WhenToBird

Bucephala albeola · Anatidae

When Do Buffleheads Arrive in Maine?

Adult Bufflehead
Photo: Robert Harris, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Buffleheads are winter birds in Maine: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by late October, peak in the second week of January (18% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 18% of Maine checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 19% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 18% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 18% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 18% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 16% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 17% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 15% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 16% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 15% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 15% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 15% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 15% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 14% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 13% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.9% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.8% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.5% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.2% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.3% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 16% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 17% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 17% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 18% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 17% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 18% 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. Washington CountyBest early December · 146 checklists that week, 35,967 in all43%
  2. Knox CountyBest mid January · 459 checklists that week, 34,453 in all39%
  3. Sagadahoc CountyBest mid February · 671 checklists that week, 21,736 in all38%
  4. Androscoggin CountyBest early November · 353 checklists that week, 16,955 in all34%
  5. Lincoln CountyBest mid January · 1148 checklists that week, 59,429 in all27%
  6. Hancock CountyBest the second week of January · 1558 checklists that week, 118,358 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Long CoveWaldo County, best late December · 24 checklists that week, 2,744 in all98%
  2. Simpson PointCumberland County, best late December · 25 checklists that week, 492 in all98%
  3. Lake CarolynYork County, best early April · 25 checklists that week, 291 in all97%
  4. Crockett PointKnox County, best the second week of March · 23 checklists that week, 310 in all97%
  5. Bass Harbor Marsh (Marshall Brook)Hancock County, best the second week of March · 21 checklists that week, 153 in all96%
  6. Back Cove (Portland)Cumberland County, best early January · 20 checklists that week, 605 in all95%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Bufflehead is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (9.4% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 1.7% of 19895 checklists6 am: 3.4% of 54578 checklists7 am: 4.8% of 92775 checklists8 am: 6.1% of 86962 checklists9 am: 6.9% of 78989 checklists10 am: 7.9% of 70954 checklists11 am: 8.4% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 8.8% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 9.6% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 9.2% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 7.8% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 5.0% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 3.0% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 2.0% 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
January19%18%18%18%
February16%17%15%16%
March15%15%15%15%
April14%13%11%7.9%
May4.8%1.5%0.5%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
October0.2%0.7%3.2%8.3%
November15%15%16%17%
December17%18%17%18%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives mid October, in the same week than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives mid October, in the same week than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives mid October, in the same week than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives late October, 1 week later than Maine

Common questions

When do Buffleheads arrive in Maine?
Buffleheads are winter birds in Maine: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by late October, peak in the second week of January (18% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Buffleheads leave Maine?
Most Buffleheads have left Maine by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Bufflehead in Maine?
The Bufflehead is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 18% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Buffleheads seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Knox County, and Sagadahoc County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bufflehead (counties with at least 200 checklists).