WhenToBird

Catharus guttatus · Turdidae

When Do Hermit Thrushes Arrive in New Mexico?

Adult Hermit Thrush
Photo: Amber M. King, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Hermit Thrushes are in New Mexico all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early May, peak in early July (9.2% of checklists), and fall back by mid July. In the quietest week (the second week of August) they are still on about 2.7% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMay 1-7early May
PeakJul 1-7early July
Fall back byJul 15-21mid July
FewestAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: early July. Here all year; numbers build from early May and fall back by mid July. Peak: on about 9.2% of New Mexico checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 4.7% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.6% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.0% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.8% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.2% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.9% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.8% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.2% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.1% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.9% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.3% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.2% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.7% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.7% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.5% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.7% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.0% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.0% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.1% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.0% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.9% of 9889 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.2% of 9322 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.4% of 8341 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.5% of 10562 checklistsJul 1-7: 10% of 9036 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.9% of 8461 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.5% of 8585 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.1% of 11800 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.5% of 8289 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.8% of 8882 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.7% of 9136 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.7% of 12662 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.8% of 9936 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.7% of 9581 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.7% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.6% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.4% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.4% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.2% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.3% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.0% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.3% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.5% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.0% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.6% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.7% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.6% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.0% 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. Roosevelt CountyBest early May · 275 checklists that week, 4,563 in all49%
  2. Eddy CountyBest late November · 252 checklists that week, 11,011 in all37%
  3. Lea CountyBest late October · 80 checklists that week, 2,698 in all33%
  4. Colfax CountyBest the second week of July · 256 checklists that week, 8,053 in all22%
  5. Grant CountyBest early June · 309 checklists that week, 16,662 in all17%
  6. De Baca CountyBest early November · 28 checklists that week, 2,203 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cibola National Forest (northwest)Bernalillo County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 322 in all95%
  2. Capulin Spring, best late June · 53 checklists that week, 950 in all93%
  3. Capulin Spring (Capulin Peak)Sandoval County, best the second week of July · 20 checklists that week, 276 in all87%
  4. Sandia CrestBernalillo County, best the second week of July · 20 checklists that week, 2,797 in all83%
  5. Carlsbad Caverns National ParkEddy County, best late November · 101 checklists that week, 2,740 in all79%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the Hermit Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (5.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%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: 6.8% of 29677 checklists7 am: 5.6% of 71785 checklists8 am: 5.9% of 79208 checklists9 am: 6.0% of 61605 checklists10 am: 4.9% of 49588 checklists11 am: 4.6% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 4.1% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 4.0% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 4.0% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 3.1% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 3.9% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 3.7% 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
January4.7%4.6%4.0%3.8%
February3.2%2.9%2.8%3.2%
March3.1%2.9%3.3%3.2%
April2.7%2.7%3.5%5.7%
May8.0%8.0%7.1%7.0%
June6.9%7.2%8.4%8.5%
July10%8.9%6.5%4.1%
August2.5%2.8%2.7%2.7%
September2.8%3.7%3.7%4.6%
October5.4%6.4%8.2%7.3%
November5.0%4.3%4.5%4.0%
December4.6%4.7%5.6%5.0%

Neighboring states

  • Arizona: arrives the second week of September, 17 weeks later than New Mexico
  • Colorado: arrives late April, 1 week earlier than New Mexico
  • Utah: arrives late April, 1 week earlier than New Mexico
  • Oklahoma: arrives mid October, 22 weeks later than New Mexico

Common questions

When do Hermit Thrushes arrive in New Mexico?
Hermit Thrushes are in New Mexico all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early May, peak in early July (9.2% of checklists), and fall back by mid July. In the quietest week (the second week of August) they are still on about 2.7% of checklists.
When do Hermit Thrushes leave New Mexico?
Hermit Thrushes never fully leave New Mexico: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid July, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.7% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Hermit Thrush in New Mexico?
The Hermit Thrush is reported most often in early July, on about 9.2% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are Hermit Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Roosevelt County, Eddy County, and Lea County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hermit Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).