WhenToBird

Strix varia · Strigidae

When Do Barred Owls Arrive in New Hampshire?

Adult Barred Owl
Photo: David Bird, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Barred Owls reach New Hampshire in the second week of December, are common by mid December, peak in the second week of May (3.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 8-14the second week of December
Common byDec 15-21mid December
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals the second week of December; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 3.4% of New Hampshire checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0.9% of 8253 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 5998 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 5734 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 7776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.4% of 5253 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.2% of 6802 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 8852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 5792 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.5% of 6187 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.7% of 6977 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.8% of 7863 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.5% of 11746 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.7% of 9329 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.6% of 10499 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.1% of 10376 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.1% of 13086 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.5% of 13198 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.3% of 14980 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.4% of 12487 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.9% of 14294 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.2% of 8974 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.3% of 8395 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.1% of 7670 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.2% of 9188 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.3% of 7707 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.9% of 6554 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.1% of 6636 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.8% of 9599 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.5% of 6436 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.5% of 6477 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.0% of 6510 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.1% of 9762 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.5% of 6700 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.5% of 6012 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.1% of 6238 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.1% of 7619 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.1% of 6702 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.6% of 6863 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.2% of 6284 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.0% of 8287 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.4% of 7584 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 6056 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 5597 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.8% of 7140 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.9% of 4623 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 4920 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.7% of 6416 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in New Hampshire

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Carroll CountyBest late April · 932 checklists that week, 30,580 in all5.4%
  2. Hillsborough CountyBest early May · 1921 checklists that week, 50,125 in all4.3%
  3. Cheshire CountyBest early June · 693 checklists that week, 39,834 in all4.2%
  4. Sullivan CountyBest mid May · 493 checklists that week, 13,105 in all3.9%
  5. Strafford CountyBest the second week of May · 1595 checklists that week, 41,888 in all3.8%
  6. Belknap CountyBest the second week of May · 505 checklists that week, 13,295 in all3.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hale CoveCarroll County, best late May · 58 checklists that week, 2,611 in all33%
  2. Wilson PondCheshire County, best the second week of February · 24 checklists that week, 1,343 in all24%
  3. Meetinghouse PondCheshire County, best the second week of June · 23 checklists that week, 158 in all19%
  4. Benson ParkHillsborough County, best early May · 25 checklists that week, 452 in all17%
  5. Father Lawless Fields Town ParkStrafford County, best the second week of May · 69 checklists that week, 1,274 in all17%
  6. Oyster River Reservoir (southwest)Strafford County, best the second week of May · 25 checklists that week, 153 in all17%

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

Best time of day

In New Hampshire, the Barred Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (3.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 2.6% of 23140 checklists7 am: 1.3% of 43401 checklists8 am: 1.2% of 48039 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 43328 checklists10 am: 1.0% of 37073 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 32028 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 27396 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 25182 checklists2 pm: 1.3% of 24318 checklists3 pm: 1.7% of 21974 checklists4 pm: 2.4% of 17958 checklists5 pm: 3.5% of 14528 checklists6 pm: 4.6% 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
January0.9%1.3%1.2%1.2%
February1.4%1.2%1.0%1.1%
March1.5%1.7%1.8%1.5%
April1.7%2.6%2.1%3.1%
May3.5%3.3%3.4%2.9%
June2.2%2.3%2.1%2.2%
July2.3%1.9%2.1%1.8%
August1.5%1.5%2.0%2.1%
September2.5%2.5%2.1%2.1%
October2.1%1.6%1.2%1.0%
November1.4%0.9%1.0%0.8%
December0.9%1.1%1.7%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives mid August, 15 weeks earlier than New Hampshire
  • Vermont: arrives late January, 6 weeks later than New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island: arrives late August, 14 weeks earlier than New Hampshire
  • Maine: arrives mid February, 9 weeks later than New Hampshire

Common questions

When do Barred Owls arrive in New Hampshire?
Barred Owls reach New Hampshire in the second week of December, are common by mid December, peak in the second week of May (3.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Barred Owls leave New Hampshire?
Most Barred Owls have left New Hampshire by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of November.
When is the best time to see a Barred Owl in New Hampshire?
The Barred Owl is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 3.4% of New Hampshire checklists.
Where in New Hampshire are Barred Owls seen most often?
By county, Carroll County, Hillsborough County, and Cheshire County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Barred Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).