WhenToBird

Setophaga tigrina · Parulidae

When Do Cape May Warblers Arrive in Maine?

Adult male Cape May Warbler
Photo: Mike Mulqueen, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Cape May Warblers mostly pass through Maine: they arrive in mid August, peak in the second week of September (3.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 15-21mid August
Common byAug 15-21mid August
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals mid August; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 3.8% of Maine checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julrare
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decrare

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0.3% 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% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.8% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.5% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.5% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.5% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.4% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% 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: 0.2% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.5% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.6% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.1% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.7% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.8% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.0% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.0% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.2% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.3% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% 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% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Maine

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lincoln CountyBest mid September · 1659 checklists that week, 59,429 in all13%
  2. Franklin CountyBest late August · 366 checklists that week, 14,182 in all9.4%
  3. Somerset CountyBest early September · 148 checklists that week, 12,202 in all7.6%
  4. Waldo CountyBest early September · 648 checklists that week, 33,433 in all7.5%
  5. Piscataquis CountyBest late August · 405 checklists that week, 14,837 in all6.4%
  6. Aroostook CountyBest mid May · 507 checklists that week, 16,817 in all6.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Footbridge BeachYork County, best late December · 48 checklists that week, 687 in all47%
  2. Town Thatch BedYork County, best the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 440 in all44%
  3. Sandy Point Beach on Cousins IslandCumberland County, best early September · 63 checklists that week, 760 in all39%
  4. Appledore IslandYork County, best early September · 72 checklists that week, 422 in all37%
  5. Monhegan IslandLincoln County, best late September · 827 checklists that week, 4,434 in all33%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Cape May Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (2.6% 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: 2.2% of 19895 checklists6 am: 2.7% of 54578 checklists7 am: 1.2% of 92775 checklists8 am: 0.8% of 86962 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 78989 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 70954 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 0.3% 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
January0.3%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0%0.1%
May0.2%1.8%3.5%1.5%
June0.5%0.4%0.4%0.2%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
August0.3%0.5%1.6%3.1%
September3.7%3.8%4.0%3.0%
October1.2%0.3%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0%0%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives the second week of August, 1 week earlier than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives early May, 14 weeks earlier than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives mid August, in the same week than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of August, 1 week earlier than Maine

Common questions

When do Cape May Warblers arrive in Maine?
Cape May Warblers mostly pass through Maine: they arrive in mid August, peak in the second week of September (3.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Cape May Warblers leave Maine?
Most Cape May Warblers have left Maine by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Cape May Warbler in Maine?
The Cape May Warbler is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 3.8% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Cape May Warblers seen most often?
By county, Lincoln County, Franklin County, and Somerset County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cape May Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).