WhenToBird

Larus glaucoides · Laridae

When Do Iceland Gulls Arrive in Maine?

Adult Iceland Gull
Photo: Diego González Dopico, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Iceland Gulls are winter birds in Maine: they arrive in mid November, peak in mid January (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 15-21mid November
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakJan 15-21mid January
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: mid January. First arrivals mid November; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 1.2% of Maine checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.1% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.5% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.5% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.3% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% 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% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.3% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.8% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.7% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.7% 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. Androscoggin CountyBest early January · 280 checklists that week, 16,955 in all4.2%
  2. Aroostook CountyBest the second week of November · 129 checklists that week, 16,817 in all3.9%
  3. Penobscot CountyBest early December · 628 checklists that week, 56,895 in all2.5%
  4. Washington CountyBest the second week of November · 241 checklists that week, 35,967 in all2.3%
  5. Cumberland CountyBest mid January · 2625 checklists that week, 169,501 in all2.3%
  6. Waldo CountyBest the second week of February · 454 checklists that week, 33,433 in all2.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mill Creek ParkCumberland County, best early February · 39 checklists that week, 760 in all41%
  2. Owls Head HarborKnox County, best early February · 21 checklists that week, 216 in all35%
  3. Waterfront ParkPenobscot County, best mid February · 34 checklists that week, 662 in all22%
  4. Chester G Bridges Tennis ComplexPenobscot County, best the second week of December · 20 checklists that week, 1,035 in all18%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Iceland Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (0.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%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: 0.1% of 19895 checklists6 am: 0.1% of 54578 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 92775 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 86962 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 78989 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 70954 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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
January0.8%1.3%1.0%1.3%
February1.1%0.9%0.8%0.8%
March0.8%0.5%0.5%0.3%
April0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
November0.3%0.3%0.6%0.8%
December0.6%0.8%0.7%0.7%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives late November, 1 week later than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of December, 3 weeks later than Maine
  • Connecticut: arrives early December, 2 weeks later than Maine
  • New York: arrives late November, 1 week later than Maine

Common questions

When do Iceland Gulls arrive in Maine?
Iceland Gulls are winter birds in Maine: they arrive in mid November, peak in mid January (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Iceland Gulls leave Maine?
Most Iceland Gulls have left Maine by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Iceland Gull in Maine?
The Iceland Gull is reported most often in mid January, on about 1.2% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Iceland Gulls seen most often?
By county, Androscoggin County, Aroostook County, and Penobscot County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Iceland Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).