WhenToBird

Buteo lagopus · Accipitridae

When Do Rough-legged Hawks Arrive in Vermont?

Adult Rough-legged Hawk
Photo: Rev. Lee A. Payne, Jr., CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Rough-legged Hawks are winter birds in Vermont: they arrive in the second week of November, peak in mid January (2.7% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 8-14the second week of November
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakJan 15-21mid January
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: mid January. First arrivals the second week of November; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 2.7% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 2.1% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.9% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.4% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.7% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.3% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.0% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.7% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.1% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.7% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.6% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.2% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.5% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.1% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.0% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.4% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.3% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.1% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.3% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 10579 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 Vermont 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 Vermont

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Addison CountyBest mid January · 1544 checklists that week, 77,064 in all12%
  2. Grand Isle CountyBest early February · 169 checklists that week, 8,507 in all3.3%
  3. Franklin CountyBest mid November · 262 checklists that week, 25,284 in all2.7%
  4. Rutland CountyBest late January · 1009 checklists that week, 46,909 in all1.2%
  5. Orange CountyBest late January · 372 checklists that week, 16,964 in all0.7%
  6. Chittenden CountyBest early March · 1797 checklists that week, 109,477 in all0.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area (northwest)Addison County, best early January · 37 checklists that week, 1,067 in all53%
  2. Dead Creek Wildlife Management AreaAddison County, best early March · 49 checklists that week, 1,848 in all52%
  3. Little Otter Creek Wildlife Management Area (East Slang Creek)Addison County, best late January · 24 checklists that week, 596 in all18%
  4. Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area (west)Addison County, best early March · 20 checklists that week, 1,505 in all15%
  5. Sandbar Wildlife Management AreaChittenden County, best late March · 49 checklists that week, 597 in all10%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Rough-legged Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (384) to judge1 am: too few checklists (418) to judge2 am: too few checklists (568) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3460) to judge5 am: 0.1% of 10340 checklists6 am: 0.1% of 30951 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 64150 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 70252 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 55280 checklists10 am: 0.7% of 47111 checklists11 am: 1.0% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 12110 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8203) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4425) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1829) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (597) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (309) 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
January2.1%2.9%2.4%2.7%
February2.3%2.0%1.7%2.1%
March1.7%1.6%1.2%0.7%
April0.5%0.2%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0%0%
June0%0.1%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.1%0%0.2%0.4%
November1.1%1.0%1.4%1.3%
December1.1%1.1%1.3%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • New York: arrives mid November, 1 week later than Vermont
  • Ohio: arrives the second week of November, in the same week than Vermont
  • Michigan: arrives late October, 2 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of November, in the same week than Vermont

Common questions

When do Rough-legged Hawks arrive in Vermont?
Rough-legged Hawks are winter birds in Vermont: they arrive in the second week of November, peak in mid January (2.7% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Rough-legged Hawks leave Vermont?
Most Rough-legged Hawks have left Vermont by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Rough-legged Hawk in Vermont?
The Rough-legged Hawk is reported most often in mid January, on about 2.7% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Rough-legged Hawks seen most often?
By county, Addison County, Grand Isle County, and Franklin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rough-legged Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).