WhenToBird

Lophodytes cucullatus · Anatidae

When Do Hooded Mergansers Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult male Hooded Merganser
Photo: Justin Flint, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Hooded Mergansers are winter birds in Connecticut: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by early November, peak in the second week of January (17% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 17% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 18% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 17% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 16% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 15% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 15% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 13% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 12% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 14% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 16% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 14% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.6% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.9% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.5% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.7% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.3% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.0% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.7% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.6% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.5% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.4% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.4% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.3% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.3% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.4% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.9% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.1% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.3% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 16% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 17% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 16% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 15% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 15% 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. Litchfield CountyBest late November · 1376 checklists that week, 69,766 in all25%
  2. Fairfield CountyBest the second week of January · 3818 checklists that week, 139,848 in all24%
  3. New London CountyBest early February · 1468 checklists that week, 65,205 in all19%
  4. New Haven CountyBest late January · 3581 checklists that week, 139,721 in all17%
  5. Hartford CountyBest mid November · 1751 checklists that week, 105,735 in all14%
  6. Windham CountyBest the second week of March · 358 checklists that week, 19,034 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Southport HarborFairfield County, best mid January · 22 checklists that week, 127 in all97%
  2. Bantam LakeLitchfield County, best the second week of December · 78 checklists that week, 2,470 in all95%
  3. Point Folly CampgroundLitchfield County, best the second week of December · 24 checklists that week, 1,650 in all94%
  4. Frash PondFairfield County, best mid January · 92 checklists that week, 1,172 in all94%
  5. Hartford Reservoir Number 6Hartford County, best the second week of December · 31 checklists that week, 1,317 in all93%
  6. Woods Pond ParkFairfield County, best early December · 21 checklists that week, 634 in all90%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Hooded Merganser is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (8.6% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 4.5% of 33657 checklists7 am: 5.8% of 62964 checklists8 am: 5.9% of 70645 checklists9 am: 6.9% of 64870 checklists10 am: 7.7% of 58827 checklists11 am: 8.0% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 8.1% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 8.5% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 8.7% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 8.4% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 5.8% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 2.5% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 1.5% 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
January18%17%16%15%
February15%13%12%14%
March16%14%12%8.6%
April4.9%3.5%1.7%1.3%
May0.8%1.0%0.9%0.8%
June0.7%0.6%0.5%0.5%
July0.5%0.4%0.4%0.3%
August0.3%0.3%0.3%0.3%
September0.2%0.3%0.3%0.3%
October0.3%0.4%0.9%4.1%
November9.3%13%15%16%
December17%16%15%15%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do Hooded Mergansers arrive in Connecticut?
Hooded Mergansers are winter birds in Connecticut: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by early November, peak in the second week of January (17% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do Hooded Mergansers leave Connecticut?
Most Hooded Mergansers have left Connecticut by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid April.
When is the best time to see a Hooded Merganser in Connecticut?
The Hooded Merganser is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 17% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Hooded Mergansers seen most often?
By county, Litchfield County, Fairfield County, and New London County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hooded Merganser (counties with at least 200 checklists).