WhenToBird

Zenaida macroura · Columbidae

When Do Mourning Doves Arrive in New Hampshire?

Adult male Mourning Dove
Photo: Texas Bird Family, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Mourning Dove is in New Hampshire all year. It turns up on about 39% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 21% in its quietest week (the second week of November).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 8-14the second week of May
Quietest weekNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: the second week of May. Here all year. Peak: on about 39% of New Hampshire checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 23% of 8253 checklistsJan 8-14: 24% of 5998 checklistsJan 15-21: 26% of 5734 checklistsJan 22-31: 23% of 7776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 25% of 5253 checklistsFeb 8-14: 27% of 6802 checklistsFeb 15-21: 30% of 8852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 32% of 5792 checklistsMar 1-7: 32% of 6187 checklistsMar 8-14: 34% of 6977 checklistsMar 15-21: 34% of 7863 checklistsMar 22-31: 34% of 11746 checklistsApr 1-7: 33% of 9329 checklistsApr 8-14: 35% of 10499 checklistsApr 15-21: 35% of 10376 checklistsApr 22-30: 38% of 13086 checklistsMay 1-7: 39% of 13198 checklistsMay 8-14: 39% of 14980 checklistsMay 15-21: 39% of 12487 checklistsMay 22-31: 37% of 14294 checklistsJun 1-7: 36% of 8974 checklistsJun 8-14: 33% of 8395 checklistsJun 15-21: 35% of 7670 checklistsJun 22-30: 34% of 9188 checklistsJul 1-7: 35% of 7707 checklistsJul 8-14: 34% of 6554 checklistsJul 15-21: 34% of 6636 checklistsJul 22-31: 35% of 9599 checklistsAug 1-7: 35% of 6436 checklistsAug 8-14: 35% of 6477 checklistsAug 15-21: 35% of 6510 checklistsAug 22-31: 34% of 9762 checklistsSep 1-7: 31% of 6700 checklistsSep 8-14: 29% of 6012 checklistsSep 15-21: 27% of 6238 checklistsSep 22-30: 26% of 7619 checklistsOct 1-7: 25% of 6702 checklistsOct 8-14: 21% of 6863 checklistsOct 15-21: 22% of 6284 checklistsOct 22-31: 23% of 8287 checklistsNov 1-7: 21% of 7584 checklistsNov 8-14: 21% of 6056 checklistsNov 15-21: 21% of 5597 checklistsNov 22-30: 21% of 7140 checklistsDec 1-7: 25% of 4623 checklistsDec 8-14: 26% of 4920 checklistsDec 15-21: 24% of 6416 checklistsDec 22-31: 23% 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. Hillsborough CountyBest early August · 607 checklists that week, 50,125 in all52%
  2. Strafford CountyBest late August · 852 checklists that week, 41,888 in all50%
  3. Merrimack CountyBest early June · 795 checklists that week, 36,980 in all45%
  4. Belknap CountyBest late May · 424 checklists that week, 13,295 in all45%
  5. Cheshire CountyBest mid May · 1135 checklists that week, 39,834 in all44%
  6. Rockingham CountyBest late June · 1503 checklists that week, 84,864 in all42%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sucker Brook CoveCheshire County, best late March · 33 checklists that week, 481 in all98%
  2. Haydens MillpondHillsborough County, best early September · 30 checklists that week, 1,099 in all97%
  3. SurryCheshire County, best mid May · 23 checklists that week, 247 in all91%
  4. Tioga River ReservoirBelknap County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 152 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In New Hampshire, the Mourning Dove is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (46% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 49% of 23140 checklists7 am: 45% of 43401 checklists8 am: 38% of 48039 checklists9 am: 31% of 43328 checklists10 am: 25% of 37073 checklists11 am: 23% of 32028 checklists12 pm: 21% of 27396 checklists1 pm: 21% of 25182 checklists2 pm: 22% of 24318 checklists3 pm: 23% of 21974 checklists4 pm: 28% of 17958 checklists5 pm: 32% of 14528 checklists6 pm: 34% 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
January23%24%26%23%
February25%27%30%32%
March32%34%34%34%
April33%35%35%38%
May39%39%39%37%
June36%33%35%34%
July35%34%34%35%
August35%35%35%34%
September31%29%27%26%
October25%21%22%23%
November21%21%21%21%
December25%26%24%23%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: year-round, peaks late June
  • Vermont: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Rhode Island: all year, most in summer, peaks the second week of July
  • Maine: year-round, peaks the second week of May

Common questions

When do Mourning Doves arrive in New Hampshire?
The Mourning Dove is in New Hampshire all year. It turns up on about 39% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 21% in its quietest week (the second week of November).
When do Mourning Doves leave New Hampshire?
The Mourning Dove does not leave New Hampshire: it is reported all year, from 21% of checklists in the second week of November to 39% in the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Mourning Dove in New Hampshire?
The Mourning Dove is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 39% of New Hampshire checklists.
Where in New Hampshire are Mourning Doves seen most often?
By county, Hillsborough County, Strafford County, and Merrimack County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mourning Dove (counties with at least 200 checklists).