WhenToBird

Nucifraga columbiana · Corvidae

When Do Clark's Nutcrackers Arrive in New Mexico?

Adult Clark's Nutcracker
Photo: rdclark86, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Clark's Nutcrackers arrive in New Mexico in the second week of May, peak in late August (2.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 8-14the second week of May
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakAug 22-31late August
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: late August. First arrivals the second week of May; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 2.9% of New Mexico checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0.7% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.7% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.5% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.7% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.4% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.8% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.0% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.0% of 9889 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.3% of 9322 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.4% of 8341 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.3% of 10562 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.4% of 9036 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.3% of 8461 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.4% of 8585 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.7% of 11800 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.5% of 8289 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.2% of 8882 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.9% of 9136 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.0% of 12662 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.8% of 9936 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.0% of 9581 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.1% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.2% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.0% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.9% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.5% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.0% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.1% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.8% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.7% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.5% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.7% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% 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 mid January · 72 checklists that week, 8,053 in all39%
  2. Rio Arriba CountyBest late August · 223 checklists that week, 8,526 in all15%
  3. Taos CountyBest late August · 532 checklists that week, 19,175 in all13%
  4. Cibola CountyBest early September · 101 checklists that week, 3,986 in all7.9%
  5. Mora CountyBest the second week of March · 21 checklists that week, 2,730 in all6.2%
  6. McKinley CountyBest mid August · 40 checklists that week, 2,545 in all5.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Santa Fe Recreation AreaSanta Fe County, best late August · 35 checklists that week, 595 in all42%
  2. Carson National ForestRio Arriba County, best late July · 22 checklists that week, 132 in all40%
  3. Cibola National ForestBernalillo County, best late September · 24 checklists that week, 1,158 in all29%
  4. Hyde Memorial State ParkSanta Fe County, best late August · 26 checklists that week, 452 in all26%
  5. ResevoirLos Alamos County, best late August · 32 checklists that week, 1,055 in all24%
  6. Randall Davey Audubon PreserveSanta Fe County, best late September · 150 checklists that week, 4,827 in all20%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the Clark's Nutcracker is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (1.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 1.0% of 29677 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 71785 checklists8 am: 1.3% of 79208 checklists9 am: 1.5% of 61605 checklists10 am: 1.4% of 49588 checklists11 am: 1.2% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 0.5% 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
January0.7%0.7%0.8%0.7%
February0.9%0.6%0.4%0.6%
March0.7%0.8%0.8%0.5%
April0.6%0.7%0.4%0.4%
May0.4%0.5%0.8%1.0%
June1.0%1.3%1.4%1.3%
July1.4%1.3%1.4%1.7%
August1.5%2.2%2.9%3.0%
September2.8%2.0%2.1%2.2%
October2.0%1.9%1.5%1.0%
November1.1%0.9%1.1%0.8%
December0.7%0.5%0.7%0.9%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: arrives mid May, 1 week later than New Mexico
  • Utah: arrives the second week of May, in the same week than New Mexico
  • Wyoming: arrives the second week of July, 8 weeks later than New Mexico
  • Nevada: arrives early May, 1 week earlier than New Mexico

Common questions

When do Clark's Nutcrackers arrive in New Mexico?
Clark's Nutcrackers arrive in New Mexico in the second week of May, peak in late August (2.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Clark's Nutcrackers leave New Mexico?
Most Clark's Nutcrackers have left New Mexico by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Clark's Nutcracker in New Mexico?
The Clark's Nutcracker is reported most often in late August, on about 2.9% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are Clark's Nutcrackers seen most often?
By county, Colfax County, Rio Arriba County, and Taos County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Clark's Nutcracker (counties with at least 200 checklists).