10%
  3. Fairfield CountyBest late October · 3366 checklists that week, 139,848 in all9.8%
  4. New London CountyBest late October · 1242 checklists that week, 65,205 in all7.4%
  5. Hartford CountyBest mid April · 2513 checklists that week, 105,735 in all6.8%
  6. Middlesex CountyBest late October · 844 checklists that week, 39,919 in all6.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bluff Point State ParkNew London County, best late December · 52 checklists that week, 767 in all64%
  2. Knox PreserveNew London County, best late January · 33 checklists that week, 474 in all48%
  3. Yale ForestWindham County, best early May · 35 checklists that week, 327 in all47%
  4. Elizabeth Park & Rose GardenHartford County, best late April · 22 checklists that week, 473 in all46%
  5. Selleck WoodsFairfield County, best the second week of April · 61 checklists that week, 1,301 in all44%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Hermit Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (3.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 3.4% of 33657 checklists7 am: 3.3% of 62964 checklists8 am: 3.5% of 70645 checklists9 am: 3.2% of 64870 checklists10 am: 3.0% of 58827 checklists11 am: 2.5% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 2.5% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 2.7% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 2.2% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 2.0% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 2.4% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 1.8% 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
January2.3%1.9%2.3%2.4%
February2.2%1.6%1.4%1.6%
March1.3%1.2%0.9%1.2%
April2.9%6.5%6.6%5.4%
May3.4%3.0%2.3%2.0%
June1.7%2.5%2.5%2.7%
July2.2%2.3%2.2%1.9%
August1.4%0.6%0.3%0.3%
September0.5%0.6%0.7%0.8%
October1.9%4.7%8.3%9.7%
November5.8%4.0%3.7%3.0%
December2.4%2.6%3.5%3.1%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives early October, 1 week later than Connecticut
  • Massachusetts: arrives late September, in the same week than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: arrives early October, 1 week later than Connecticut
  • New York: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Connecticut

Common questions

When do Hermit Thrushes arrive in Connecticut?
Hermit Thrushes are winter birds in Connecticut: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in late October (8.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.
When do Hermit Thrushes leave Connecticut?
Most Hermit Thrushes have left Connecticut by early August, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Hermit Thrush in Connecticut?
The Hermit Thrush is reported most often in late October, on about 8.1% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Hermit Thrushes seen most often?
By county, New Haven County, Litchfield County, and Fairfield County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hermit Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).