WhenToBird

Quiscalus quiscula · Icteridae

When Do Common Grackles Arrive in Maine?

Adult Common Grackle
Photo: Derek Spencer, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Grackles reach Maine in early March, are common by mid March, peak in the second week of May (28% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byJul 15-21mid July

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals early March; most are gone by mid July. Peak: on about 28% of Maine checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seprare
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.2% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.4% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.8% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.2% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 16% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 21% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 22% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 24% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 24% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 25% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 27% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 28% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 28% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 25% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 21% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 21% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 20% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 19% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 19% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 16% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 12% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.5% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.8% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.7% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.6% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.1% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.1% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.0% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.7% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.1% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.8% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.9% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.9% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.4% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.7% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.6% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.0% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.5% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.5% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% 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. Aroostook CountyBest mid April · 271 checklists that week, 16,817 in all53%
  2. Kennebec CountyBest mid June · 1173 checklists that week, 48,185 in all37%
  3. Lincoln CountyBest mid May · 2206 checklists that week, 59,429 in all36%
  4. York CountyBest the second week of May · 3742 checklists that week, 101,844 in all34%
  5. Penobscot CountyBest early May · 1764 checklists that week, 56,895 in all33%
  6. Cumberland CountyBest mid May · 7127 checklists that week, 169,501 in all32%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Capisic Pond ParkCumberland County, best mid April · 147 checklists that week, 4,578 in all96%
  2. City of BangorPenobscot County, best mid May · 131 checklists that week, 2,579 in all95%
  3. Plymouth PondPenobscot County, best the second week of June · 27 checklists that week, 539 in all94%
  4. Gould LandingPenobscot County, best early May · 30 checklists that week, 813 in all92%
  5. Prays Brook Marsh PreserveHancock County, best early May · 30 checklists that week, 304 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Common Grackle is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (22% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%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: 24% of 19895 checklists6 am: 22% of 54578 checklists7 am: 17% of 92775 checklists8 am: 14% of 86962 checklists9 am: 12% of 78989 checklists10 am: 10% of 70954 checklists11 am: 8.8% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 8.5% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 8.5% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 8.4% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 9.0% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 12% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 13% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 14% 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
January0.2%0.2%0.1%0.2%
February0.2%0.2%0.5%1.4%
March3.8%9.2%16%21%
April22%24%24%25%
May27%28%28%25%
June21%21%20%19%
July19%16%12%9.5%
August6.8%4.7%3.6%3.1%
September3.1%3.0%3.7%4.1%
October3.8%3.9%5.9%7.4%
November5.7%3.6%2.0%1.0%
December0.5%0.5%0.4%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives late February, 1 week earlier than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of February, 3 weeks earlier than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives late February, 1 week earlier than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives early February, 4 weeks earlier than Maine

Common questions

When do Common Grackles arrive in Maine?
Common Grackles reach Maine in early March, are common by mid March, peak in the second week of May (28% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.
When do Common Grackles leave Maine?
Most Common Grackles have left Maine by mid July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid November.
When is the best time to see a Common Grackle in Maine?
The Common Grackle is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 28% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Common Grackles seen most often?
By county, Aroostook County, Kennebec County, and Lincoln County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Grackle (counties with at least 200 checklists).