Seacoast · Hampton

Hampton–Seabrook Harbor & Beach

The state's biggest salt marsh, a working harbor, and the most reliable winter Snow Bunting ground in New Hampshire.

The Hampton–Seabrook estuary is the largest salt marsh system in New Hampshire, and the stretch of coast with the most consistent open-country birding. In late summer the harbor mudflats hold migrant shorebirds — yellowlegs, plovers, peep, dowitchers, the odd Hudsonian Godwit or Marbled Godwit — best two hours either side of high tide when the flats are shrinking.

The dune line and beach wrack are the place for Snow Buntings from November, Horned Larks, Lapland Longspurs mixed in, and American Pipits in October. Irruption winters put a Snowy Owl on the jetty or the flattest part of the dunes.

Offshore from the jetty: scoters, Long-tailed Duck, Common Eider, loons, Red-necked Grebe, and gulls worth sorting — Iceland and Glaucous turn up most winters.

Target birds here

American CrowYear-round resident statewide; forms large winter roosts, some in city centres Snow BuntingWinter visitor, October to March, coast and open country; does not breed in NH Saltmarsh SparrowLocal breeder in coastal salt marsh, late May–August; globally vulnerable and declining fast American PipitVery rare alpine breeder on the Presidentials; regular but easily missed migrant, coast and open country, in fall Long-tailed DuckRegular but uncommon winter visitor to the seacoast, November–April; does not breed in NH RazorbillUncommon to rare winter visitor offshore, December–March; numbers vary a lot year to year Snowy OwlIrruptive winter visitor, late November–March; abundant some winters, nearly absent others

See Hampton–Seabrook Harbor & Beach on the migration map →