WhenToBird

Passerina cyanea · Cardinalidae

When Do Indigo Buntings Arrive in New Hampshire?

Adult male Indigo Bunting
Photo: Kathy Richardson, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Indigo Buntings reach New Hampshire in early May, are common by the second week of May, peak in the second week of July (11% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakJul 8-14the second week of July
Most gone byAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: the second week of July. First arrivals early May; most are gone by the second week of August. Peak: on about 11% of New Hampshire checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0% of 8253 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 5998 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 5734 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 7776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 5253 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 6802 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 8852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 5792 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 6187 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 6977 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 7863 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 11746 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 9329 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 10499 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 10376 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 13086 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.1% of 13198 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.8% of 14980 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.7% of 12487 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.2% of 14294 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.9% of 8974 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.6% of 8395 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.2% of 7670 checklistsJun 22-30: 9.4% of 9188 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 7707 checklistsJul 8-14: 11% of 6554 checklistsJul 15-21: 10% of 6636 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.0% of 9599 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.7% of 6436 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.7% of 6477 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.3% of 6510 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.6% of 9762 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.3% of 6700 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.7% of 6012 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.8% of 6238 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.8% of 7619 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.8% of 6702 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.9% of 6863 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 6284 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 8287 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 7584 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 6056 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 5597 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 7140 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 4623 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 4920 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 6416 checklistsDec 22-31: 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. Carroll CountyBest early June · 738 checklists that week, 30,580 in all20%
  2. Merrimack CountyBest the second week of July · 541 checklists that week, 36,980 in all16%
  3. Cheshire CountyBest the second week of July · 527 checklists that week, 39,834 in all15%
  4. Grafton CountyBest mid July · 995 checklists that week, 45,699 in all14%
  5. Belknap CountyBest late May · 424 checklists that week, 13,295 in all13%
  6. Sullivan CountyBest the second week of July · 288 checklists that week, 13,105 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hale CoveCarroll County, best mid July · 33 checklists that week, 2,611 in all91%
  2. Russell-Shea State ForestMerrimack County, best mid September · 47 checklists that week, 643 in all59%
  3. SurryCheshire County, best mid May · 23 checklists that week, 247 in all53%

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

Best time of day

In New Hampshire, the Indigo Bunting is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 5.6% of 23140 checklists7 am: 4.3% of 43401 checklists8 am: 3.8% of 48039 checklists9 am: 3.0% of 43328 checklists10 am: 2.4% of 37073 checklists11 am: 1.9% of 32028 checklists12 pm: 1.7% of 27396 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 25182 checklists2 pm: 1.7% of 24318 checklists3 pm: 1.7% of 21974 checklists4 pm: 2.5% of 17958 checklists5 pm: 2.7% of 14528 checklists6 pm: 3.7% 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0.1%0.1%
May1.1%3.8%8.7%9.2%
June8.9%8.6%9.2%9.4%
July11%11%10%9.0%
August6.7%4.7%3.3%2.6%
September2.3%2.7%3.8%3.8%
October2.8%0.9%0.3%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives early May, in the same week than New Hampshire
  • Vermont: arrives early May, in the same week than New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island: arrives early May, in the same week than New Hampshire
  • Maine: arrives the second week of May, 1 week later than New Hampshire

Common questions

When do Indigo Buntings arrive in New Hampshire?
Indigo Buntings reach New Hampshire in early May, are common by the second week of May, peak in the second week of July (11% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.
When do Indigo Buntings leave New Hampshire?
Most Indigo Buntings have left New Hampshire by the second week of August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a Indigo Bunting in New Hampshire?
The Indigo Bunting is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 11% of New Hampshire checklists.
Where in New Hampshire are Indigo Buntings seen most often?
By county, Carroll County, Merrimack County, and Cheshire County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Indigo Bunting (counties with at least 200 checklists).