Publications about NH Birds and Birding
New Hampshire Audubon's Books, Booklets & Checklists — click here for details and to order any of the following:• A Checklist of the Birds of New Hampshire with bar graphs and birding information
• A Guide to the Winter Gulls of Northern New England
• The Atlas of Breeding Birds of New Hampshire
• Birding the New Hampshire Seacoast
• Birds of New England and Birds of New Hampshire Field Checklist Cards
• New Hampshire Yardlist
• Tweeter CheaterA Birders Guide to New Hampshire (ABA Birdfinding Guide) by Alan Delorey (Currently out of print.)
New Hampshire Atlas & Gazetteer, published by DeLorme, is an invaluable reference for finding your way to birding locations.
Current NH Bird Sightings
NH Birding List Serves
NH.Birds – statewide. This e-mail list provides a forum to discuss birds and birding in New Hampshire, including recent sightings of rare and not-so-rare birds, conservation issues, and upcoming field trips. David Blezard is the list owner and Steve Mirick is the moderator. It is a free list, but you must subscribe via e-mail to post to or receive messages from the list.
NH.Birds provides:• Rare bird sightings
• Weekly Rare Bird Alerts from New Hampshire Audubon
• Summaries of New Hampshire Christmas Bird Counts
• Reports of migration, winter irruptives, and other bird highlights
• Sightings from recent field tripsFor more information and to join, visit the NH.Birds Information Page.
The NH.Birds list serve is also carried on the following web sites:PemiBirder – central New Hampshire.
UpperValley Birders – Upper Connecticut River Valley.
NH Rare Bird Alert (RBA)
Web: Current and past RBAs are on the New Hampshire Audubon web site.
The RBA is posted to the NH.Birds and other state list serves. Other birding web sites also carry the current RBA, as well as those from other states.• The Virtual Birder
• Birding on the Net
• Archives of BIRDEAST– carries nationwide RBAs. National Birding Hotline Cooperative (East)Phone: The current RBA is available by phone at New Hampshire Audubon , 603-224-9909 – ask to be transferred to the Rare Bird Alert, or press 2 as directed by the recording.
Where to Bird in NH
NH Birding Wiki site has directions to various birding locations in the state, posted by individual birders.
Birding the New Hampshire Seacoast – NH Audubon publication by Steve Mirick, available at the Concord Audubon Nature Store and on the web.
A Birders Guide to New Hampshire (ABA Birdfinding Guide) by Alan Delorey. (Currently out of print.)
New Hampshire Bird Records publishes articles regularly on where to bird in New Hampshire. Check the contents of each issue for Where to Bird articles and free feature articles.
NH Christmas Bird Count
Birdwatchers brave cold temperatures and all weather conditions to survey birds in a designated "count circle" on a given day. A count's survey area stays the same from year to year, comprising a circle fifteen miles in diameter around a central point. International in scope, the Christmas Bird Count is organized and compiled by the National Audubon Society, who coordinates all count circles so they don't overlap. There are 21 counts in New Hampshire , and they are open to all interested birders. Many are run by New Hampshire Audubon Chapters. Each count picks its own particular survey day each year between December 14 and January 5. Teams go out and survey sections of the count circle, but there are also feeder watchers within the circle who tally the birds in their backyards. View count circles and dates for the location of the state's Christmas Bird Counts and who to contact if you are interested in participating.
New Hampshire State Bird List
On April 15, 2009, a subcommittee was formed by the New Hampshire Rare Bird Committee (NHRBC) for the purpose of developing an "official" New Hampshire State Bird List. The intent of the list was to establish a baseline of accepted bird species which have occurred in New Hampshire following the current taxonomy accepted by the American Ornithologists' Union in the 7th edition of their checklist and its supplements. The list is not meant to include all records for each of the rare birds, but rather to assure that there is at least one credible record for each species that is included on the list.
Birding Workshops and Field Trips
New Hampshire Audubon and its associated chapters offer field trips and birding workshops. View the New Hampshire Audubon events calendar.
Other Helpful Birding Web Sites
- The Virtual Birder
- Birding on the Net
- Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA).
- HMANA's Hawk Count.
- New England Hummers.
- Dr. Jay Pitocchelli's Ornithology Resources.
NH Audubon Chapters
- Amoskeag Chapter
- Mascoma Chapter
- Nashaway Chapter
- Pemigiwasset Chapter
- Seacoast Chapter
- Or visit the New Hampshire Audubon site for additional postings.
Historical Bird Publications and Information
The Francis Beach White Library at New Hampshire Audubon, 84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, NH, has a collection of books and journals that are focused on birds and natural history, especially in the New England area, but also includes national and international resources. There are excellent historical bird publications of value to researchers. Contact NH Audubon for information on library hours or to make an appointment, 603-224-9909.
New Hampshire Bird Records archives at New Hampshire Audubon contain historical bird reports and journals prior to the computerization of records in 1986. Contact the Managing Editor for more information.