WhenToBird

Polioptila caerulea · Polioptilidae

When Do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers Arrive in New Mexico?

Adult Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Photo: Laura Clark, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers reach New Mexico in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (6.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 1-7early April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone bySep 22-30late September

Best: early May. First arrivals early April; most are gone by late September. Peak: on about 6.6% of New Mexico checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.5% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.4% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.1% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.7% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.5% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.5% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.9% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.4% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.2% of 9889 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.3% of 9322 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.3% of 8341 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.1% of 10562 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.3% of 9036 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.6% of 8461 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.5% of 8585 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.8% of 11800 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.0% of 8289 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.6% of 8882 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.3% of 9136 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.3% of 12662 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.8% of 9936 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.1% of 9581 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.0% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.9% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.0% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.4% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.6% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.2% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 14523 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 Mexico 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 Mexico

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Roosevelt CountyBest late April · 212 checklists that week, 4,563 in all26%
  2. Cibola CountyBest the second week of May · 118 checklists that week, 3,986 in all19%
  3. Los Alamos CountyBest the second week of June · 903 checklists that week, 50,554 in all18%
  4. Harding CountyBest mid May · 59 checklists that week, 932 in all12%
  5. De Baca CountyBest late April · 73 checklists that week, 2,203 in all12%
  6. San Juan CountyBest early May · 187 checklists that week, 5,542 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bandelier National Monument (Burnt Mesa)Los Alamos County, best early June · 20 checklists that week, 536 in all71%
  2. Bandelier National Monument (Chaquehui Canyon)Los Alamos County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 822 in all70%
  3. North Fork Water CanyonSocorro County, best mid June · 28 checklists that week, 752 in all66%
  4. Water Canyon Loop TrailLos Alamos County, best late May · 28 checklists that week, 323 in all64%
  5. Oliver Lee State Park (Dog Canyon)Otero County, best the second week of May · 28 checklists that week, 288 in all62%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (186) to judge1 am: too few checklists (180) to judge2 am: too few checklists (172) to judge3 am: too few checklists (183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (527) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4013) to judge6 am: 5.7% of 29677 checklists7 am: 4.0% of 71785 checklists8 am: 3.2% of 79208 checklists9 am: 2.7% of 61605 checklists10 am: 2.2% of 49588 checklists11 am: 1.7% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 1.6% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 1.4% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 1.3% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 1.7% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 1.8% of 15112 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (9040) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2738) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (736) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (384) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
April0.5%2.4%5.1%6.7%
May6.5%6.5%5.9%5.4%
June5.2%5.3%5.3%5.1%
July4.3%3.6%3.5%3.8%
August4.0%3.6%4.3%5.3%
September5.8%5.1%4.0%2.9%
October2.0%1.4%0.6%0.4%
November0.2%0.2%0.2%0.1%
December0.2%0.2%0.2%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Arizona: year-round, peaks early December
  • Colorado: arrives mid April, 2 weeks later than New Mexico
  • Utah: arrives early April, in the same week than New Mexico
  • Oklahoma: arrives mid March, 2 weeks earlier than New Mexico

Common questions

When do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers arrive in New Mexico?
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers reach New Mexico in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (6.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.
When do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers leave New Mexico?
Most Blue-gray Gnatcatchers have left New Mexico by late September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in New Mexico?
The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is reported most often in early May, on about 6.6% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are Blue-gray Gnatcatchers seen most often?
By county, Roosevelt County, Cibola County, and Los Alamos County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (counties with at least 200 checklists).