WhenToBird

Calidris maritima · Scolopacidae

When Do Purple Sandpipers Arrive in New Hampshire?

Adult Purple Sandpiper
Photo: Léo Souillard, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Purple Sandpipers are winter birds in New Hampshire: they arrive in the second week of November, peak in the second week of January (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 8-14the second week of November
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals the second week of November; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 1.2% of New Hampshire checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 8253 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.0% of 5998 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 5734 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 7776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 5253 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 6802 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 8852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 5792 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 6187 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.3% of 6977 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.2% of 7863 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.3% of 11746 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 9329 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 10499 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 10376 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 13086 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 13198 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 14980 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 12487 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% 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% of 9188 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 7707 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 6554 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 6636 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 9599 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 6436 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 6477 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 6510 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 9762 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 6700 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 6012 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 6238 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 7619 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 6702 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 6863 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 6284 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 8287 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 7584 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.4% of 6056 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 5597 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 7140 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 4623 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 4920 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.6% of 6416 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in New Hampshire

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rockingham CountyBest the second week of January · 1675 checklists that week, 84,864 in all3.9%
  2. Belknap CountyBest the second week of December · 161 checklists that week, 13,295 in all0.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ragged Neck PointRockingham County, best the second week of February · 51 checklists that week, 2,179 in all33%
  2. Seal RocksRockingham County, best early January · 39 checklists that week, 483 in all30%
  3. Fairhill SwampRockingham County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 517 in all27%
  4. Hampton Beach State ParkRockingham County, best mid May · 29 checklists that week, 2,502 in all18%
  5. Odiornes Point (High Rock)Rockingham County, best early January · 22 checklists that week, 869 in all17%
  6. Gosport HarborRockingham County, best late May · 26 checklists that week, 583 in all13%

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

Best time of day

In New Hampshire, the Purple Sandpiper is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.1% of 23140 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 43401 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 48039 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 43328 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 37073 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 32028 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 27396 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 25182 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 24318 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 21974 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 17958 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 14528 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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
January1.4%1.0%1.0%1.0%
February0.9%0.6%0.7%0.7%
March0.6%0.3%0.2%0.3%
April0.3%0.2%0.2%0.2%
May0.3%0.2%0.5%0.5%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0%0%0.1%
November0.1%0.4%0.6%0.6%
December0.8%0.7%0.6%0.9%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives mid November, 1 week later than New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of November, in the same week than New Hampshire
  • Maine: arrives mid November, 1 week later than New Hampshire
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of November, in the same week than New Hampshire

Common questions

When do Purple Sandpipers arrive in New Hampshire?
Purple Sandpipers are winter birds in New Hampshire: they arrive in the second week of November, peak in the second week of January (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Purple Sandpipers leave New Hampshire?
Most Purple Sandpipers have left New Hampshire by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Purple Sandpiper in New Hampshire?
The Purple Sandpiper is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 1.2% of New Hampshire checklists.
Where in New Hampshire are Purple Sandpipers seen most often?
By county, Rockingham County and Belknap County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Purple Sandpiper (counties with at least 200 checklists).