United States Ramsar wetland
Connecticut River
306 bird species recorded; the most in May and from September to October.
The original uploader was BenFrantzDale at English Wikipedia . · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
160 species in January.149 species in February.155 species in March.188 species in April.216 species in May.171 species in June.166 species in July.184 species in August.204 species in September.209 species in October.188 species in November.167 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
VU
NT
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NTNT
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VU
VU
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VUNT
NT
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
306 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 306Speciesrecorded more than once
- 209Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 16ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 178,338Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 16Raptors
- 5Owls
- 36Waders
- 35Gulls & seabirds
- 36Ducks & geese
- 22Herons, ibises & grebes
- 127Songbirds
- 29Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 306 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors16 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
- Mississippi KiteIctinia mississippiensis
- Falco atricapillusFalco atricapillus
Owls5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Barred OwlStrix varia
- Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusVU
- Eastern Screech-OwlMegascops asio
Waders36 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- American OystercatcherHaematopus palliatus
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Piping PloverCharadrius melodusNT
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusVU
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- Western SandpiperCalidris mauri
- American AvocetRecurvirostra americana
- Purple SandpiperCalidris maritima
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- American WoodcockScolopax minor
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaVU
- Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdii
- Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisVU
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusNT
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaVU
- Long-billed dowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusNT
- Grey (Red) PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
Gulls & seabirds35 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Least TernSternula antillarum
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
- Roseate TernSterna dougallii
- Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
- Royal TernThalasseus maximus
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- RazorbillAlca torda
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Black SkimmerRynchops niger
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Common MurreUria aalge
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Great shearwaterPuffinus gravis
- Wilson's Storm-PetrelOceanites oceanicus
- Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
- Sooty TernOnychoprion fuscatus
- Scopoli's ShearwaterCalonectris diomedea
- Leach's Storm PetrelOceanodroma leucorhoaVU
- Little AukAlle alle
- Brünnich's GuillemotUria lomvia
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
Ducks & geese36 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- BuffleheadBucephala albeola
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillata
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Brent GooseBranta bernicla
- American ScoterMelanitta americanaNT
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- American WigeonMareca americana
- White-winged ScoterMelanitta deglandi
- Common EiderSomateria mollissimaNT
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- RedheadAythya americana
- Snow gooseAnser caerulescens
- Barrow's GoldeneyeBucephala islandica
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Black swanCygnus atratus
- Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
- King EiderSomateria spectabilis
- Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsii
Herons, ibises & grebes22 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
- Yellow-crowned Night-HeronNyctanassa violacea
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- White IbisEudocimus albus
- Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor
- American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis
- Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
- Western GrebeAechmophorus occidentalis
- Plegadis chihiPlegadis chihi
- Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajaja
Songbirds127 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Agelaius phoeniceusAgelaius phoeniceus
- Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- House finchHaemorhous mexicanus
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
- Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianus
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Tufted TitmouseBaeolophus bicolor
- American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- Grey CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaNT
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis
- Fish CrowCorvus ossifragus
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Junco hyemalisJunco hyemalis
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
- American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arborea
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Eastern phoebeSayornis phoebe
- Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
- Northern House WrenTroglodytes aedon
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Saltmarsh SparrowAmmospiza caudacuta
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbula
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
- Red Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Eastern Wood-PeweeContopus virens
- Seaside SparrowAmmospiza maritima
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarum
- Golden-crowned KingletRegulus satrapa
- Warbling VireoVireo gilvus
- Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea
- Purple FinchHaemorhous purpureus
- White-crowned sparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Toxostoma rufumToxostoma rufum
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
- Buff-bellied PipitAnthus rubescens
- Eastern MeadowlarkSturnella magnaNT
- Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
- OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Pine SiskinSpinus pinus
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusNT
- Orchard orioleIcterus spurius
- Brown CreeperCerthia americana
- Blackpoll WarblerSetophaga striataNT
- Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
- Yellow-throated VireoVireo flavifrons
- Pine WarblerSetophaga pinus
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- Winter WrenTroglodytes hiemalis
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
- Blue-winged warblerVermivora cyanoptera
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Prairie WarblerSetophaga discolor
- Rusty BlackbirdEuphagus carolinusVU
- Worm-eating WarblerHelmitheros vermivorum
- Yellow-breasted ChatIcteria virens
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
- Nelson's SparrowAmmospiza nelsoni
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Northern ParulaSetophaga americana
- Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescens
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- White-eyed VireoVireo griseus
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Black-throated Green WarblerSetophaga virens
- Boat-tailed GrackleQuiscalus major
- Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
- Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapilla
- Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnolia
- Hooded WarblerSetophaga citrina
- Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaVU
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- Yellow-headed BlackbirdXanthocephalus xanthocephalus
- Canada warblerCardellina canadensis
- Painted BuntingPasserina ciris
- Louisiana WaterthrushParkesia motacilla
- Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celata
- Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrina
- Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanica
- Cape May WarblerSetophaga tigrina
- Ash-throated FlycatcherMyiarchus cinerascens
- Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallida
- Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castanea
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- Scissor-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus forficatus
- Blackburnian WarblerSetophaga fusca
- Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
- White-winged CrossbillLoxia leucoptera
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Cave SwallowPetrochelidon fulva
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Grass WrenCistothorus platensis
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
Other birds29 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens
- Tsįįłkaałii bitłʼaaʼ halchíʼígííMelanerpes carolinus
- Yellow-shafted FlickerColaptes auratus
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus
- Clapper RailRallus crepitans
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- American CootFulica americana
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagicaVU
- Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
- Virginia RailRallus limicola
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- Monk ParakeetMyiopsitta monachus
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- Yellow RailCoturnicops noveboracensis
- Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalus
- Rufous HummingbirdSelasphorus rufusNT
- Yellow-billed CuckooCoccyzus americanus
- Colinus virginianusColinus virginianus
- Rallus elegansRallus elegans
- SoraPorzana carolina
- White-winged DoveZenaida asiatica
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Black-billed cuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmus
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in May and from September to October.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan2°/-6°76 mm
- Feb3°/-6°82 mm
- Mar7°/-2°102 mm
- Apr14°/3°105 mm
- May19°/9°89 mm
- Jun24°/14°107 mm
- Jul28°/18°93 mm
- Aug28°/18°93 mm
- Sep24°/14°100 mm
- Oct17°/8°117 mm
- Nov11°/2°90 mm
- Dec5°/-3°110 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Connecticut River.
River in the New England region of the United States
Connecticut River is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in United States.
306 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 178,338 open records.
The most recorded are the American Herring Gull, the Song Sparrow and the Osprey.
107 species come for the summer, 87 for the winter and 15 only pass through.
16 are threatened worldwide, including Long-tailed duck, Grey Plover and Lesser yellowlegs.
The most species are recorded in May and from September to October.
Get there and watch
- Niantic KOA Journeycampsite · 8.4 km · 2 within 10 km
- Saybrook Point Resortplace to stay · 1.9 km · 5 within 10 km
- Old Saybrook Centernearest town · 3.9 km in a straight line
- Westerly State Airport (WST)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 45 km in a straight lineCar hire at HVN airport (New Haven)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 5marked trails within 4 kmGreen Trail, White Trail, Orange Trail and 2 more
- 3viewpoints within 5 km
- 9car parks within 3 km
- 1restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 2campsites within 10 kmNiantic KOA Journey
- 5places to stay within 10 kmSaybrook Point Resort, Quality Inn, Old Lyme Inn and 2 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Connecticut River.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas82 mountains within 25 kmBills Hill · 11 kmBecket Hill · 12 kmArtillery Hill · 12 kmBeckwith Hill · 21 kmBeaverdam Hill · 22 kmBald Hill · 22 kmBarnville Hill · 23 kmBailey Hill · 24 km
Coastya13 beaches within 10 kmPoverty Island Beach · 0.9 kmPlum Bank Beach · 5.0 kmHarveys Beach · 5.2 kmGreat Hammock Beach · 5.3 kmIndiantown Beach · 5.8 kmStannard Beach · 8.5 kmGiants Neck Beach · 9.2 kmQuotonset Beach · 9.7 km
Lakeyas2 lakes within 15 kmUncas Pond0.2 km² · 12 kmPowers Lake0.5 km² · 15 km
Darkskyas2 dark-sky places within 30 kmOlin ObservatoryBortle 8 · 22 kmCuster ObservatoryBortle 4 · 26 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Connecticut River
United States
- 89Birdyas Score
- 306Species
- 209Migrants
- 16Threatened
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
United States · 251 km
- 88Birdyas Score
- 271Species
- 173Migrants
- 12Threatened
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge
United States · 316 km
- 90Birdyas Score
- 326Species
- 219Migrants
- 13Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q379648) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 178,338 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Coastya, Lakeyas, Darkskyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit