WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in Maine?

Adult American Goldfinch
Photo: Andy Wilson, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The American Goldfinch is in Maine all year. It turns up on about 58% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 25% in its quietest week (early March).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 8-14the second week of May
Quietest weekMar 1-7early March

Best: the second week of May. Here all year. Peak: on about 58% of Maine checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 28% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 26% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 27% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 25% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 27% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 25% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 28% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 25% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 25% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 26% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 28% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 31% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 34% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 40% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 45% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 51% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 58% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 61% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 56% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 47% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 40% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 40% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 40% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 42% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 46% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 49% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 51% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 53% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 56% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 57% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 56% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 51% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 45% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 42% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 38% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 35% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 32% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 27% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 28% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 33% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 37% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 38% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 39% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 38% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 37% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 37% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 35% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 32% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Maine

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of August · 1147 checklists that week, 59,429 in all74%
  2. Androscoggin CountyBest the second week of August · 211 checklists that week, 16,955 in all71%
  3. Kennebec CountyBest early August · 848 checklists that week, 48,185 in all70%
  4. Penobscot CountyBest the second week of August · 826 checklists that week, 56,895 in all68%
  5. Sagadahoc CountyBest the second week of May · 748 checklists that week, 21,736 in all66%
  6. Waldo CountyBest the second week of May · 1182 checklists that week, 33,433 in all66%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Harbor IslandKnox County, best the second week of July · 20 checklists that week, 116 in all100%
  2. Baxter WoodsCumberland County, best late July · 23 checklists that week, 1,002 in all100%
  3. Fishermans CoveCumberland County, best the second week of August · 36 checklists that week, 940 in all97%
  4. Great Salt Bay FarmLincoln County, best late July · 28 checklists that week, 1,776 in all97%
  5. Bay Bridge Landing Wetland ParkCumberland County, best the second week of August · 44 checklists that week, 1,493 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (60% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%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: 56% of 19895 checklists6 am: 62% of 54578 checklists7 am: 58% of 92775 checklists8 am: 52% of 86962 checklists9 am: 45% of 78989 checklists10 am: 39% of 70954 checklists11 am: 34% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 33% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 31% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 29% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 28% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 32% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 36% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 37% 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
January28%26%27%25%
February27%25%28%25%
March25%26%28%31%
April34%40%45%51%
May58%61%56%47%
June40%40%40%42%
July46%49%51%53%
August56%57%56%51%
September45%42%38%35%
October32%27%28%33%
November37%38%39%38%
December37%37%35%32%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: year-round, peaks the second week of August
  • Massachusetts: all year, most in summer, peaks the second week of August
  • Vermont: all year, most in summer, peaks the second week of August
  • Rhode Island: all year, most in summer, peaks early August

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in Maine?
The American Goldfinch is in Maine all year. It turns up on about 58% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 25% in its quietest week (early March).
When do American Goldfinches leave Maine?
The American Goldfinch does not leave Maine: it is reported all year, from 25% of checklists in early March to 58% in the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in Maine?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 58% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Lincoln County, Androscoggin County, and Kennebec County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).