WhenToBird

Scolopax minor · Scolopacidae

When Do American Woodcocks Arrive in Maine?

Adult American Woodcock
Photo: jeffcherry, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

American Woodcocks are winter birds in Maine: they arrive in early March, peak in late March (3.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byMay 22-31late May

Best: late March. First arrivals early March; most are gone by late May. Peak: on about 3.5% of Maine checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febrare
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octrare
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%1%2%3%4%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: 0.1% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.3% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.5% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.7% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.2% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.6% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.4% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.2% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.1% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.2% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.2% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.2% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.6% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.5% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.4% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.4% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.4% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.5% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.4% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.4% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.5% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.3% 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% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% 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. Somerset CountyBest early April · 125 checklists that week, 12,202 in all8.9%
  2. Washington CountyBest early April · 342 checklists that week, 35,967 in all7.3%
  3. Waldo CountyBest early April · 720 checklists that week, 33,433 in all5.1%
  4. Lincoln CountyBest mid March · 774 checklists that week, 59,429 in all5.1%
  5. Oxford CountyBest early April · 265 checklists that week, 15,115 in all5.0%
  6. York CountyBest mid March · 1330 checklists that week, 101,844 in all4.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Knights CornerWaldo County, best early April · 37 checklists that week, 779 in all30%
  2. River Point Conservation AreaCumberland County, best early April · 23 checklists that week, 1,146 in all25%
  3. Great Pond Mountain WildlandHancock County, best late May · 28 checklists that week, 232 in all24%
  4. Emmon's Preserve, Gravelly Brook Rd.York County, best late March · 28 checklists that week, 389 in all22%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the American Woodcock is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (1.6% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 1.3% of 19895 checklists6 am: 0.6% of 54578 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 92775 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 86962 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 78989 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 70954 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 2.7% 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%0.1%0.1%0.2%
March0.5%2.3%3.5%3.7%
April3.2%2.6%1.4%1.2%
May1.1%1.2%1.2%1.2%
June0.6%0.5%0.4%0.4%
July0.4%0.5%0.4%0.3%
August0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
September0.1%0.2%0.2%0.4%
October0.4%0.4%0.5%0.5%
November0.2%0.3%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0%0%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives early March, in the same week than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives late February, 1 week earlier than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives mid February, 2 weeks earlier than Maine

Common questions

When do American Woodcocks arrive in Maine?
American Woodcocks are winter birds in Maine: they arrive in early March, peak in late March (3.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.
When do American Woodcocks leave Maine?
Most American Woodcocks have left Maine by late May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Woodcock in Maine?
The American Woodcock is reported most often in late March, on about 3.5% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are American Woodcocks seen most often?
By county, Somerset County, Washington County, and Waldo County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Woodcock (counties with at least 200 checklists).