WhenToBird

Mareca americana · Anatidae

When Do American Wigeons Arrive in New Hampshire?

Adult American Wigeon
Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Wigeons are winter birds in New Hampshire: they arrive in mid February, peak in the second week of March (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 15-21mid February
Common byFeb 15-21mid February
PeakMar 8-14the second week of March
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: the second week of March. First arrivals mid February; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 1.5% of New Hampshire checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.7% of 8253 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 5998 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.5% of 5734 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 7776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 5253 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 6802 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 8852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.4% of 5792 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 6187 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.7% of 6977 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 7863 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 11746 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 9329 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 10499 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 10376 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 13086 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 13198 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 14980 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 12487 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 14294 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 8974 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 8395 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 7670 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 9188 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 7707 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 6554 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 6636 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 9599 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 6436 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 6477 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 6510 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 9762 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 6700 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 6012 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 6238 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 7619 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 6702 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.4% of 6863 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 6284 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.0% of 8287 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.9% of 7584 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 6056 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 5597 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 7140 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.4% of 4623 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 4920 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 6416 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% of 7659 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sullivan CountyBest late March · 492 checklists that week, 13,105 in all4.0%
  2. Cheshire CountyBest mid March · 898 checklists that week, 39,834 in all2.9%
  3. Rockingham CountyBest the second week of March · 1759 checklists that week, 84,864 in all2.8%
  4. Merrimack CountyBest early November · 1009 checklists that week, 36,980 in all2.7%
  5. Belknap CountyBest mid October · 172 checklists that week, 13,295 in all2.4%
  6. Strafford CountyBest late September · 743 checklists that week, 41,888 in all1.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Horseshoe PondMerrimack County, best mid November · 24 checklists that week, 2,088 in all34%
  2. Sandy PointRockingham County, best late January · 29 checklists that week, 696 in all30%
  3. Horseshoe Pond (Thorntons Ferry)Hillsborough County, best the second week of January · 22 checklists that week, 1,018 in all23%
  4. Great MeadowSullivan County, best late March · 25 checklists that week, 160 in all23%

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

Best time of day

In New Hampshire, the American Wigeon is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (0.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (219) to judge1 am: too few checklists (192) to judge2 am: too few checklists (176) to judge3 am: too few checklists (234) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1042) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6352) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 23140 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 43401 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 48039 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 43328 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 37073 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 32028 checklists12 pm: 0.5% of 27396 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 25182 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 24318 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 21974 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 17958 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 14528 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 9144 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (5341) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1845) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (578) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (346) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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
January0.7%0.5%0.5%0.7%
February0.3%0.3%0.2%0.4%
March1.3%1.7%1.5%1.4%
April0.7%0.6%0.2%0.3%
May0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0.1%
August0%0%0%0.1%
September0%0.1%0.2%0.4%
October0.3%0.4%0.7%1.0%
November0.9%0.7%0.9%0.6%
December0.4%0.4%0.4%0.5%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives early October, 18 weeks earlier than New Hampshire
  • Vermont: arrives early March, 2 weeks later than New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island: arrives mid September, 20 weeks earlier than New Hampshire
  • Maine: arrives late September, 19 weeks earlier than New Hampshire

Common questions

When do American Wigeons arrive in New Hampshire?
American Wigeons are winter birds in New Hampshire: they arrive in mid February, peak in the second week of March (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do American Wigeons leave New Hampshire?
Most American Wigeons have left New Hampshire by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Wigeon in New Hampshire?
The American Wigeon is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 1.5% of New Hampshire checklists.
Where in New Hampshire are American Wigeons seen most often?
By county, Sullivan County, Cheshire County, and Rockingham County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Wigeon (counties with at least 200 checklists).