WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in New Hampshire?

Adult Cedar Waxwing
Photo: Sean Frey, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cedar Waxwings reach New Hampshire in the second week of May, are common by late May, peak in early August (33% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 8-14the second week of May
Common byMay 22-31late May
PeakAug 1-7early August
Most gone bySep 15-21mid September

Best: early August. First arrivals the second week of May; most are gone by mid September. Peak: on about 33% of New Hampshire checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 2.9% of 8253 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.4% of 5998 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.9% of 5734 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.2% of 7776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.3% of 5253 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.9% of 6802 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.4% of 8852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.6% of 5792 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.5% of 6187 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.3% of 6977 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.4% of 7863 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.8% of 11746 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.0% of 9329 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 10499 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.6% of 10376 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.4% of 13086 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.4% of 13198 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.7% of 14980 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.9% of 12487 checklistsMay 22-31: 18% of 14294 checklistsJun 1-7: 22% of 8974 checklistsJun 8-14: 23% of 8395 checklistsJun 15-21: 26% of 7670 checklistsJun 22-30: 30% of 9188 checklistsJul 1-7: 31% of 7707 checklistsJul 8-14: 30% of 6554 checklistsJul 15-21: 31% of 6636 checklistsJul 22-31: 32% of 9599 checklistsAug 1-7: 34% of 6436 checklistsAug 8-14: 34% of 6477 checklistsAug 15-21: 29% of 6510 checklistsAug 22-31: 27% of 9762 checklistsSep 1-7: 25% of 6700 checklistsSep 8-14: 22% of 6012 checklistsSep 15-21: 18% of 6238 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 7619 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.6% of 6702 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.3% of 6863 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.4% of 6284 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.5% of 8287 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.2% of 7584 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.0% of 6056 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.0% of 5597 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.5% of 7140 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.3% of 4623 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.9% of 4920 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.2% of 6416 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.0% 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 the second week of August · 234 checklists that week, 13,105 in all45%
  2. Coos CountyBest late July · 943 checklists that week, 27,719 in all45%
  3. Merrimack CountyBest the second week of August · 562 checklists that week, 36,980 in all41%
  4. Cheshire CountyBest early August · 525 checklists that week, 39,834 in all41%
  5. Strafford CountyBest mid August · 557 checklists that week, 41,888 in all40%
  6. Belknap CountyBest late June · 284 checklists that week, 13,295 in all36%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pickering Ponds Recreation AreaStrafford County, best early July · 89 checklists that week, 5,064 in all92%
  2. Airport Marsh ReservoirCoos County, best late July · 58 checklists that week, 1,437 in all86%
  3. Shadow LakeCheshire County, best mid September · 22 checklists that week, 553 in all82%
  4. Powder Mill PondHillsborough County, best late August · 28 checklists that week, 174 in all79%
  5. Wilson PondCheshire County, best early July · 26 checklists that week, 1,343 in all79%

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

Best time of day

In New Hampshire, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (15% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%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: 18% of 23140 checklists7 am: 14% of 43401 checklists8 am: 13% of 48039 checklists9 am: 11% of 43328 checklists10 am: 9.2% of 37073 checklists11 am: 7.8% of 32028 checklists12 pm: 7.3% of 27396 checklists1 pm: 7.6% of 25182 checklists2 pm: 7.1% of 24318 checklists3 pm: 7.6% of 21974 checklists4 pm: 9.6% of 17958 checklists5 pm: 13% of 14528 checklists6 pm: 16% 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
January2.9%3.4%2.9%3.2%
February3.3%2.9%2.4%2.6%
March2.5%2.3%2.4%1.8%
April2.0%1.6%1.6%1.4%
May1.4%1.7%5.9%18%
June22%23%26%30%
July31%30%31%32%
August34%34%29%27%
September25%22%18%13%
October8.6%5.3%4.4%3.5%
November3.2%2.0%2.0%2.5%
December2.3%2.9%3.2%3.0%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives early May, 1 week earlier than New Hampshire
  • Vermont: arrives early June, 3 weeks later than New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of April, 4 weeks earlier than New Hampshire
  • Maine: arrives the second week of May, in the same week than New Hampshire

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in New Hampshire?
Cedar Waxwings reach New Hampshire in the second week of May, are common by late May, peak in early August (33% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave New Hampshire?
Most Cedar Waxwings have left New Hampshire by mid September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early November.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in New Hampshire?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in early August, on about 33% of New Hampshire checklists.
Where in New Hampshire are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Sullivan County, Coos County, and Merrimack County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).