WhenToBird

Plectrophenax nivalis · Calcariidae

When Do Snow Buntings Arrive in New Hampshire?

Adult male Snow Bunting
Photo: William Stephens, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Snow Buntings are winter birds in New Hampshire: they arrive in late October, peak in the second week of November (5.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Most gone byMar 1-7early March

Best: the second week of November. First arrivals late October; most are gone by early March. Peak: on about 5.9% of New Hampshire checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 2.1% of 8253 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.5% of 5998 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.4% of 5734 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.5% of 7776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.2% of 5253 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 6802 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 8852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.5% of 5792 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.8% of 6187 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.2% of 6977 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.5% of 7863 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.3% of 11746 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 9329 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 10499 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 10376 checklistsApr 22-30: 0% of 13086 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 13198 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 14980 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 12487 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 14294 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% 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: 0.1% of 6863 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 6284 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.8% of 8287 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.8% of 7584 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.6% of 6056 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.2% of 5597 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.2% of 7140 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.0% of 4623 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.6% of 4920 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.0% of 6416 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.7% 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. Rockingham CountyBest the second week of November · 1414 checklists that week, 84,864 in all15%
  2. Coos CountyBest the second week of November · 391 checklists that week, 27,719 in all5.5%
  3. Cheshire CountyBest late January · 930 checklists that week, 39,834 in all4.1%
  4. Belknap CountyBest the second week of November · 321 checklists that week, 13,295 in all3.9%
  5. Carroll CountyBest the second week of November · 575 checklists that week, 30,580 in all3.8%
  6. Merrimack CountyBest the second week of November · 564 checklists that week, 36,980 in all3.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hampton Beach State ParkRockingham County, best the second week of November · 112 checklists that week, 2,502 in all93%
  2. Ragged Neck PointRockingham County, best the second week of November · 67 checklists that week, 2,179 in all46%
  3. Haydens MillpondHillsborough County, best mid November · 22 checklists that week, 1,099 in all40%
  4. UNH PropertyStrafford County, best the second week of November · 23 checklists that week, 905 in all40%
  5. Town of Exeter Sewerage Lagoons ReservoirRockingham County, best mid November · 32 checklists that week, 2,293 in all34%

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

Best time of day

In New Hampshire, the Snow Bunting is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (1.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 0.5% of 23140 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 43401 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 48039 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 43328 checklists10 am: 1.3% of 37073 checklists11 am: 1.5% of 32028 checklists12 pm: 1.5% of 27396 checklists1 pm: 1.3% of 25182 checklists2 pm: 1.3% of 24318 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 21974 checklists4 pm: 0.5% 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
January2.1%2.5%3.4%3.5%
February2.2%1.3%1.3%1.5%
March1.8%1.2%0.5%0.3%
April0.2%0.1%0%0%
May0.1%0%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0.1%0.2%1.8%
November5.8%6.6%5.2%4.2%
December3.0%2.6%2.0%1.7%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives late October, in the same week than New Hampshire
  • Vermont: arrives late October, in the same week than New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island: arrives late October, in the same week than New Hampshire
  • Maine: arrives late October, in the same week than New Hampshire

Common questions

When do Snow Buntings arrive in New Hampshire?
Snow Buntings are winter birds in New Hampshire: they arrive in late October, peak in the second week of November (5.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early March.
When do Snow Buntings leave New Hampshire?
Most Snow Buntings have left New Hampshire by early March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of March.
When is the best time to see a Snow Bunting in New Hampshire?
The Snow Bunting is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 5.9% of New Hampshire checklists.
Where in New Hampshire are Snow Buntings seen most often?
By county, Rockingham County, Coos County, and Cheshire County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Snow Bunting (counties with at least 200 checklists).