WhenToBird

Regulus satrapa · Regulidae

When Do Golden-crowned Kinglets Arrive in New Hampshire?

Adult Golden-crowned Kinglet
Photo: sprcrkwild, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Golden-crowned Kinglets are in New Hampshire all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late September, peak in mid October (15% of checklists), and fall back by mid December. In the quietest week (the second week of May) they are still on about 2.0% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 22-30late September
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Fall back byDec 15-21mid December
FewestMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: mid October. Here all year; numbers build from late September and fall back by mid December. Peak: on about 15% of New Hampshire checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 4.9% of 8253 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.3% of 5998 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.1% of 5734 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.9% of 7776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.2% of 5253 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.5% of 6802 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.2% of 8852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.8% of 5792 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.5% of 6187 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.4% of 6977 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.8% of 7863 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.3% of 11746 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.6% of 9329 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.9% of 10499 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.7% of 10376 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.1% of 13086 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.1% of 13198 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.7% of 14980 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.3% of 12487 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.0% of 14294 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.6% of 8974 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.3% of 8395 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.7% of 7670 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.1% of 9188 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.3% of 7707 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.6% of 6554 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.5% of 6636 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.5% of 9599 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.5% of 6436 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.6% of 6477 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.6% of 6510 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.2% of 9762 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.8% of 6700 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.1% of 6012 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.1% of 6238 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.6% of 7619 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 6702 checklistsOct 8-14: 15% of 6863 checklistsOct 15-21: 15% of 6284 checklistsOct 22-31: 14% of 8287 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 7584 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 6056 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.2% of 5597 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.1% of 7140 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.4% of 4623 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.9% of 4920 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 6416 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.6% 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. Carroll CountyBest mid October · 563 checklists that week, 30,580 in all26%
  2. Coos CountyBest early October · 538 checklists that week, 27,719 in all24%
  3. Strafford CountyBest the second week of November · 548 checklists that week, 41,888 in all16%
  4. Grafton CountyBest the second week of October · 980 checklists that week, 45,699 in all16%
  5. Merrimack CountyBest late October · 793 checklists that week, 36,980 in all15%
  6. Hillsborough CountyBest early November · 867 checklists that week, 50,125 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. White Mountain National ForestGrafton County, best early July · 24 checklists that week, 667 in all65%
  2. Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife RefugeCoos County, best early October · 21 checklists that week, 786 in all62%
  3. Great Gulf Ext. Roadless AreaCoos County, best late July · 25 checklists that week, 257 in all60%
  4. Deception BrookCoos County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 138 in all59%
  5. Mud PondCoos County, best late May · 47 checklists that week, 499 in all58%

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

Best time of day

In New Hampshire, the Golden-crowned Kinglet is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (6.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%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: 5.7% of 23140 checklists7 am: 6.1% of 43401 checklists8 am: 6.5% of 48039 checklists9 am: 6.1% of 43328 checklists10 am: 5.9% of 37073 checklists11 am: 5.7% of 32028 checklists12 pm: 5.6% of 27396 checklists1 pm: 5.6% of 25182 checklists2 pm: 5.1% of 24318 checklists3 pm: 4.8% of 21974 checklists4 pm: 3.4% of 17958 checklists5 pm: 2.3% of 14528 checklists6 pm: 1.2% 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
January4.9%4.3%4.1%3.9%
February4.2%3.5%3.2%3.8%
March3.5%3.4%2.8%3.3%
April6.6%9.9%6.7%3.1%
May2.1%1.7%2.3%3.0%
June3.6%4.3%4.7%4.1%
July4.3%3.6%3.5%3.5%
August2.5%2.6%2.6%2.2%
September2.8%3.1%4.1%7.6%
October13%15%15%14%
November12%11%9.2%9.1%
December8.4%8.9%11%7.6%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than New Hampshire
  • Vermont: arrives late August, 4 weeks earlier than New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island: arrives late September, in the same week than New Hampshire
  • Maine: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than New Hampshire

Common questions

When do Golden-crowned Kinglets arrive in New Hampshire?
Golden-crowned Kinglets are in New Hampshire all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late September, peak in mid October (15% of checklists), and fall back by mid December. In the quietest week (the second week of May) they are still on about 2.0% of checklists.
When do Golden-crowned Kinglets leave New Hampshire?
Golden-crowned Kinglets never fully leave New Hampshire: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid December, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.0% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Golden-crowned Kinglet in New Hampshire?
The Golden-crowned Kinglet is reported most often in mid October, on about 15% of New Hampshire checklists.
Where in New Hampshire are Golden-crowned Kinglets seen most often?
By county, Carroll County, Coos County, and Strafford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Golden-crowned Kinglet (counties with at least 200 checklists).