WhenToBird

Haematopus palliatus · Haematopodidae

When Do American Oystercatchers Arrive in Maine?

Adult American Oystercatcher
Photo: MarvalPhotography19, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Oystercatchers arrive in Maine in mid May, peak in the second week of August (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 15-21mid May
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals mid May; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 1.1% of Maine checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.5% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.4% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.7% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.8% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.0% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.9% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.2% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.1% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.1% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.2% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.9% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.5% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. York CountyBest late August · 2683 checklists that week, 101,844 in all5.8%
  2. Knox CountyBest the second week of July · 911 checklists that week, 34,453 in all3.1%
  3. Cumberland CountyBest the second week of August · 2716 checklists that week, 169,501 in all1.9%
  4. Washington CountyBest the second week of August · 1034 checklists that week, 35,967 in all0.9%
  5. Hancock CountyBest mid June · 3617 checklists that week, 118,358 in all0.5%
  6. Sagadahoc CountyBest the second week of August · 401 checklists that week, 21,736 in all0.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Stratton IslandYork County, best the second week of July · 33 checklists that week, 353 in all75%
  2. South PointYork County, best mid September · 27 checklists that week, 1,022 in all43%
  3. Back BayYork County, best the second week of August · 96 checklists that week, 1,607 in all42%
  4. Ship IslandHancock County, best the second week of June · 30 checklists that week, 385 in all40%
  5. Town Thatch BedYork County, best the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 440 in all35%
  6. The PoolYork County, best early July · 23 checklists that week, 685 in all30%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the American Oystercatcher is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (0.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.4% of 19895 checklists6 am: 0.5% of 54578 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 92775 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 86962 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 78989 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 70954 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 0.7% 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.2%0.1%
May0.2%0.3%0.4%0.4%
June0.4%0.5%0.5%0.4%
July0.7%0.8%1.0%0.9%
August1.2%1.1%1.1%1.2%
September0.9%0.7%0.8%0.5%
October0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives late March, 7 weeks earlier than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of March, 9 weeks earlier than Maine
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of March, 9 weeks earlier than Maine
  • New York: arrives mid March, 8 weeks earlier than Maine

Common questions

When do American Oystercatchers arrive in Maine?
American Oystercatchers arrive in Maine in mid May, peak in the second week of August (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do American Oystercatchers leave Maine?
Most American Oystercatchers have left Maine by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Oystercatcher in Maine?
The American Oystercatcher is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 1.1% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are American Oystercatchers seen most often?
By county, York County, Knox County, and Cumberland County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Oystercatcher (counties with at least 200 checklists).