WhenToBird

Plectrophenax nivalis · Calcariidae

When Do Snow Buntings Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult male Snow Bunting
Photo: William Stephens, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Snow Buntings are winter birds in Connecticut: they arrive in early November, peak in late November (3.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakNov 22-30late November
Most gone byFeb 22-28late February

Best: late November. First arrivals early November; most are gone by late February. Peak: on about 3.1% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  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%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.6% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.8% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.1% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.9% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.5% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% 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% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% 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% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.9% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.7% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.2% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.1% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.0% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.0% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.6% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.8% 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. New Haven CountyBest late November · 3078 checklists that week, 139,721 in all7.7%
  2. Fairfield CountyBest the second week of November · 2105 checklists that week, 139,848 in all4.0%
  3. Windham CountyBest the second week of November · 231 checklists that week, 19,034 in all3.4%
  4. Middlesex CountyBest early December · 551 checklists that week, 39,919 in all2.0%
  5. Tolland CountyBest the second week of February · 694 checklists that week, 39,004 in all1.8%
  6. New London CountyBest mid November · 1050 checklists that week, 65,205 in all1.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Great MeadowsFairfield County, best mid November · 117 checklists that week, 3,190 in all53%
  2. Morse ParkNew Haven County, best the second week of November · 40 checklists that week, 3,681 in all45%
  3. Hammonasset Natural Area Preserve (southeast)New Haven County, best early December · 36 checklists that week, 1,896 in all45%
  4. Beard Cove (historical)New Haven County, best the second week of November · 121 checklists that week, 8,925 in all44%
  5. Hammonasset Natural Area PreserveNew Haven County, best early December · 193 checklists that week, 10,098 in all33%
  6. Cedar PointFairfield County, best mid January · 28 checklists that week, 1,206 in all32%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Snow Bunting is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.3% of 33657 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 62964 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 70645 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 64870 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 58827 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 0.8% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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
January1.6%1.5%1.8%1.2%
February1.2%1.1%1.0%0.9%
March0.8%0.4%0.5%0.1%
April0.1%0%0%0%
May0%0%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0%0.1%0.4%
November1.9%2.7%3.2%3.1%
December3.0%2.0%1.6%1.8%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Connecticut
  • Massachusetts: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: arrives early November, in the same week than Connecticut
  • New York: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Connecticut

Common questions

When do Snow Buntings arrive in Connecticut?
Snow Buntings are winter birds in Connecticut: they arrive in early November, peak in late November (3.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.
When do Snow Buntings leave Connecticut?
Most Snow Buntings have left Connecticut by late February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Snow Bunting in Connecticut?
The Snow Bunting is reported most often in late November, on about 3.1% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Snow Buntings seen most often?
By county, New Haven County, Fairfield County, and Windham County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Snow Bunting (counties with at least 200 checklists).