WhenToBird

Melanitta perspicillata · Anatidae

When Do Surf Scoters Arrive in New Hampshire?

Adult male Surf Scoter
Photo: Elliott Gordon, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Surf Scoters are winter birds in New Hampshire: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in early January (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakJan 1-7early January
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: early January. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 5.2% of New Hampshire checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 5.8% of 8253 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.2% of 5998 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.9% of 5734 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.1% of 7776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.2% of 5253 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.2% of 6802 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.0% of 8852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.1% of 5792 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.0% of 6187 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.0% of 6977 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.6% of 7863 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 11746 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 9329 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 10499 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.9% of 10376 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 13086 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 13198 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.6% of 14980 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 12487 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 14294 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 8974 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 8395 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 7670 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 9188 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 7707 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 6554 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 6636 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 9599 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 6436 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 6477 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% 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: 0.3% of 7619 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 6702 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.5% of 6863 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.1% of 6284 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.1% of 8287 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.0% of 7584 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.3% of 6056 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.0% of 5597 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.6% of 7140 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.8% of 4623 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.2% of 4920 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.6% of 6416 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.4% 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. Rockingham CountyBest early January · 2718 checklists that week, 84,864 in all18%
  2. Coos CountyBest mid October · 391 checklists that week, 27,719 in all2.0%
  3. Grafton CountyBest late October · 868 checklists that week, 45,699 in all0.6%
  4. Sullivan CountyBest late October · 229 checklists that week, 13,105 in all0.5%
  5. Belknap CountyBest mid October · 172 checklists that week, 13,295 in all0.5%
  6. Cheshire CountyBest late October · 913 checklists that week, 39,834 in all0.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ragged Neck PointRockingham County, best mid February · 72 checklists that week, 2,179 in all73%
  2. Fairhill SwampRockingham County, best late December · 20 checklists that week, 517 in all73%
  3. Seal RocksRockingham County, best late December · 24 checklists that week, 483 in all72%
  4. New Castle IslandRockingham County, best early February · 22 checklists that week, 341 in all70%
  5. Awcomin Swamp (Ragged Neck Point)Rockingham County, best the second week of December · 26 checklists that week, 834 in all69%
  6. Hampton Beach State Park (Plaice Cove)Rockingham County, best the second week of February · 21 checklists that week, 959 in all68%

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

Best time of day

In New Hampshire, the Surf Scoter is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (2.8% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 0.7% of 23140 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 43401 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 48039 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 43328 checklists10 am: 2.0% of 37073 checklists11 am: 2.5% of 32028 checklists12 pm: 2.7% of 27396 checklists1 pm: 2.8% of 25182 checklists2 pm: 2.6% of 24318 checklists3 pm: 2.1% of 21974 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 17958 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 14528 checklists6 pm: 0.4% 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
January5.8%4.2%3.9%4.1%
February3.2%3.2%3.0%3.1%
March3.0%2.0%1.6%1.4%
April1.2%1.0%0.9%0.8%
May0.8%0.6%0.4%0.4%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.3%
October0.9%1.5%2.1%3.1%
November4.0%3.3%3.0%3.6%
December3.8%4.2%2.6%5.4%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives late September, 2 weeks earlier than New Hampshire
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than New Hampshire
  • Maine: arrives the second week of September, 4 weeks earlier than New Hampshire

Common questions

When do Surf Scoters arrive in New Hampshire?
Surf Scoters are winter birds in New Hampshire: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in early January (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Surf Scoters leave New Hampshire?
Most Surf Scoters have left New Hampshire by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Surf Scoter in New Hampshire?
The Surf Scoter is reported most often in early January, on about 5.2% of New Hampshire checklists.
Where in New Hampshire are Surf Scoters seen most often?
By county, Rockingham County, Coos County, and Grafton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Surf Scoter (counties with at least 200 checklists).