What to look for in nature in New Hampshire this May

Which birds arrive in New Hampshire in May?

• The warbler wave

  All month, with the northernmost species later · Woodland edges, wet thickets, orchards and any tree with new leaves

  The late April arrivals (black-and-white, northern parula and black-throated green warblers) are followed through early and mid-May by the rest of the wave. NH Audubon notes that the species that breed farthest north, blackpoll, Wilson’s and Tennessee warblers, peak later in the month than the rest. Common yellowthroats are back at the start of May, and veeries and other thrushes usually come in during the month. Go out at first light, when singing is at its best and the leaves are still small enough to see through.

• Hummingbirds, grosbeaks, buntings and orioles

  First week of May for hummingbirds; about May 5 to 10 for the others · Feeders, gardens, shrubby edges

  NH Audubon says ruby-throated hummingbirds start showing up reliably in the first week of May, and rose-breasted grosbeaks, indigo buntings and Baltimore orioles arrive around May 5 to 10. The last three often visit feeders when they first land, then vanish into the woods as the weather warms. Journey North collects volunteer sightings of hummingbirds on a map, so you can watch the front move north and add your own first sighting.

• Flycatchers, terns and shorebirds

  Early to late May · Flycatchers in woods and wet thickets; terns and shorebirds mostly on the coast

  Least flycatchers arrive first, in early May. Alder, willow and yellow-bellied flycatchers follow in the middle and end of the month, and most are in by late May. Shorebirds peak around the middle of May, mostly right on the coast, though a rainy night can drop a few inland. Mid-May is also the best time to look for terns migrating over lakes and rivers, and short-billed dowitchers are expected inland around May 20.

• Watching migration by radar

  Spring migration, as the maps run March 1 to June 15 · Online, then out your back door

  Cornell’s BirdCast uses weather radar to forecast how many birds will fly on coming nights, and its live maps run from March 1 to June 15. It also sends migration alerts for cities across the lower 48 and asks people to turn off unneeded lights and make glass visible, since lit windows and towers are dangerous to birds flying at night. A heavy night on the forecast is a good reason to walk out early the next morning.

Where can you see bobolinks, peregrine falcons and nighthawks in May?

• Bobolinks in the hayfields

  Arriving in May, nesting into summer · Open hayfields and meadows

  Bobolinks winter in southern South America and reach the Northeast in May. The male’s song is a bubbling, robotic jumble, and he sings in flight over the grass. The female builds a cup nest on the ground and lays three to seven eggs, which hatch after about 13 days, and the chicks leave the nest at 10 or 11 days old, before they can fly. NH Audubon says the bobolink is still common but declining, and that mowing in the breeding season is a sure way to destroy nests. The Bobolink Project, which NH Audubon supports, pays farmers to delay their first cut. If you own a field, wait until the young have fledged. The state-threatened eastern meadowlark is far scarcer: NH Audubon’s estimate from a 2021 survey was fewer than 30 pairs at about 25 sites.

• Peregrine falcons on cliffs and towers

  Nesting season; chicks have been banded in late May · Cliffs in the White Mountains; the Brady Sullivan Tower in Manchester

  The first cliff-nesting pair in New England returned to Franconia Notch in 1981, and NH Audubon reports a record 37 territorial pairs statewide in 2025. Staff band chicks at the Brady Sullivan Tower in Manchester, where in 2024 two chicks were banded on May 23, and about 400 chicks have been banded in all. The Manchester Peregrine Cam is the easy way to watch. Climbing closures have protected nest cliffs at times, so check the current status before climbing on any cliff in spring.

• Common nighthawks over town

  Dusk, once they are back · Over lit streets and flat rooftops

  NH Audubon lists the common nighthawk as state-threatened. It once nested on gravel rooftops in towns across the state, and the shift to rubber and PVC roofing is a major reason it has gone from many of them. Since 2007 the Project Nighthawk team has laid gravel nest patches on flat roofs in Keene and Concord. The page does not give an arrival date, so begin listening at dusk in the last days of May for the nasal “peent” call and the swooping, insect-hunting flight over bright lights.

What young animals are being born in New Hampshire in May?

• Deer fawns

  Most are born in May and June · Fields, brush, lawn edges

  NH Fish and Game says most fawns arrive in May and June. A doe leaves her fawn alone for long stretches so that predators do not pick up its scent, and for the first month she visits only a few times a day. Finding one curled up alone in the grass is normal. The department’s advice is to leave it there, and if you think it is hurt or orphaned, to call Fish and Game at (603) 271-2461 instead of moving it. Do not offer it milk or formula, which can cause severe diarrhea.

• Moose on the roads

  May through October is the risky stretch · Roads near wetlands and through the North Country

  Fish and Game’s annual reminder says New Hampshire averages 64 moose-vehicle collisions a year, based on the last five years it counted, and that May to October is the high-risk period. Moose step onto pavement to lick road salt left from winter, and a dark brown animal against dark asphalt is almost invisible at night. Collisions are most frequent at dusk and after dark. Slow down in moose country, scan the shoulders and keep your stopping distance within your headlights.

• Eaglets in the nest

  May, when chicks are large enough to band · Lakes, rivers and the coast

  In 2024 NH Audubon counted 115 territorial bald eagle pairs, a record, and 81 young fledged. In May 2024 biologists from NH Audubon and Maine’s Biodiversity Research Institute took blood and feather samples from 10 eaglets at five nests to test for PFAS and other contaminants, and fitted them with coded bands. Eagles are sensitive to disturbance near the nest, so watch through binoculars from far away.

• Turkey hens on nests

  May · Dry ground under logs and dense cover

  Northern Woodlands describes a hen laying about one egg a day for up to two weeks, then incubating only once the clutch is complete, so the eggs hatch together. A typical nest has 10 to 12 eggs. Cold snaps and heavy rain take a toll, and a hen that loses her nest can try a second time before May ends. If you flush a turkey from the ground, step away from that spot.

Which frogs and toads are calling in New Hampshire in May?

• Toads and tree frogs take over

  May and June · Shallow ponds, roadside pools and wet meadows

  Fish and Game says spring peepers, American toads, Fowler’s toads, pickerel frogs and gray tree frogs are all still calling into May and June, and that mink frogs, green frogs and bullfrogs carry the chorus into July. Visit the same pond on three evenings in May and see who joins.

• Rare amphibians worth reporting

  Wet spring evenings · Roads, ponds and wetlands

  Fish and Game asks to hear about marbled salamanders, Fowler’s toads and northern leopard frogs in particular, since they are rare or listed in the state. A photo with the date and location helps. The big rainy-night road crossings are mostly an April story, covered on the April page.

What is blooming in New Hampshire in May, and what is the state flower?

• Trout lily and the trilliums

  Late April through May, later in the cold hills · Rich hardwood woods, streambanks

  Trout lily’s lemon-yellow bells, red trillium (also called wake-robin) and the white, pink-striped painted trillium are the classics. By midsummer many of them have sunk back into their roots. Pink lady’s slipper blooms in the White Mountains, and in colder, higher places the spring show can last into early June.

• The purple lilac

  Varies by town and year · Old dooryards and farmsteads

  State law names the purple lilac as New Hampshire’s state flower. No agency gives a statewide bloom date, because it depends on the weather in each town, so track the lilac nearest you from first buds to first scent and write the date down.

• Wild lupine and the Karner blue

  Caterpillars pupate in mid-May; adults fly in late May and early June · The Ossipee Pine Barrens and other sandy, open sites

  According to the federal wildlife agency, the Karner blue butterfly depends on wild lupine and is found in parts of New Hampshire. Its caterpillars hatch in April, pupate in mid-May, and the adults emerge from late May to early June, though timing shifts a little by location. Northern Woodlands writes that the Ossipee barrens, between Silver and Ossipee Lakes, hold pitch pine, scrub oak, lupine and threatened species. The butterfly is rare and the habitat needs fire or other clearing to stay open, so go with a guide or a conservation group instead of wandering alone.

What is happening on the New Hampshire coast in May?

• Shorebirds and terns passing through

  Peak around mid-May · Hampton Harbor, the beaches and the Piscataqua River

  NH Audubon says shorebirds peak in mid-May, mostly right on the coast, and that spring numbers are generally lower than in fall. Common and roseate terns nest on the Isles of Shoals and feed along the coast, especially at Hampton Harbor and off New Castle.

• Eider chicks and the Isles of Shoals

  Late May and early June · Offshore islands, with chicks near shore

  The same guide says common eider chicks appear in numbers at the coast in late May and early June, and that eiders breed in New Hampshire only at the Isles of Shoals. American oystercatchers have recently begun nesting there too.

• Piping plover nesting areas

  The nesting season · Hampton and Seabrook beaches

  Parts of the beaches are roped off for the endangered birds. The Fish and Game biologist told NHPR that New Hampshire-hatched birds have a good chance of returning to their home beaches. Keep outside the rope and keep dogs on a leash.

How much daylight does New Hampshire gain in May?

What is May weather in New Hampshire, and what are the hazards?

• Black flies

  Early to mid-May in the south; late May to early June in the north · Streams, trails and shaded yards

  UNH Extension says the main biting species, the white-stockinged black fly, comes out in the first half of May in the state’s south and bothers people until the month ends. In the north it comes later. Flies bite most from 9 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m., and on humid, cloudy days and just before storms. Long sleeves, light colors, head nets and repellent on cuffs and wrists help.

• Late freezes and fruit bloom

  First half of the month · Valleys and hollows

  The freeze table below shows Hanover clear of frost by about May 15 in nine years out of ten, while the north can see it into early June. Cover tender seedlings when the forecast calls for the thirties.

• Wildfire and burn permits

  Dry spells before and during green-up · Statewide

  NHPR reported in April 2026 that drought was driving more wildfires and deep-burning fires, and that equipment, vehicles and target shooting can start them. Get a burn permit before any open fire when snow is not on the ground, and fully extinguish it.

• Winter, still, on the mountain

  Any day in May · Mount Washington and the Presidential Range

  The Mount Washington summit has recorded snow in every month, and its May normal is 12.9 inches. The Mount Washington Avalanche Center describes spring hazards in Tuckerman Ravine, including icefall, glide cracks, undermined snow over streams and wet avalanches. Treat the high peaks as a winter place and pack accordingly.

When is the last spring freeze in New Hampshire?

What can you see in the New Hampshire night sky in May 2027?

• The Flower Moon, and a seasonal Blue Moon

  Full at 6:59 a.m. EDT, Thursday, May 20 · Rising in the east on the evenings of May 19 and 20

  The full moon rises as the sun sets on the 19th, at about 7:45 p.m. in Boston by our calculation, and is full at dawn the next morning. This is also a seasonal Blue Moon. The astronomical spring season holds four full moons, and SeaSky calls the third of those the Blue Moon. Using the calendar-month definition, none falls in 2027. Call it the Flower Moon first.

• The Eta Aquariids, in an excellent year

  Best mornings May 5, 6 and 7, before dawn · Toward the east, in the last hours before dawn

  With the new moon on May 6, the sky stays moonless all night, which SeaSky says gives skies dark all night. SeaSky puts the best rate near 60 an hour south of the equator and near 30 in northern latitudes. Counts run lower here, because Aquarius, the shower’s starting point, climbs into view for only a short spell before sunrise. Recline before dawn and watch the whole eastern sky.

• Mercury in the evening

  Best May 12 to June 5; greatest elongation May 28 · Low in the west-northwest after sunset

  Mercury’s widest separation from the sun in this evening showing, 22.8 degrees, arrives at 9:14 a.m. EDT on Friday, May 28, so the prime evenings are May 27 and May 28. By our calculation for the central U.S., it sets roughly 97 minutes after the sun in mid-May, and it fades fast in June. Your best odds are a clear western horizon and a start 45 to 90 minutes past sunset.

• Jupiter, Venus and Saturn

  Moon beside Jupiter on May 12; Venus and Saturn close on May 7 · Jupiter in the evening sky; Venus and Saturn low in the east before sunrise

  By our calculation the moon is 1.2 degrees from Jupiter at closest, at 5:52 p.m. EDT on May 12, while it is still light. After dark that evening the pair is easy to find. Early on May 7, Venus and Saturn pass only 0.6 degrees apart in Pisces, but they hug the eastern horizon in twilight, and binoculars help.

• The Milky Way core

  About May 1 to 12 and May 25 to 31 · Low in the south, away from town lights

  Computed for the central U.S., the windows when the galactic core is up and the moon is down run from May 1 to about May 12 and from about May 25 to 31, and they shrink a little at New Hampshire’s northern latitude. A clear, moonless night and an open view south, away from town lights, are what matter.

What can New Hampshire families do outdoors in May 2027?

Safety notes for May in New Hampshire