WhenToBird

Circus hudsonius · Accipitridae

When Do Northern Harriers Arrive in Rhode Island?

Northern Harriers are winter birds in Rhode Island: the first arrive in the second week of August, they are common by the second week of September, peak in the second week of December (8.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 8-14the second week of August
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: the second week of December. First arrivals the second week of August; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 8.6% of Rhode Island checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julrare
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 5.0% of 5678 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.2% of 4004 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.9% of 3691 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.2% of 4738 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.0% of 3178 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.9% of 3262 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.3% of 4286 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.9% of 3449 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.9% of 3014 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.7% of 3259 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.6% of 3320 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.5% of 4692 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.0% of 3280 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.2% of 3872 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.1% of 4037 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.6% of 5595 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.0% of 5699 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 6089 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 4937 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 5445 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 3031 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 2793 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.4% of 2736 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 3318 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 2629 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 2561 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 2580 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.4% of 3654 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.0% of 2629 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.4% of 2912 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.4% of 2850 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.2% of 4007 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.3% of 2893 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.1% of 2850 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.3% of 2770 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.7% of 3888 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.1% of 3174 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.2% of 3278 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.3% of 3008 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.2% of 3678 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.8% of 3270 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.8% of 3405 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.1% of 2907 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.7% of 3607 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.2% of 2415 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.9% of 2345 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.8% of 2836 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.8% of 4826 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Newport CountyBest the second week of December · 570 checklists that week, 33,574 in all16%
  2. Washington CountyBest early November · 1113 checklists that week, 65,038 in all15%
  3. Bristol CountyBest late January · 402 checklists that week, 15,899 in all2.4%
  4. Kent CountyBest mid October · 304 checklists that week, 16,966 in all2.1%
  5. Providence CountyBest late September · 986 checklists that week, 40,898 in all1.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge (Card Ponds)Washington County, best mid February · 30 checklists that week, 818 in all53%
  2. Sapowet Marsh Management AreaNewport County, best early February · 21 checklists that week, 640 in all48%
  3. Cards PondWashington County, best late December · 22 checklists that week, 401 in all48%
  4. Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge (southeast)Washington County, best the second week of February · 23 checklists that week, 1,460 in all47%
  5. Sachuest Point National Wildlife RefugeNewport County, best the second week of December · 97 checklists that week, 3,685 in all44%
  6. Napatree PointWashington County, best early November · 56 checklists that week, 3,109 in all41%

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

Best time of day

In Rhode Island, the Northern Harrier is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (4.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (42) to judge1 am: too few checklists (58) to judge2 am: too few checklists (45) to judge3 am: too few checklists (69) to judge4 am: too few checklists (319) to judge5 am: too few checklists (3170) to judge6 am: 4.9% of 10493 checklists7 am: 4.2% of 17631 checklists8 am: 4.5% of 18834 checklists9 am: 4.5% of 17725 checklists10 am: 4.2% of 16696 checklists11 am: 4.3% of 14799 checklists12 pm: 4.6% of 12580 checklists1 pm: 4.9% of 12779 checklists2 pm: 4.3% of 12302 checklists3 pm: 3.8% of 11884 checklists4 pm: 3.3% of 9762 checklists5 pm: 2.0% of 6442 checklists6 pm: 1.0% of 3947 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2119) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (452) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (105) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (69) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (53) 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
January5.0%6.2%5.9%7.2%
February7.0%6.9%6.3%5.9%
March4.9%4.7%4.6%4.5%
April3.0%3.2%2.1%1.6%
May1.0%0.7%0.5%0.5%
June0.2%0.1%0.4%0.1%
July0.2%0.2%0.3%0.4%
August1.0%1.4%2.4%2.2%
September3.3%3.1%5.3%5.7%
October6.1%7.2%7.3%8.2%
November6.8%8.8%9.1%6.7%
December9.2%8.9%7.8%6.8%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives late July, 2 weeks earlier than Rhode Island
  • Connecticut: arrives mid August, 1 week later than Rhode Island
  • New Hampshire: arrives the second week of August, in the same week than Rhode Island
  • Vermont: arrives early August, 1 week earlier than Rhode Island

Common questions

When do Northern Harriers arrive in Rhode Island?
Northern Harriers are winter birds in Rhode Island: the first arrive in the second week of August, they are common by the second week of September, peak in the second week of December (8.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Northern Harriers leave Rhode Island?
Most Northern Harriers have left Rhode Island by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Harrier in Rhode Island?
The Northern Harrier is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 8.6% of Rhode Island checklists.
Where in Rhode Island are Northern Harriers seen most often?
By county, Newport County, Washington County, and Bristol County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Harrier (counties with at least 200 checklists).