WhenToBird

Oxyura jamaicensis · Anatidae

When Do Ruddy Ducks Arrive in New Hampshire?

Adult male Ruddy Duck
Photo: Anne Parsons, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Ruddy Ducks mostly pass through New Hampshire: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in late October (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byNov 15-21mid November

Best: late October. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by mid November. Peak: on about 1.9% of New Hampshire checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 8253 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 5998 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 5734 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 7776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 5253 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 6802 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 8852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 5792 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 6187 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 6977 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.2% of 7863 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 11746 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 9329 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 10499 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 10376 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 13086 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 13198 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 14980 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 12487 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 14294 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.7% of 8974 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 8395 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 7670 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 9188 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 7707 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 6554 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 6636 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 9599 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 6436 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 6477 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 6510 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 9762 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 6700 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 6012 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 6238 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 7619 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 6702 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.2% of 6863 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.0% of 6284 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.0% of 8287 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.6% of 7584 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.2% of 6056 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 5597 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.5% of 7140 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 4623 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 4920 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 6416 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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 mid October · 605 checklists that week, 41,888 in all6.9%
  2. Rockingham CountyBest mid October · 1639 checklists that week, 84,864 in all3.4%
  3. Carroll CountyBest late October · 711 checklists that week, 30,580 in all1.5%
  4. Belknap CountyBest mid October · 172 checklists that week, 13,295 in all1.4%
  5. Cheshire CountyBest the second week of November · 625 checklists that week, 39,834 in all1.2%
  6. Merrimack CountyBest late October · 793 checklists that week, 36,980 in all0.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Town of Exeter Sewerage Lagoons ReservoirRockingham County, best late October · 68 checklists that week, 2,293 in all75%
  2. Cocheco River ReservoirStrafford County, best mid October · 56 checklists that week, 2,281 in all49%
  3. Keene Forestry ParkCheshire County, best the second week of November · 23 checklists that week, 292 in all21%
  4. Pickering Ponds Recreation AreaStrafford County, best early November · 81 checklists that week, 5,064 in all20%
  5. Nutt PondHillsborough County, best mid April · 33 checklists that week, 698 in all13%

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

Best time of day

In New Hampshire, the Ruddy Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (0.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%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: 0.2% of 43401 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 48039 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 43328 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 37073 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 32028 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 27396 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 25182 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 24318 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 21974 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 17958 checklists5 pm: 0.2% 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
January0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
February0%0%0%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%
April0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%
May0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.7%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0%0.1%0.2%
August0.2%0.4%0.2%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.3%1.2%2.0%2.0%
November1.6%1.2%0.8%0.5%
December0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island: arrives late September, 2 weeks earlier than New Hampshire
  • Maine: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than New Hampshire
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than New Hampshire

Common questions

When do Ruddy Ducks arrive in New Hampshire?
Ruddy Ducks mostly pass through New Hampshire: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in late October (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.
When do Ruddy Ducks leave New Hampshire?
Most Ruddy Ducks have left New Hampshire by mid November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Ruddy Duck in New Hampshire?
The Ruddy Duck is reported most often in late October, on about 1.9% of New Hampshire checklists.
Where in New Hampshire are Ruddy Ducks seen most often?
By county, Strafford County, Rockingham County, and Carroll County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ruddy Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).