WhenToBird

Aythya valisineria · Anatidae

When Do Canvasbacks Arrive in New Mexico?

Adult male Canvasback
Photo: datadan, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Canvasbacks are winter birds in New Mexico: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by late October, peak in mid January (4.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakJan 15-21mid January
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: mid January. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 4.5% of New Mexico checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 4.2% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.4% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.3% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.6% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.0% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.9% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.3% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.5% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.6% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.2% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.0% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.9% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% 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: 0.1% 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: 0.2% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.4% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.6% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.9% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.6% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.8% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.2% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.1% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.3% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.6% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.2% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.6% 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. Mora CountyBest the second week of November · 59 checklists that week, 2,730 in all23%
  2. Curry CountyBest mid January · 40 checklists that week, 2,926 in all20%
  3. Lea CountyBest mid January · 19 checklists that week, 2,698 in all20%
  4. Colfax CountyBest mid November · 107 checklists that week, 8,053 in all18%
  5. Cibola CountyBest mid November · 70 checklists that week, 3,986 in all17%
  6. San Miguel CountyBest early December · 128 checklists that week, 8,857 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bosque (Old Town)Bernalillo County, best the second week of January · 103 checklists that week, 2,390 in all86%
  2. BosqueBernalillo County, best late January · 123 checklists that week, 3,973 in all67%
  3. McAllister LakeSan Miguel County, best late November · 48 checklists that week, 278 in all64%
  4. Lake RobertsGrant County, best late November · 22 checklists that week, 669 in all46%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the Canvasback is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (2.7% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 0.7% of 29677 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 71785 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 79208 checklists9 am: 1.7% of 61605 checklists10 am: 1.7% of 49588 checklists11 am: 2.0% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 2.6% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 2.7% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 2.4% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 2.2% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 0.4% 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
January4.2%4.4%4.3%4.6%
February4.0%3.9%3.3%3.5%
March3.6%3.2%2.0%1.9%
April1.2%1.0%0.5%0.3%
May0.2%0.3%0.3%0.2%
June0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.2%0.1%
October0.4%0.4%0.6%1.9%
November3.6%4.8%4.2%4.1%
December4.3%3.6%3.2%3.6%

Neighboring states

  • Arizona: arrives late October, 1 week later 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 Canvasbacks arrive in New Mexico?
Canvasbacks are winter birds in New Mexico: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by late October, peak in mid January (4.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Canvasbacks leave New Mexico?
Most Canvasbacks have left New Mexico by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early April.
When is the best time to see a Canvasback in New Mexico?
The Canvasback is reported most often in mid January, on about 4.5% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are Canvasbacks seen most often?
By county, Mora County, Curry County, and Lea County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canvasback (counties with at least 200 checklists).