WhenToBird

Tringa flavipes · Scolopacidae

When Do Lesser Yellowlegses Arrive in New Hampshire?

Adult Lesser Yellowlegs
Photo: John Rosford, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Lesser Yellowlegses arrive in New Hampshire in the second week of July, peak in late August (5.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 8-14the second week of July
Common byJul 8-14the second week of July
PeakAug 22-31late August
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: late August. First arrivals the second week of July; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 5.0% of New Hampshire checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.1% 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: 0.1% of 7863 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 11746 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 9329 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 10499 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 10376 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 13086 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.0% of 13198 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.5% of 14980 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.8% of 12487 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 14294 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 8974 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 8395 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 7670 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 9188 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 7707 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.3% of 6554 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.6% of 6636 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.0% of 9599 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.1% of 6436 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.5% of 6477 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.9% of 6510 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.1% of 9762 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.1% of 6700 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.0% of 6012 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.8% of 6238 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.5% of 7619 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.9% of 6702 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.3% of 6863 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.1% of 6284 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 8287 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 7584 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 6056 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 5597 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% 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. Strafford CountyBest early September · 572 checklists that week, 41,888 in all19%
  2. Rockingham CountyBest late August · 2242 checklists that week, 84,864 in all12%
  3. Cheshire CountyBest mid August · 577 checklists that week, 39,834 in all2.7%
  4. Sullivan CountyBest late August · 342 checklists that week, 13,105 in all2.7%
  5. Carroll CountyBest late August · 1037 checklists that week, 30,580 in all1.5%
  6. Coos CountyBest the second week of September · 373 checklists that week, 27,719 in all1.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cocheco River ReservoirStrafford County, best the second week of September · 82 checklists that week, 2,281 in all92%
  2. Hampton Salt Marsh Conservation AreaRockingham County, best late August · 39 checklists that week, 461 in all85%
  3. Meadow Pond (The Plantation)Rockingham County, best late August · 21 checklists that week, 163 in all79%
  4. Marsh Road Pond (Fairhill Manor)Rockingham County, best mid August · 21 checklists that week, 144 in all65%
  5. Meadow PondRockingham County, best the second week of August · 36 checklists that week, 573 in all56%
  6. Odiornes Point (Seavey Creek)Rockingham County, best the second week of August · 22 checklists that week, 352 in all51%

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

Best time of day

In New Hampshire, the Lesser Yellowlegs is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.6% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 2.1% of 23140 checklists7 am: 1.4% of 43401 checklists8 am: 1.2% of 48039 checklists9 am: 0.9% of 43328 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 37073 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 32028 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 27396 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 25182 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 24318 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 21974 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 17958 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 14528 checklists6 pm: 0.7% 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
January0.1%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.7%
May2.0%1.5%0.8%0.2%
June0.1%0%0%0.1%
July0.2%1.3%1.6%3.0%
August3.1%4.5%4.9%5.1%
September5.1%4.0%2.8%2.5%
October1.9%1.3%1.1%0.4%
November0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives early July, 1 week earlier than New Hampshire
  • Vermont: arrives late July, 2 weeks later than New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island: arrives late June, 2 weeks earlier than New Hampshire
  • Maine: arrives the second week of July, in the same week than New Hampshire

Common questions

When do Lesser Yellowlegses arrive in New Hampshire?
Lesser Yellowlegses arrive in New Hampshire in the second week of July, peak in late August (5.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Lesser Yellowlegses leave New Hampshire?
Most Lesser Yellowlegses have left New Hampshire by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Lesser Yellowlegs in New Hampshire?
The Lesser Yellowlegs is reported most often in late August, on about 5.0% of New Hampshire checklists.
Where in New Hampshire are Lesser Yellowlegses seen most often?
By county, Strafford County, Rockingham County, and Cheshire County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Lesser Yellowlegs (counties with at least 200 checklists).