This is New Hampshire Audubon’s Rare Bird Alert for Monday, March 16, 2026.
A male KING EIDER was seen at Four Tree Island and at Peirce Island in Portsmouth on March 15th.
A BARNACLE GOOSE and a CACKLING GOOSE were seen at Sawyer’s Farm on River Road in Walpole on March 14th and 15th.
A ROSS’S GOOSE was seen at the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Charlestown on March 15th, and 2 SNOW GEESE were seen at the Malnati Farm in Walpole on the 13th.
12 BRANT were seen at Hampton Beach State Park on March 12th.
A female CANVASBACK was seen at Jackson’s Landing and a few times at the nearby Durham Town Landing on the Oyster River on March 11-15.
4 RED-THROATED LOONS were seen at Adams Point Wildlife Management Area in Great Bay in Durham on March 11th.
A PIED-BILLED GREBE was seen at Jackson’s Landing in Durham on March 13th, and 1 was seen on the Ossipee River from NH Audubon’s Watts Wildlife Sanctuary in Effingham on the 14th.
A male BARROW’S GOLDENEYE was seen on the coast south of Odiorne Point State Park in Rye on March 12th.
A GREAT EGRET was seen at South Mill Pond in Portsmouth on March 12th.
A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was seen in West Lebanon on March 13th.
There was an unconfirmed report of a GOLDEN EAGLE seen at the Storrs Pond Recreation Area in Hanover on March 14th.
Single NORTHERN HARRIERS were seen in Warner, Litchfield, Concord, Durham, Dover, Hillsborough, and Orford during the past week.
An AMERICAN KESTREL was seen in Monroe, and 1 was seen in Newfields, both during the past week.
A MERLIN was seen in Colebrook, 1 was seen in Twin Mountain, 1 was seen in Errol, 1 was seen in Henniker, 1 was seen in Concord, and 1 was seen in Northfield, all during the past week.
5 BLACK VULTURES were seen in Newmarket on March 14th, 3 were seen in Sullivan on the 11th, 1 was seen in Grafton on the 10th, and 1 was seen in Durham on the 9th.
A NORTHERN SHRIKE was seen on Route 10 in Orford on March 13th.
A BALTIMORE ORIOLE continues to be seen in Kingston and was last reported on March 15th.
A flock of 80 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS was seen on Chellis Road in Plainfield on March 14th, and a flock of 60+ was seen in Sullivan on the 15th.
86 EVENING GROSBEAKS were seen at a bird-feeding station in Jefferson on March 13th, and smaller scattered flocks were seen throughout the state.
A flock of 9 REDPOLLS was seen on Route 16 in Dummer on March 14th.
A WINTER WREN was reported from Nashua on March 9th, and an unconfirmed report of a NORTHERN HOUSE WREN came from Durham on March 12th.
A BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER and a PINE GROSBEAK were seen at Mud Pond in Jefferson on March 10th.
A YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was seen in Lyme on March 10th, and 1 was seen in Madbury on the 14th.
2 RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS were seen at Mechanic Street in Gorham on March 14th, and a NORTHERN FLICKER was seen in Keene on the 13th.
Early-arrival EASTERN PHOEBES were reported from Hollis, Epping, Peterborough, Jaffrey, Durham, and Atkinson all during the past week.
3 TREE SWALLOWS were seen in Hinsdale on March 10th.
2 AMERICAN PIPITS were seen in Salem on March 14th, and 1 was seen in Durham on the 15th.
A HERMIT THRUSH continues to be seen in Gilford, and was last reported on March 11th. A HERMIT THRUSH was also reported from Madbury on the 14th.
AMERICAN WOODCOCKS were reported from several locations during the past week. PEENT!
A WILSON’S SNIPE was seen in Portsmouth on March 11th.
A GREATER YELLOWLEGS was seen in farm fields along Route 155A in Durham on March 15th.
The warming weather should open-up bodies of water, which will attract water birds of all sorts – so keep your eyes and ears alert and please share your sightings!
An archive of rare bird alerts is available at nhaudubon.org/rba. If you have seen any rare birds recently you can leave a voicemail at (603) 224-9909, following the prompts on how to report a rare bird. You can also send your sightings via email to birdsetc@nhaudubon.org. Please put “Rare Bird” in the subject line and include the location of the sighting and your phone number.
What is the Rare Bird Alert?
The New Hampshire Rare Bird Alert is a list of birds that is posted, usually on a weekly basis on NH Audubon’s website, and several public websites. The primary goal of the list is to help bird watchers find uncommon or rare birds that occur within the geographical boundaries of NH.
What makes a bird rare?
A bird may be considered rare if it’s outside its usual range, present at an unusual time of year, or found in an unexpected part of the state. For example, a Red-bellied Woodpecker in southern NH is expected, but one in Coos County would be unusual. A Black-throated Blue Warbler in summer is normal but in winter it would be rare. While a Roseate Spoonbill would be rare in any season. To learn more, read “So You Think You Found a Rare Bird? A Quick Guide to What Counts and How to Report It” on the Joy of Birding.
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Thanks very much and good birding.