WhenToBird

Mareca strepera · Anatidae

When Do Gadwalls Arrive in Maine?

Adult Gadwall
Photo: Anne Parsons, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Gadwalls arrive in Maine in late February, peak in early April (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakApr 1-7early April
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: early April. First arrivals late February; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 1.7% of Maine checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.3% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.4% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.7% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.9% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.1% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% 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: 0.1% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% 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: 0.5% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.7% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% 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. Aroostook CountyBest mid October · 289 checklists that week, 16,817 in all10%
  2. Knox CountyBest late March · 648 checklists that week, 34,453 in all7.0%
  3. Cumberland CountyBest early April · 4050 checklists that week, 169,501 in all3.5%
  4. Androscoggin CountyBest mid November · 237 checklists that week, 16,955 in all3.2%
  5. Penobscot CountyBest the second week of April · 1591 checklists that week, 56,895 in all1.6%
  6. Washington CountyBest early February · 188 checklists that week, 35,967 in all1.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake JosephineAroostook County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 460 in all89%
  2. Stratton IslandYork County, best the second week of May · 28 checklists that week, 353 in all59%
  3. Scarborough Marsh Wildlife Management Area (Grand Beach)Cumberland County, best the second week of April · 141 checklists that week, 2,379 in all55%
  4. R. Waldo Tyler Wildlife Management AreaKnox County, best mid March · 107 checklists that week, 3,511 in all38%
  5. Salt Bay (Oyster Creek)Lincoln County, best late January · 24 checklists that week, 272 in all24%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Gadwall is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.3% of 19895 checklists6 am: 0.4% of 54578 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 92775 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 86962 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 78989 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 70954 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 0.6% 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%0.3%0.3%0.3%
February0.2%0.2%0.2%0.4%
March0.5%0.8%1.5%1.7%
April1.9%1.6%1.1%0.7%
May0.8%0.4%0.3%0.3%
June0.3%0.3%0.2%0.2%
July0.2%0.3%0.2%0.1%
August0.2%0.2%0.2%0.1%
September0.2%0.1%0.2%0.3%
October0.3%0.4%0.5%0.5%
November0.5%0.9%0.8%0.7%
December0.7%0.4%0.4%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives late September, 20 weeks earlier than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives early March, 1 week later than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives early October, 19 weeks earlier than Maine
  • Connecticut: arrives mid October, 17 weeks earlier than Maine

Common questions

When do Gadwalls arrive in Maine?
Gadwalls arrive in Maine in late February, peak in early April (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do Gadwalls leave Maine?
Most Gadwalls have left Maine by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Gadwall in Maine?
The Gadwall is reported most often in early April, on about 1.7% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Gadwalls seen most often?
By county, Aroostook County, Knox County, and Cumberland County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Gadwall (counties with at least 200 checklists).