WhenToBird

Antigone canadensis · Gruidae

When Do Sandhill Cranes Arrive in New Mexico?

Adult Sandhill crane
Photo: Cathy Perkins, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Sandhill Cranes are winter birds in New Mexico: the first arrive in late September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in mid November (24% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakNov 15-21mid November
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: mid November. First arrivals late September; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 24% of New Mexico checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 17% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 16% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 16% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 15% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 15% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 15% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 15% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 15% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 13% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.0% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.0% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.1% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.1% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 9889 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 9322 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 8341 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 10562 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 9036 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 8461 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 8585 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 11800 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 8289 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 8882 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 9136 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 12662 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 9936 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 9581 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.4% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.7% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 15% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 19% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 23% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 24% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 23% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 24% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 21% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 18% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 16% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 16% 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. Valencia CountyBest mid November · 116 checklists that week, 8,351 in all72%
  2. Socorro CountyBest mid November · 1112 checklists that week, 33,508 in all51%
  3. Chaves CountyBest mid November · 98 checklists that week, 5,298 in all48%
  4. Colfax CountyBest the second week of October · 277 checklists that week, 8,053 in all44%
  5. Bernalillo CountyBest the second week of November · 2360 checklists that week, 135,737 in all39%
  6. Sandoval CountyBest early January · 757 checklists that week, 32,643 in all36%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bernalillo Waterfowl Management AreaSocorro County, best mid November · 28 checklists that week, 1,193 in all100%
  2. Los Poblanos FieldsBernalillo County, best the second week of November · 45 checklists that week, 2,494 in all98%
  3. Valle de Oro National Wildlife RefugeBernalillo County, best early November · 68 checklists that week, 3,551 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the Sandhill Crane is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (9.2% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 4.6% of 29677 checklists7 am: 5.6% of 71785 checklists8 am: 7.3% of 79208 checklists9 am: 8.4% of 61605 checklists10 am: 9.2% of 49588 checklists11 am: 9.2% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 8.8% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 8.9% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 8.9% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 9.3% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 8.7% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 4.2% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 1.3% 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
January17%16%16%15%
February15%15%15%15%
March13%8.0%4.0%2.1%
April1.1%0.2%0.2%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0%0.1%0%
September0.1%0%0.1%1.4%
October6.7%11%15%19%
November23%24%23%24%
December21%18%16%16%

Neighboring states

  • Arizona: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks later than New Mexico
  • Colorado: arrives late September, in the same week than New Mexico
  • Utah: arrives the second week of February, 18 weeks later than New Mexico
  • Oklahoma: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks later than New Mexico

Common questions

When do Sandhill Cranes arrive in New Mexico?
Sandhill Cranes are winter birds in New Mexico: the first arrive in late September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in mid November (24% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Sandhill Cranes leave New Mexico?
Most Sandhill Cranes have left New Mexico by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late March.
When is the best time to see a Sandhill Crane in New Mexico?
The Sandhill Crane is reported most often in mid November, on about 24% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are Sandhill Cranes seen most often?
By county, Valencia County, Socorro County, and Chaves County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Sandhill Crane (counties with at least 200 checklists).