WhenToBird

Sturnella neglecta · Icteridae

When Do Western Meadowlarks Arrive in New Mexico?

Adult Western Meadowlark
Photo: Aiva Noringseth, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Western Meadowlarks are in New Mexico all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid January, peak in early April (9.5% of checklists), and fall back by early July. In the quietest week (early September) they are still on about 3.3% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJan 15-21mid January
PeakApr 1-7early April
Fall back byJul 1-7early July
FewestSep 1-7early September

Best: early April. Here all year; numbers build from mid January and fall back by early July. Peak: on about 9.5% of New Mexico checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 6.1% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.3% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.6% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.8% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.8% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.4% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.6% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.4% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.9% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.4% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.5% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.4% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.6% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.6% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.7% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.8% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.2% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.3% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.6% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.6% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.9% of 9889 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.7% of 9322 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.6% of 8341 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.4% of 10562 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.1% of 9036 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.6% of 8461 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.3% of 8585 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.8% of 11800 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.0% of 8289 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.8% of 8882 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.0% of 9136 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.5% of 12662 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.3% of 9936 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.0% of 9581 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.1% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.5% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.9% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.9% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.1% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.9% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.1% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.7% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.1% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.4% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.7% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.9% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.7% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.6% 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. Union CountyBest late March · 57 checklists that week, 2,373 in all58%
  2. Harding CountyBest the second week of June · 30 checklists that week, 932 in all53%
  3. Mora CountyBest late April · 51 checklists that week, 2,730 in all52%
  4. Valencia CountyBest late March · 251 checklists that week, 8,351 in all45%
  5. Curry CountyBest late May · 119 checklists that week, 2,926 in all43%
  6. Colfax CountyBest the second week of October · 277 checklists that week, 8,053 in all42%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Valle de Oro National Wildlife RefugeBernalillo County, best mid March · 55 checklists that week, 3,551 in all96%
  2. Atrisco ReservoirBernalillo County, best mid April · 20 checklists that week, 518 in all86%
  3. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (north 2)Socorro County, best early May · 24 checklists that week, 396 in all84%
  4. Reservoir Number 13Colfax County, best the second week of October · 27 checklists that week, 402 in all84%
  5. Lake Number FourteenColfax County, best mid October · 30 checklists that week, 245 in all83%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the Western Meadowlark is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (7.9% 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: 8.6% of 29677 checklists7 am: 7.6% of 71785 checklists8 am: 7.8% of 79208 checklists9 am: 7.6% of 61605 checklists10 am: 6.9% of 49588 checklists11 am: 6.3% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 6.1% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 6.3% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 6.1% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 5.7% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 5.7% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 5.2% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 5.5% 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
January6.1%6.3%6.6%6.8%
February6.8%6.4%6.6%7.4%
March7.9%8.4%9.5%9.4%
April9.6%9.6%8.7%8.8%
May8.2%8.3%8.6%7.6%
June7.9%6.7%7.6%7.4%
July7.1%5.6%5.3%4.8%
August4.0%3.8%4.0%3.5%
September3.3%3.0%4.1%4.5%
October6.9%7.9%7.1%7.9%
November8.1%7.7%7.1%7.4%
December6.7%5.9%5.7%5.6%

Neighboring states

  • Arizona: arrives mid September, 16 weeks earlier than New Mexico
  • Colorado: arrives mid March, 8 weeks later than New Mexico
  • Utah: arrives mid March, 8 weeks later than New Mexico
  • Oklahoma: arrives mid August, 20 weeks earlier than New Mexico

Common questions

When do Western Meadowlarks arrive in New Mexico?
Western Meadowlarks are in New Mexico all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid January, peak in early April (9.5% of checklists), and fall back by early July. In the quietest week (early September) they are still on about 3.3% of checklists.
When do Western Meadowlarks leave New Mexico?
Western Meadowlarks never fully leave New Mexico: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early July, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.3% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Western Meadowlark in New Mexico?
The Western Meadowlark is reported most often in early April, on about 9.5% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are Western Meadowlarks seen most often?
By county, Union County, Harding County, and Mora County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Western Meadowlark (counties with at least 200 checklists).