WhenToBird

Sitta canadensis · Sittidae

When Do Red-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Maine?

Adult Red-breasted Nuthatch
Photo: Joshua Liverman, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Red-breasted Nuthatch is in Maine all year. It turns up on about 26% of checklists at its peak (the second week of September) and on 13% in its quietest week (late March).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 8-14the second week of September
Quietest weekMar 22-31late March

Best: the second week of September. Here all year. Peak: on about 26% of Maine checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 14% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 13% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 14% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 14% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 15% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 17% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 18% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 15% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 15% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 15% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 14% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 14% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 12% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 15% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 16% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 17% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 18% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 16% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 16% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 17% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 15% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 17% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 18% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 19% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 18% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 18% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 19% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 19% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 21% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 24% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 25% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 26% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 28% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 26% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 25% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 25% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 23% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 21% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 21% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 17% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 18% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 18% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 19% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 17% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 17% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 17% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 17% 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. Franklin CountyBest late August · 366 checklists that week, 14,182 in all51%
  2. Piscataquis CountyBest the second week of October · 197 checklists that week, 14,837 in all50%
  3. Aroostook CountyBest the second week of February · 122 checklists that week, 16,817 in all41%
  4. Lincoln CountyBest mid September · 1659 checklists that week, 59,429 in all38%
  5. Hancock CountyBest late August · 3381 checklists that week, 118,358 in all38%
  6. Washington CountyBest late November · 221 checklists that week, 35,967 in all37%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sheep IslandHancock County, best late August · 21 checklists that week, 137 in all88%
  2. Whetstone BrookFranklin County, best late June · 31 checklists that week, 407 in all86%
  3. Indian Point-Blagden PreserveHancock County, best mid August · 30 checklists that week, 495 in all85%
  4. Hatch Natural AreaHancock County, best late August · 26 checklists that week, 137 in all81%
  5. The Black WoodsHancock County, best late August · 25 checklists that week, 169 in all80%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (28% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%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: 29% of 19895 checklists6 am: 28% of 54578 checklists7 am: 25% of 92775 checklists8 am: 22% of 86962 checklists9 am: 20% of 78989 checklists10 am: 17% of 70954 checklists11 am: 15% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 14% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 14% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 13% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 13% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 13% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 12% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 10% 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
January14%13%14%14%
February15%17%18%15%
March15%15%14%14%
April12%15%15%16%
May17%18%16%16%
June17%15%17%18%
July19%18%18%19%
August19%21%24%25%
September26%28%26%25%
October25%23%21%21%
November17%18%18%19%
December17%17%17%17%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Massachusetts: all year, most in fall, peaks the second week of September
  • Vermont: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Rhode Island: winter visitor, peaks mid October

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Maine?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is in Maine all year. It turns up on about 26% of checklists at its peak (the second week of September) and on 13% in its quietest week (late March).
When do Red-breasted Nuthatches leave Maine?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch does not leave Maine: it is reported all year, from 13% of checklists in late March to 26% in the second week of September.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Maine?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 26% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Red-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Franklin County, Piscataquis County, and Aroostook County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).