WhenToBird

Melospiza lincolnii · Passerellidae

When Do Lincoln's Sparrows Arrive in New Mexico?

Adult Lincoln's Sparrow
Photo: Elijah Jaeger, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Lincoln's Sparrows are winter birds in New Mexico: the first arrive in late August, they are common by early September, peak in early October (11% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byMay 15-21mid May

Best: early October. First arrivals late August; most are gone by mid May. Peak: on about 11% of New Mexico checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 3.4% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.7% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.1% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.3% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.2% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.1% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.2% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.1% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.4% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.4% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.0% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.3% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.5% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.1% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.0% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.9% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.3% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.9% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.2% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.8% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.5% of 9889 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.6% of 9322 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.9% of 8341 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.8% of 10562 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.1% of 9036 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.4% of 8461 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.0% of 8585 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.8% of 11800 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 8289 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 8882 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.5% of 9136 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.1% of 12662 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.8% of 9936 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.4% of 9581 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.3% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 11% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.4% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.2% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.7% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.4% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.8% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.8% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.9% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.1% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.9% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.8% 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 October · 153 checklists that week, 4,563 in all31%
  2. Luna CountyBest early October · 46 checklists that week, 3,814 in all30%
  3. Eddy CountyBest late November · 252 checklists that week, 11,011 in all28%
  4. Guadalupe CountyBest early October · 91 checklists that week, 2,614 in all28%
  5. Sierra CountyBest mid March · 294 checklists that week, 13,458 in all22%
  6. Lea CountyBest early October · 94 checklists that week, 2,698 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. San Vicente ArroyoGrant County, best the second week of October · 35 checklists that week, 1,235 in all64%
  2. Montessa ParkBernalillo County, best late September · 25 checklists that week, 405 in all64%
  3. Ranch School TrailLos Alamos County, best early October · 36 checklists that week, 1,691 in all60%
  4. Carson National ForestRio Arriba County, best mid July · 24 checklists that week, 132 in all60%
  5. Leasburg Dam State ParkDona Ana County, best mid October · 20 checklists that week, 1,017 in all59%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the Lincoln's Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.2% 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: 5.5% of 29677 checklists7 am: 6.5% of 71785 checklists8 am: 5.9% of 79208 checklists9 am: 4.4% of 61605 checklists10 am: 3.5% of 49588 checklists11 am: 2.9% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 2.8% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 2.5% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 2.7% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 2.8% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 2.8% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 2.1% 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
January3.4%3.7%3.1%3.3%
February3.2%3.1%3.2%5.1%
March5.4%6.4%7.0%7.3%
April6.5%5.1%4.0%2.9%
May2.3%2.9%3.2%1.8%
June0.5%0.6%0.9%0.8%
July1.1%1.4%1.0%0.8%
August0.3%0.4%0.5%1.1%
September3.8%7.4%9.3%11%
October11%11%9.4%7.2%
November5.7%4.4%4.8%3.8%
December3.9%4.1%3.9%3.8%

Neighboring states

  • Arizona: arrives early September, 1 week later than New Mexico
  • Colorado: arrives late March, 20 weeks earlier than New Mexico
  • Utah: arrives early June, 11 weeks earlier than New Mexico
  • Oklahoma: arrives mid September, 3 weeks later than New Mexico

Common questions

When do Lincoln's Sparrows arrive in New Mexico?
Lincoln's Sparrows are winter birds in New Mexico: the first arrive in late August, they are common by early September, peak in early October (11% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.
When do Lincoln's Sparrows leave New Mexico?
Most Lincoln's Sparrows have left New Mexico by mid May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early June.
When is the best time to see a Lincoln's Sparrow in New Mexico?
The Lincoln's Sparrow is reported most often in early October, on about 11% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are Lincoln's Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Roosevelt County, Luna County, and Eddy County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Lincoln's Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).