WhenToBird

Dryobates pubescens · Picidae

When Do Downy Woodpeckers Arrive in New Hampshire?

Adult female Downy Woodpecker
Photo: joy4birds, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The Downy Woodpecker is in New Hampshire all year. It turns up on about 42% of checklists at its peak (the second week of February) and on 19% in its quietest week (early June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekFeb 8-14the second week of February
Quietest weekJun 1-7early June

Best: the second week of February. Here all year. Peak: on about 42% of New Hampshire checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 37% of 8253 checklistsJan 8-14: 38% of 5998 checklistsJan 15-21: 39% of 5734 checklistsJan 22-31: 38% of 7776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 41% of 5253 checklistsFeb 8-14: 41% of 6802 checklistsFeb 15-21: 42% of 8852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 38% of 5792 checklistsMar 1-7: 35% of 6187 checklistsMar 8-14: 34% of 6977 checklistsMar 15-21: 32% of 7863 checklistsMar 22-31: 31% of 11746 checklistsApr 1-7: 31% of 9329 checklistsApr 8-14: 32% of 10499 checklistsApr 15-21: 35% of 10376 checklistsApr 22-30: 35% of 13086 checklistsMay 1-7: 35% of 13198 checklistsMay 8-14: 32% of 14980 checklistsMay 15-21: 25% of 12487 checklistsMay 22-31: 20% of 14294 checklistsJun 1-7: 18% of 8974 checklistsJun 8-14: 18% of 8395 checklistsJun 15-21: 22% of 7670 checklistsJun 22-30: 22% of 9188 checklistsJul 1-7: 26% of 7707 checklistsJul 8-14: 25% of 6554 checklistsJul 15-21: 24% of 6636 checklistsJul 22-31: 23% of 9599 checklistsAug 1-7: 26% of 6436 checklistsAug 8-14: 25% of 6477 checklistsAug 15-21: 23% of 6510 checklistsAug 22-31: 24% of 9762 checklistsSep 1-7: 29% of 6700 checklistsSep 8-14: 30% of 6012 checklistsSep 15-21: 31% of 6238 checklistsSep 22-30: 33% of 7619 checklistsOct 1-7: 35% of 6702 checklistsOct 8-14: 32% of 6863 checklistsOct 15-21: 32% of 6284 checklistsOct 22-31: 33% of 8287 checklistsNov 1-7: 31% of 7584 checklistsNov 8-14: 30% of 6056 checklistsNov 15-21: 32% of 5597 checklistsNov 22-30: 34% of 7140 checklistsDec 1-7: 38% of 4623 checklistsDec 8-14: 38% of 4920 checklistsDec 15-21: 39% of 6416 checklistsDec 22-31: 40% 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. Strafford CountyBest late September · 743 checklists that week, 41,888 in all52%
  2. Hillsborough CountyBest the second week of February · 1125 checklists that week, 50,125 in all50%
  3. Cheshire CountyBest the second week of February · 759 checklists that week, 39,834 in all48%
  4. Belknap CountyBest mid January · 187 checklists that week, 13,295 in all46%
  5. Carroll CountyBest late February · 312 checklists that week, 30,580 in all45%
  6. Merrimack CountyBest late December · 516 checklists that week, 36,980 in all45%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sucker Brook CoveCheshire County, best late March · 33 checklists that week, 481 in all100%
  2. Father Lawless Fields Town ParkStrafford County, best early May · 72 checklists that week, 1,274 in all91%
  3. Hale CoveCarroll County, best early February · 37 checklists that week, 2,611 in all88%
  4. Pickering Ponds Recreation AreaStrafford County, best late January · 70 checklists that week, 5,064 in all83%

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

Best time of day

In New Hampshire, the Downy Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (44% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 44% of 23140 checklists7 am: 44% of 43401 checklists8 am: 39% of 48039 checklists9 am: 33% of 43328 checklists10 am: 28% of 37073 checklists11 am: 26% of 32028 checklists12 pm: 25% of 27396 checklists1 pm: 26% of 25182 checklists2 pm: 24% of 24318 checklists3 pm: 24% of 21974 checklists4 pm: 23% of 17958 checklists5 pm: 22% of 14528 checklists6 pm: 20% 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
January37%38%39%38%
February41%41%42%38%
March35%34%32%31%
April31%32%35%35%
May35%32%25%20%
June18%18%22%22%
July26%25%24%23%
August26%25%23%24%
September29%30%31%33%
October35%32%32%33%
November31%30%32%34%
December38%38%39%40%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Downy Woodpeckers arrive in New Hampshire?
The Downy Woodpecker is in New Hampshire all year. It turns up on about 42% of checklists at its peak (the second week of February) and on 19% in its quietest week (early June).
When do Downy Woodpeckers leave New Hampshire?
The Downy Woodpecker does not leave New Hampshire: it is reported all year, from 19% of checklists in early June to 42% in the second week of February.
When is the best time to see a Downy Woodpecker in New Hampshire?
The Downy Woodpecker is reported most often in the second week of February, on about 42% of New Hampshire checklists.
Where in New Hampshire are Downy Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Strafford County, Hillsborough County, and Cheshire County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Downy Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).