WhenToBird

Spinus pinus · Fringillidae

When Do Pine Siskins Arrive in Maine?

Adult Pine Siskin
Photo: Dominique Bérubé, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Pine Siskins are winter birds in Maine: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in late October (6.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: late October. First arrivals late September; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 6.3% of Maine checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.0% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.2% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.5% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.8% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.1% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.6% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.0% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.6% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.1% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.1% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.0% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.2% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.7% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.4% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.4% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.9% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.8% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.0% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.2% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.0% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.3% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.1% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.7% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.5% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.5% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.4% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.5% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.4% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.4% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.3% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.4% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.5% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.2% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.8% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.7% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.0% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.0% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.3% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.7% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.0% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.9% 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 March · 157 checklists that week, 16,817 in all37%
  2. Piscataquis CountyBest late October · 126 checklists that week, 14,837 in all31%
  3. Franklin CountyBest mid April · 196 checklists that week, 14,182 in all27%
  4. Somerset CountyBest early April · 125 checklists that week, 12,202 in all17%
  5. Oxford CountyBest the second week of March · 171 checklists that week, 15,115 in all11%
  6. Sagadahoc CountyBest early November · 210 checklists that week, 21,736 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Four Seasons Trail AssnAroostook County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 218 in all38%
  2. Sandy Stream PondPiscataquis County, best the second week of June · 21 checklists that week, 116 in all25%
  3. Appalachian National Scenic TrailFranklin County, best early June · 23 checklists that week, 166 in all25%
  4. City of Bangor (Stillwater Avenue)Penobscot County, best late April · 30 checklists that week, 374 in all24%
  5. Knights CornerWaldo County, best late April · 36 checklists that week, 779 in all22%
  6. Monhegan IslandLincoln County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 4,434 in all22%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Pine Siskin is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (3.8% 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: 3.2% of 19895 checklists6 am: 3.9% of 54578 checklists7 am: 3.6% of 92775 checklists8 am: 3.3% of 86962 checklists9 am: 2.8% of 78989 checklists10 am: 2.4% of 70954 checklists11 am: 2.2% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 2.0% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 2.0% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 1.7% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 1.6% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 1.2% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 0.8% 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
January1.7%2.0%2.2%2.5%
February2.8%3.1%3.6%4.0%
March4.6%5.1%5.1%4.0%
April4.2%4.7%4.4%4.4%
May3.9%3.8%3.0%2.2%
June2.0%1.3%1.1%0.7%
July0.5%0.5%0.4%0.5%
August0.2%0.2%0.3%0.2%
September0.2%0.3%0.4%1.4%
October2.3%4.4%6.5%7.2%
November4.8%4.7%4.0%3.0%
December2.3%1.7%2.0%1.9%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives late September, in the same week than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives early October, 1 week later than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives early October, 1 week later than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks later than Maine

Common questions

When do Pine Siskins arrive in Maine?
Pine Siskins are winter birds in Maine: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in late October (6.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do Pine Siskins leave Maine?
Most Pine Siskins have left Maine by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid June.
When is the best time to see a Pine Siskin in Maine?
The Pine Siskin is reported most often in late October, on about 6.3% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Pine Siskins seen most often?
By county, Aroostook County, Piscataquis County, and Franklin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pine Siskin (counties with at least 200 checklists).