WhenToBird

Falco sparverius · Falconidae

When Do American Kestrels Arrive in Maine?

Adult male American Kestrel
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Kestrels arrive in Maine in late March, peak in mid April (5.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 22-31late March
Common byMar 22-31late March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: mid April. First arrivals late March; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 5.5% of Maine checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.2% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.1% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.3% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.3% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.0% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.9% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.2% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.2% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.9% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.9% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.1% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.0% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.2% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.2% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.4% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.5% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.7% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.3% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.2% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.2% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.3% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.0% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.7% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.2% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.7% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.0% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.2% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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. Oxford CountyBest the second week of April · 318 checklists that week, 15,115 in all15%
  2. York CountyBest mid April · 2182 checklists that week, 101,844 in all9.6%
  3. Knox CountyBest mid April · 642 checklists that week, 34,453 in all7.9%
  4. Cumberland CountyBest mid April · 4697 checklists that week, 169,501 in all6.4%
  5. Somerset CountyBest the second week of April · 183 checklists that week, 12,202 in all6.2%
  6. Aroostook CountyBest early August · 312 checklists that week, 16,817 in all6.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management AreaYork County, best mid April · 70 checklists that week, 2,041 in all69%
  2. Bradbury Mountain State ParkCumberland County, best the second week of April · 50 checklists that week, 377 in all64%
  3. Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Management Area (south)York County, best mid April · 20 checklists that week, 564 in all55%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the American Kestrel is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 1.4% of 19895 checklists6 am: 1.8% of 54578 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 92775 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 86962 checklists9 am: 1.7% of 78989 checklists10 am: 1.5% of 70954 checklists11 am: 1.5% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 1.4% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 1.4% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 1.7% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 1.6% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 1.2% 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
January0.1%0.2%0.2%0.2%
February0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.3%1.4%
April4.1%5.3%6.3%5.0%
May3.9%2.2%1.2%0.9%
June0.9%1.1%1.0%1.2%
July1.2%1.4%1.5%1.7%
August1.3%1.2%1.2%1.3%
September2.0%2.7%3.2%2.7%
October2.0%1.2%0.8%0.3%
November0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.2%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of March, 2 weeks earlier than Maine

Common questions

When do American Kestrels arrive in Maine?
American Kestrels arrive in Maine in late March, peak in mid April (5.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do American Kestrels leave Maine?
Most American Kestrels have left Maine by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Kestrel in Maine?
The American Kestrel is reported most often in mid April, on about 5.5% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are American Kestrels seen most often?
By county, Oxford County, York County, and Knox County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Kestrel (counties with at least 200 checklists).