WhenToBird

Anas rubripes · Anatidae

When Do American Black Ducks Arrive in Maine?

Adult American Black Duck
Photo: Lisa Wiencek Gerbec, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Black Ducks are in Maine all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of October, peak in late March (21% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of April. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 2.7% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakMar 22-31late March
Fall back byApr 8-14the second week of April
FewestJun 15-21mid June

Best: late March. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of October and fall back by the second week of April. Peak: on about 21% of Maine checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 17% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 16% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 16% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 18% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 18% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 17% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 15% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 17% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 18% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 19% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 21% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 22% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 20% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 16% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.9% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.9% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.4% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.9% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.7% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.5% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.8% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.7% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.6% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.3% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.5% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.0% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.0% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.3% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.6% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.2% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.7% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.7% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.2% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.7% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 11% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 14% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 19% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 19% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 19% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 17% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 16% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 17% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 16% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 16% of 14285 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Maine that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Maine

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sagadahoc CountyBest the second week of February · 717 checklists that week, 21,736 in all36%
  2. Washington CountyBest late November · 221 checklists that week, 35,967 in all34%
  3. Androscoggin CountyBest early November · 353 checklists that week, 16,955 in all29%
  4. Knox CountyBest mid March · 532 checklists that week, 34,453 in all27%
  5. Cumberland CountyBest mid March · 3193 checklists that week, 169,501 in all26%
  6. York CountyBest early November · 1702 checklists that week, 101,844 in all25%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Reid State ParkSagadahoc County, best late January · 32 checklists that week, 663 in all96%
  2. Howard L. Mendall WmaWaldo County, best mid March · 25 checklists that week, 359 in all95%
  3. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge (Bragdon Brook)York County, best late March · 25 checklists that week, 359 in all93%
  4. Back CoveCumberland County, best mid March · 31 checklists that week, 1,543 in all93%
  5. Abagadasset RiverSagadahoc County, best early April · 26 checklists that week, 167 in all93%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Maine, the American Black Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (510) to judge1 am: too few checklists (517) to judge2 am: too few checklists (581) to judge3 am: too few checklists (3242) to judge4 am: too few checklists (7221) to judge5 am: 7.0% of 19895 checklists6 am: 9.6% of 54578 checklists7 am: 9.7% of 92775 checklists8 am: 10% of 86962 checklists9 am: 11% of 78989 checklists10 am: 11% of 70954 checklists11 am: 12% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 12% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 12% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 12% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 12% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 9.8% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 7.5% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 5.9% of 18309 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14287) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5336) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2253) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1518) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (720) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January17%16%16%18%
February18%17%15%17%
March18%19%21%22%
April20%16%12%8.9%
May5.9%4.4%3.9%3.7%
June3.5%2.8%2.7%2.6%
July3.3%3.5%4.0%5.0%
August6.3%6.6%7.2%7.7%
September7.7%8.2%9.7%11%
October12%13%14%17%
November19%19%19%17%
December16%17%16%16%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives mid July, 11 weeks earlier than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives late July, 10 weeks earlier than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives early August, 9 weeks earlier than Maine

Common questions

When do American Black Ducks arrive in Maine?
American Black Ducks are in Maine all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of October, peak in late March (21% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of April. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 2.7% of checklists.
When do American Black Ducks leave Maine?
American Black Ducks never fully leave Maine: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of April, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.7% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Black Duck in Maine?
The American Black Duck is reported most often in late March, on about 21% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are American Black Ducks seen most often?
By county, Sagadahoc County, Washington County, and Androscoggin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Black Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).