Seacoast · Newington

Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge

A 1,000-acre tidal estuary — New Hampshire's inland saltwater, and a raptor magnet in winter.

Great Bay is a drowned river valley seven miles from the ocean, connected to it by a tidal reach through Portsmouth. Twice a day the tide drops and exposes huge mudflats that pull in migrant shorebirds in late summer and rafts of dabbling ducks, scaup, Bufflehead, and Common Goldeneye through the colder months.

The refuge’s high salt marsh, at Great Bay’s northern edge, is one of New Hampshire’s few Saltmarsh Sparrow strongholds — go in June or July on a rising tide, and go with someone who knows the exact spot.

Winter is raptor season: Bald Eagles along the open water, Northern Harriers over the marsh, Rough-legged Hawks some years, and in an irruption winter, a Snowy Owl on the flats. The grasslands on the old airbase also host wintering Short-eared Owls in the last hour of light.

Target birds here

American GoldfinchYear-round resident; flocks wander widely in winter Downy WoodpeckerYear-round resident, every habitat with trees, statewide Mourning DoveYear-round resident statewide; more numerous in the south American CrowYear-round resident statewide; forms large winter roosts, some in city centres Common LoonBreeds on clear lakes statewide, a state conservation success story; winters on the seacoast Saltmarsh SparrowLocal breeder in coastal salt marsh, late May–August; globally vulnerable and declining fast Rusty BlackbirdUncommon passage migrant, March–April and October–November; a very few breed in North Country bogs Snowy OwlIrruptive winter visitor, late November–March; abundant some winters, nearly absent others

See Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge on the migration map →