WhenToBird

2 loon species in Maine

When Do Loons Arrive in Maine?

Adult Common Loon
Photo: Hungry-Sarracenia Photo, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Loons and Red-throated Loons are the loons you are most likely to see in Maine. The Common Loon is in Maine all year. It turns up on about 20% of checklists at its peak (early January) and on 8.8% in its quietest week (mid June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJan 1-7early January
Quietest weekJun 15-21mid June

Best: early January. Here all year. Peak: on about 20% of Maine checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

Loons in Maine, species by species

SpeciesFirst arrivalsCommon byPeakMost gone byPeak %
Common Loonall year–Jan 1-7–20%
Red-throated LoonOct 8-14Oct 15-21Nov 8-14Dec 22-317.1%
0%10%20%30%Common LoonRed-throated LoonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
  • Common Loon
  • Red-throated Loon
Share of complete checklists reporting each species, by week (4 per month). Gaps: fewer than 10 checklists that week.

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.

Where in Maine

Best counties for Common Loon

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Knox CountyBest mid December · 401 checklists that week, 34,453 in all39%
  2. Sagadahoc CountyBest late December · 477 checklists that week, 21,736 in all38%
  3. Piscataquis CountyBest mid August · 304 checklists that week, 14,837 in all35%
  4. Lincoln CountyBest mid January · 1148 checklists that week, 59,429 in all30%
  5. York CountyBest early December · 1296 checklists that week, 101,844 in all30%
  6. Waldo CountyBest mid September · 618 checklists that week, 33,433 in all29%

Common questions

When do loons arrive in Maine?
The Common Loon is in Maine all year. It turns up on about 20% of checklists at its peak (early January) and on 8.8% in its quietest week (mid June).
When do loons leave Maine?
The Common Loon does not leave Maine: it is reported all year, from 8.8% of checklists in mid June to 20% in early January.
When is the best time to see loons in Maine?
The Common Loon is reported most often in early January, on about 20% of Maine checklists.
Which loons are in Maine?
Common Loon and Red-throated Loon are reported regularly; the Common Loon is the most common.