WhenToBird

Melospiza lincolnii · Passerellidae

When Do Lincoln's Sparrows Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult Lincoln's Sparrow
Photo: Elijah Jaeger, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Lincoln's Sparrows mostly pass through Connecticut: the first show up in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in early October (6.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: early October. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 6.2% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% 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% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% 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: 0.1% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.6% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.0% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.6% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.5% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.6% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.5% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.7% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% 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. Tolland CountyBest early October · 770 checklists that week, 39,004 in all8.2%
  2. Fairfield CountyBest early October · 2440 checklists that week, 139,848 in all7.6%
  3. Hartford CountyBest late September · 2030 checklists that week, 105,735 in all7.3%
  4. New Haven CountyBest early October · 2762 checklists that week, 139,721 in all6.8%
  5. Windham CountyBest early October · 266 checklists that week, 19,034 in all4.4%
  6. Litchfield CountyBest early October · 1097 checklists that week, 69,766 in all4.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Glastonbury MeadowsHartford County, best early October · 23 checklists that week, 683 in all72%
  2. West SimsburyHartford County, best late September · 25 checklists that week, 556 in all61%
  3. Trout Brook ValleyFairfield County, best early October · 52 checklists that week, 1,588 in all58%
  4. Spring LakeNew London County, best early October · 25 checklists that week, 152 in all54%
  5. Tyler Mill (town Open Space) (Tamarac Swamp)New Haven County, best early October · 24 checklists that week, 131 in all50%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Lincoln's Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 1.1% of 33657 checklists7 am: 1.4% of 62964 checklists8 am: 1.0% of 70645 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 64870 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 58827 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 0.2% 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0%0.1%0%0%
April0.1%0%0%0.1%
May0.2%0.5%0.6%0.1%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0.1%0.1%
September0.2%0.8%4.0%6.6%
October6.5%5.6%3.5%1.7%
November0.4%0.2%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do Lincoln's Sparrows arrive in Connecticut?
Lincoln's Sparrows mostly pass through Connecticut: the first show up in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in early October (6.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Lincoln's Sparrows leave Connecticut?
Most Lincoln's Sparrows have left Connecticut by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late October.
When is the best time to see a Lincoln's Sparrow in Connecticut?
The Lincoln's Sparrow is reported most often in early October, on about 6.2% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Lincoln's Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Tolland County, Fairfield County, and Hartford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Lincoln's Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).