How to Bird Watch in New Hampshire

Bird watching in New Hampshire provides great viewing opportunities across the state. Birding is a pastime for tens of thousands of New Hampshire citizens and visitors to the state. Good bird watching locations abound from the Atlantic Coast to the deep woods, where New Hampshire birders have identified over 365 bird species in the state, and visiting bird watchers can easily add dozens of species to their personal list.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Bird watching guide
• A spotting scope or binoculars
• Sunscreen
• Water
• Notebook

1. Start bird watching in New Hampshire by visiting Concord, where local birders have been documenting bird sightings for well over a century. The varied habitat types provide the perfect setting for exceptional birding. Some of the bird species available for viewing include Wood Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, Killdeer, Robins, American Golden Plover and thousands of waterfowl and other migrants during seasonal migration periods.
2. Travel to the Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge in the mountains just north of the Presidential Range. The refuge has been known to New Hampshire birders since at least 1911, when it was featured in a birding book by Horace Wright. Over 214 bird species have been identified in the refuge area. There are several wetlands on the refuge, and numerous wildlife species such a beaver and moose also call the refuge home.
3. Enjoy outstanding bird watching at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island. The 4,662-acre refuge occupies three-fourths of Plum Island and offers some of the very best bird watching of anywhere on the Atlantic coast area. Over 300 bird species seasonally inhabit the refuge. Due to the sensitive nature of some of the more fragile habitats, special permits may be required to enter several areas during various times of the year.
4. See the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Newington for a fine collection of bird species. The refuge's diverse habitat types (forested uplands, grasslands, forested wetlands and salt marsh) each have a diverse bird population.
5. Print out maps, guides and checklists before birding in New Hampshire (see Resources below). New Hampshire has many high quality bird watching sites, so enjoy a few.