WhenToBird

Dryocopus pileatus · Picidae

When Do Pileated Woodpeckers Arrive in New Hampshire?

Adult male Pileated Woodpecker
Photo: Marcel_Pepin, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Pileated Woodpecker is in New Hampshire all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 5.1% in its quietest week (late July).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 1-7early May
Quietest weekJul 22-31late July

Best: early May. Here all year. Peak: on about 12% of New Hampshire checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 5.4% of 8253 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.5% of 5998 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.0% of 5734 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.5% of 7776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.8% of 5253 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.1% of 6802 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.0% of 8852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.6% of 5792 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.4% of 6187 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.7% of 6977 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.1% of 7863 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.1% of 11746 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.1% of 9329 checklistsApr 8-14: 11% of 10499 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 10376 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 13086 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 13198 checklistsMay 8-14: 12% of 14980 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 12487 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 14294 checklistsJun 1-7: 10% of 8974 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.4% of 8395 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.3% of 7670 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.2% of 9188 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.4% of 7707 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.0% of 6554 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.9% of 6636 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.8% of 9599 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.7% of 6436 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.5% of 6477 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.9% of 6510 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.4% of 9762 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 6700 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 6012 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 6238 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 7619 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 6702 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.5% of 6863 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.9% of 6284 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.8% of 8287 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.3% of 7584 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.5% of 6056 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.3% of 5597 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.7% of 7140 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.8% of 4623 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.3% of 4920 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.6% of 6416 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.4% 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 the second week of September · 588 checklists that week, 41,888 in all21%
  2. Carroll CountyBest mid September · 628 checklists that week, 30,580 in all18%
  3. Sullivan CountyBest late September · 191 checklists that week, 13,105 in all17%
  4. Belknap CountyBest mid May · 411 checklists that week, 13,295 in all16%
  5. Merrimack CountyBest the second week of September · 570 checklists that week, 36,980 in all16%
  6. Hillsborough CountyBest early May · 1921 checklists that week, 50,125 in all15%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Beaver Brook Association Land (Beaver Brook Association Pond)Hillsborough County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 238 in all59%
  2. Father Lawless Fields Town ParkStrafford County, best late September · 30 checklists that week, 1,274 in all56%
  3. Great Bay National Wildlife RefugeRockingham County, best mid January · 27 checklists that week, 882 in all51%
  4. Boston Lot LakeGrafton County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 147 in all49%
  5. Burrows-Brookside SanctuaryRockingham County, best the second week of April · 31 checklists that week, 282 in all47%

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

Best time of day

In New Hampshire, the Pileated Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (13% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%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: 16% of 23140 checklists7 am: 12% of 43401 checklists8 am: 11% of 48039 checklists9 am: 8.4% of 43328 checklists10 am: 7.0% of 37073 checklists11 am: 6.5% of 32028 checklists12 pm: 5.8% of 27396 checklists1 pm: 6.0% of 25182 checklists2 pm: 6.7% of 24318 checklists3 pm: 6.4% of 21974 checklists4 pm: 6.7% of 17958 checklists5 pm: 7.3% of 14528 checklists6 pm: 6.6% 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
January5.4%5.5%5.0%5.5%
February5.8%6.1%5.0%6.6%
March6.4%6.7%8.1%8.1%
April8.1%11%11%12%
May13%12%12%11%
June10%9.4%9.3%8.2%
July7.4%6.0%4.9%4.8%
August5.7%6.5%7.9%9.4%
September12%13%12%12%
October12%9.5%8.9%7.8%
November7.3%7.5%6.3%6.7%
December5.8%6.3%6.6%6.4%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: all year, most in spring, peaks late April
  • Vermont: all year, most in fall, peaks mid September
  • Rhode Island: summer visitor, peaks the second week of May
  • Maine: all year, most in spring, peaks late April

Common questions

When do Pileated Woodpeckers arrive in New Hampshire?
The Pileated Woodpecker is in New Hampshire all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 5.1% in its quietest week (late July).
When do Pileated Woodpeckers leave New Hampshire?
The Pileated Woodpecker does not leave New Hampshire: it is reported all year, from 5.1% of checklists in late July to 12% in early May.
When is the best time to see a Pileated Woodpecker in New Hampshire?
The Pileated Woodpecker is reported most often in early May, on about 12% of New Hampshire checklists.
Where in New Hampshire are Pileated Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Strafford County, Carroll County, and Sullivan County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pileated Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).