WhenToBird

Calidris minutilla · Scolopacidae

When Do Least Sandpipers Arrive in Maine?

Adult Least Sandpiper
Photo: Alessandro Franchini, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Least Sandpipers mostly pass through Maine: the first show up in early July, they are common by mid July, peak in mid August (13% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 1-7early July
Common byJul 15-21mid July
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Most gone bySep 15-21mid September

Best: mid August. First arrivals early July; most are gone by mid September. Peak: on about 13% of Maine checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octrare
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0% 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: 0.1% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.9% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.9% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.6% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.0% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.7% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.3% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.7% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.3% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 14% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.9% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.6% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.3% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.1% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.4% 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% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. York CountyBest mid August · 1975 checklists that week, 101,844 in all26%
  2. Washington CountyBest mid August · 1234 checklists that week, 35,967 in all19%
  3. Cumberland CountyBest mid August · 2737 checklists that week, 169,501 in all19%
  4. Knox CountyBest mid August · 905 checklists that week, 34,453 in all19%
  5. Aroostook CountyBest mid August · 162 checklists that week, 16,817 in all14%
  6. Waldo CountyBest mid August · 732 checklists that week, 33,433 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rachel Carson National Wildlife RefugeCumberland County, best mid August · 29 checklists that week, 946 in all83%
  2. Cobscook Bay Wildlife Management AreaWashington County, best mid August · 96 checklists that week, 569 in all82%
  3. Scarborough Marsh Wildlife Management Area (northeast)Cumberland County, best mid August · 44 checklists that week, 719 in all80%
  4. Mill PondHancock County, best mid August · 23 checklists that week, 232 in all78%
  5. Scarborough Marsh Wildlife Management AreaCumberland County, best mid August · 162 checklists that week, 4,768 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Least Sandpiper is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (3.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 3.0% of 19895 checklists6 am: 3.1% of 54578 checklists7 am: 2.4% of 92775 checklists8 am: 2.4% of 86962 checklists9 am: 2.2% of 78989 checklists10 am: 2.0% of 70954 checklists11 am: 1.9% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 1.8% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 1.8% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 1.9% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 2.2% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 2.7% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 3.2% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 2.9% 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
May0.9%1.9%2.9%1.6%
June0.4%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July1.0%3.7%4.3%5.7%
August9.3%12%14%13%
September11%6.9%4.6%2.3%
October1.1%0.4%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives early July, in the same week than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives early July, in the same week than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives mid July, 2 weeks later than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives late June, 1 week earlier than Maine

Common questions

When do Least Sandpipers arrive in Maine?
Least Sandpipers mostly pass through Maine: the first show up in early July, they are common by mid July, peak in mid August (13% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.
When do Least Sandpipers leave Maine?
Most Least Sandpipers have left Maine by mid September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early October.
When is the best time to see a Least Sandpiper in Maine?
The Least Sandpiper is reported most often in mid August, on about 13% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Least Sandpipers seen most often?
By county, York County, Washington County, and Cumberland County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Least Sandpiper (counties with at least 200 checklists).