White Mountains & North Country · Sargent's Purchase

Mount Washington & the Alpine Zone

The largest alpine area east of the Rockies and south of Canada — and the only place in New Hampshire for its two alpine breeders.

Above roughly 4,800 feet the trees give out and the Presidential Range carries a true Arctic-alpine tundra — a cold island left behind by the last glaciation, hundreds of miles south of where this habitat otherwise exists.

Two birds nest here and essentially nowhere else in the state. Bicknell’s Thrush sings from the krummholz at dusk in June and early July, mostly along the Auto Road between about 3,500 and 5,000 feet. American Pipit — a handful of pairs — nests higher, on the open fellfield lawns near the summit cone, one of only a few breeding sites in the eastern U.S.

Dark-eyed Juncos and White-throated Sparrows are common in the scrub; ravens and Peregrine Falcons work the ridges. In late fall, before snow closes the road, Snow Buntings and pipits stage on the summit gravel on their way through.

Target birds here

Dark-eyed JuncoBreeds in the mountains and North Country; floods the whole state as a winter feeder bird Snow BuntingWinter visitor, October to March, coast and open country; does not breed in NH Bicknell's ThrushVery local breeder, mid-June to mid-August, in stunted high-elevation spruce-fir above ~3,000 ft American PipitVery rare alpine breeder on the Presidentials; regular but easily missed migrant, coast and open country, in fall

See Mount Washington & the Alpine Zone on the migration map →