WhenToBird

Bucephala albeola · Anatidae

When Do Buffleheads Arrive in New Mexico?

Adult Bufflehead
Photo: Robert Harris, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Buffleheads are winter birds in New Mexico: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by late October, peak in mid November (8.7% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakNov 15-21mid November
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: mid November. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 8.7% of New Mexico checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 5.6% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.8% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.4% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.5% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.8% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.8% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.3% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.8% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.8% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.4% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.2% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.0% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.2% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.2% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.4% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.3% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 9889 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 9322 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 8341 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 10562 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 9036 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 8461 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 8585 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 11800 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 8289 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 8882 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 9136 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 12662 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 9936 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 9581 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.4% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.9% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.0% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.5% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.6% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.6% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.0% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.3% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.3% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.3% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.6% 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. Colfax CountyBest early December · 104 checklists that week, 8,053 in all46%
  2. Mora CountyBest the second week of November · 59 checklists that week, 2,730 in all31%
  3. Cibola CountyBest mid November · 70 checklists that week, 3,986 in all30%
  4. Rio Arriba CountyBest early March · 108 checklists that week, 8,526 in all29%
  5. San Miguel CountyBest the second week of November · 164 checklists that week, 8,857 in all26%
  6. Chaves CountyBest the second week of February · 106 checklists that week, 5,298 in all25%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Maxwell National Wildlife RefugeColfax County, best early December · 22 checklists that week, 460 in all94%
  2. Lake RobertsGrant County, best late November · 22 checklists that week, 669 in all94%
  3. Bluewater Lake State ParkCibola County, best late November · 24 checklists that week, 265 in all89%
  4. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (south 2)Socorro County, best late January · 20 checklists that week, 853 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the Bufflehead is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (4.9% 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: 1.3% of 29677 checklists7 am: 1.8% of 71785 checklists8 am: 3.1% of 79208 checklists9 am: 3.3% of 61605 checklists10 am: 3.8% of 49588 checklists11 am: 4.1% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 4.7% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 5.0% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 4.8% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 4.3% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 3.7% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 2.2% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 1.2% 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
January5.6%5.8%5.4%5.5%
February4.8%4.8%5.3%6.8%
March7.8%7.4%7.2%7.0%
April5.2%4.2%3.4%2.3%
May0.9%0.7%0.3%0.2%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.4%0.9%3.0%
November5.5%8.6%8.6%9.0%
December8.3%8.3%6.3%5.6%

Neighboring states

  • Arizona: arrives mid October, in the same week than New Mexico
  • Colorado: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than New Mexico
  • Utah: arrives mid October, in the same week than New Mexico
  • Oklahoma: arrives late October, 1 week later than New Mexico

Common questions

When do Buffleheads arrive in New Mexico?
Buffleheads are winter birds in New Mexico: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by late October, peak in mid November (8.7% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Buffleheads leave New Mexico?
Most Buffleheads have left New Mexico by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a Bufflehead in New Mexico?
The Bufflehead is reported most often in mid November, on about 8.7% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are Buffleheads seen most often?
By county, Colfax County, Mora County, and Cibola County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bufflehead (counties with at least 200 checklists).