WhenToBird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Accipitridae

When Do Bald Eagles Arrive in Maine?

Adult Bald Eagle
Photo: Marcel_Pepin, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Bald Eagle is in Maine all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (the second week of September) and on 6.1% in its quietest week (mid June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 8-14the second week of September
Quietest weekJun 15-21mid June

Best: the second week of September. Here all year. Peak: on about 12% of Maine checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 10% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.9% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 10% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 10% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 11% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 11% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 11% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 10% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 10% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.8% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.4% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.3% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.9% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.7% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.0% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.3% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.0% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.1% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.8% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.4% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.5% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 11% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 12% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 10% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.4% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.7% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.3% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.1% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.8% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.5% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.9% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.9% 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 all46%
  2. Washington CountyBest late February · 208 checklists that week, 35,967 in all25%
  3. Lincoln CountyBest mid January · 1148 checklists that week, 59,429 in all20%
  4. Waldo CountyBest late August · 860 checklists that week, 33,433 in all19%
  5. Aroostook CountyBest the second week of August · 196 checklists that week, 16,817 in all19%
  6. Kennebec CountyBest early April · 1157 checklists that week, 48,185 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. KEP - Back River - Swett MarshSagadahoc County, best the second week of February · 114 checklists that week, 212 in all86%
  2. Bradbury Mountain State ParkCumberland County, best late March · 25 checklists that week, 377 in all79%
  3. Green Point Wildlife Management AreaLincoln County, best mid March · 20 checklists that week, 1,082 in all78%
  4. Wharton PointCumberland County, best the second week of July · 27 checklists that week, 2,229 in all72%
  5. Five Mile HarborSagadahoc County, best late December · 88 checklists that week, 543 in all69%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Bald Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (11% 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: 9.0% of 19895 checklists6 am: 10% of 54578 checklists7 am: 8.9% of 92775 checklists8 am: 9.3% of 86962 checklists9 am: 11% of 78989 checklists10 am: 11% of 70954 checklists11 am: 11% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 10% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 10% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 10% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 9.4% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 9.1% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 8.1% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 6.6% 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
January10%9.9%10%10%
February11%11%11%11%
March11%11%11%11%
April11%10%11%10%
May8.8%8.4%7.3%6.9%
June6.7%6.0%6.3%6.0%
July7.1%7.8%8.4%9.5%
August11%12%12%12%
September12%12%13%12%
October11%11%11%10%
November9.4%9.7%9.3%9.1%
December8.8%9.5%9.9%9.9%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Bald Eagles arrive in Maine?
The Bald Eagle is in Maine all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (the second week of September) and on 6.1% in its quietest week (mid June).
When do Bald Eagles leave Maine?
The Bald Eagle does not leave Maine: it is reported all year, from 6.1% of checklists in mid June to 12% in the second week of September.
When is the best time to see a Bald Eagle in Maine?
The Bald Eagle is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 12% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Bald Eagles seen most often?
By county, Sagadahoc County, Washington County, and Lincoln County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bald Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).