PHOTOS: ‘Very Uncommon’ Bald Eagle Sighting in New Canaan

Bald Eagle — Jan. 8, 2026

A bald eagle—national bird and symbol of the United States—appeared high up in a tree overlooking South Avenue across from the New Canaan YMCA last week.

The sighting of the bird of prey, at about 9 a.m. on Thursday morning, is “very uncommon,” according to Officer Sean Godejohn, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section.

“New Canaan lacks large rivers and reservoirs like the Housatonic,” Godejohn told NewCanaanite.com when asked about the bird. “But their populations are increasing and they will move more inland to suburban habitats as their populations increase. Eagles are occasionally reported in Fairfield County, especially during winter when migrants from the north bolster the population.”

Several residents noticed and photographed the bald eagle, including from the Y lot, as the bird faced west toward New Canaan Figh School.

According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, bald eagles have been classified as “threatened” in the lower 48 states since 1995 and were removed from the federal Endangered Species List in 2007 (the species had landed there in 1973 due to loss of habitat, illegal shooting and pesticides including food contamination through DDT). 

“Wintering eagles come to Connecticut looking for open water in which to feed when the land and waters in Maine and Canada are frozen,” according to DEEP. “If harsh weather in Connecticut causes any open water to freeze over as well, the eagles continue to migrate farther south. Up to 100 eagles winter in Connecticut, from December to early March, along major rivers and at large reservoirs.”

Godejohn said eagles pose “minimal risk to humans as they’re not usually aggressive unless their nests are disturbed.”

“If a nest is seen people need to stay 330 feet away as mandated by federal law,” Godejohn said. “Dogs and cats can be in danger of getting attacked by bald eagles but the danger is very low. Eagles diet is 50% fish and sometimes waterfowl. They do not hunt domestic animals. There are extremely rare cases of eagles attacking domestic animals though.”