WhenToBird

Buteo lineatus · Accipitridae

When Do Red-shouldered Hawks Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult Red-shouldered Hawk
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red-shouldered Hawks are in Connecticut all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in late September (14% of checklists), and fall back by late October. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 4.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 1-7early September
PeakSep 22-30late September
Fall back byOct 22-31late October
FewestJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: late September. Here all year; numbers build from early September and fall back by late October. Peak: on about 14% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 4.4% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.6% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.9% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.0% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.9% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.2% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.3% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.1% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.0% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.5% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.8% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.8% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.6% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.4% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.7% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 10% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.8% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.0% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.7% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.6% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.9% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.1% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.8% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.2% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.0% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.0% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.6% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.6% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.3% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.0% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.3% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.2% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.8% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 14% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.4% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.6% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.5% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.8% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.5% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.2% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.5% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.6% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.3% 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 September · 1245 checklists that week, 69,766 in all19%
  2. Middlesex CountyBest late September · 774 checklists that week, 39,919 in all18%
  3. Windham CountyBest early October · 266 checklists that week, 19,034 in all16%
  4. New London CountyBest early October · 1011 checklists that week, 65,205 in all16%
  5. Tolland CountyBest late September · 873 checklists that week, 39,004 in all15%
  6. Fairfield CountyBest late September · 2968 checklists that week, 139,848 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Trout Brook ValleyFairfield County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 1,588 in all86%
  2. Addison PondHartford County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 691 in all68%
  3. Glastonbury MeadowsHartford County, best early October · 23 checklists that week, 683 in all61%
  4. Audubon Center of GreenwichFairfield County, best the second week of November · 47 checklists that week, 1,839 in all57%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Red-shouldered Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 10% of 33657 checklists7 am: 11% of 62964 checklists8 am: 11% of 70645 checklists9 am: 10% of 64870 checklists10 am: 9.9% of 58827 checklists11 am: 8.9% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 8.3% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 7.1% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 6.3% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 5.2% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 4.4% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 4.5% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 3.3% 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
January4.4%4.6%4.9%5.0%
February5.9%6.2%5.3%7.1%
March8.0%9.5%9.8%8.8%
April8.6%9.4%9.7%10%
May9.8%9.0%8.7%8.6%
June8.9%9.1%8.8%8.2%
July9.0%9.0%8.6%7.6%
August6.3%7.0%7.3%8.2%
September9.8%12%14%14%
October14%13%11%9.4%
November8.6%7.5%6.8%5.5%
December5.2%5.5%5.6%5.3%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives early August, 4 weeks earlier than Connecticut
  • Massachusetts: arrives late January, 19 weeks later than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of August, 3 weeks earlier than Connecticut
  • New York: arrives early February, 20 weeks later than Connecticut

Common questions

When do Red-shouldered Hawks arrive in Connecticut?
Red-shouldered Hawks are in Connecticut all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in late September (14% of checklists), and fall back by late October. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 4.6% of checklists.
When do Red-shouldered Hawks leave Connecticut?
Red-shouldered Hawks never fully leave Connecticut: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late October, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Red-shouldered Hawk in Connecticut?
The Red-shouldered Hawk is reported most often in late September, on about 14% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Red-shouldered Hawks seen most often?
By county, Litchfield County, Middlesex County, and Windham County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-shouldered Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).