WhenToBird

Podiceps grisegena · Podicipedidae

When Do Red-necked Grebes Arrive in Maine?

Adult Red-necked Grebe
Photo: datadan, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red-necked Grebes are winter birds in Maine: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late November (5.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakNov 22-30late November
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: late November. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 5.1% of Maine checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 4.9% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.7% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.4% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.2% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.9% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.3% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.3% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.7% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.1% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.8% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.7% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.5% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.4% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.1% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.7% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.1% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.1% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.2% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.2% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.0% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.9% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.9% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.6% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.0% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.5% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.1% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.8% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.2% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.7% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.0% 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. Sagadahoc CountyBest late December · 477 checklists that week, 21,736 in all15%
  2. York CountyBest late November · 1747 checklists that week, 101,844 in all11%
  3. Hancock CountyBest late November · 1386 checklists that week, 118,358 in all11%
  4. Washington CountyBest early December · 146 checklists that week, 35,967 in all7.3%
  5. Knox CountyBest early December · 278 checklists that week, 34,453 in all6.5%
  6. Waldo CountyBest late October · 576 checklists that week, 33,433 in all6.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Reid State ParkSagadahoc County, best late December · 25 checklists that week, 663 in all77%
  2. East Point Audubon SanctuaryYork County, best late November · 77 checklists that week, 2,338 in all76%
  3. Reid State Park (Outer Head)Sagadahoc County, best early January · 71 checklists that week, 401 in all73%
  4. South PointYork County, best the second week of June · 29 checklists that week, 1,022 in all68%
  5. Seawall PondHancock County, best late November · 21 checklists that week, 1,604 in all61%
  6. Parsons BeachYork County, best the second week of December · 26 checklists that week, 1,272 in all51%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Red-necked Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (2.0% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 0.4% of 19895 checklists6 am: 1.3% of 54578 checklists7 am: 1.2% of 92775 checklists8 am: 1.4% of 86962 checklists9 am: 1.7% of 78989 checklists10 am: 1.9% of 70954 checklists11 am: 2.0% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 2.0% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 2.0% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 2.0% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 1.6% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 0.3% 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
January4.9%3.7%3.4%3.2%
February2.9%2.3%2.3%2.7%
March2.1%1.8%1.7%1.5%
April1.2%1.4%1.1%1.0%
May0.6%0.3%0.2%0.1%
June0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%
July0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
August0.2%0.4%0.4%0.6%
September0.7%1.1%1.1%1.2%
October1.2%2.0%2.9%3.9%
November4.6%5.0%4.5%5.1%
December5.8%4.2%4.7%4.0%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives mid October, 4 weeks later than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives late October, 5 weeks later than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives early October, 2 weeks later than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives early November, 6 weeks later than Maine

Common questions

When do Red-necked Grebes arrive in Maine?
Red-necked Grebes are winter birds in Maine: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late November (5.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Red-necked Grebes leave Maine?
Most Red-necked Grebes have left Maine by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid April.
When is the best time to see a Red-necked Grebe in Maine?
The Red-necked Grebe is reported most often in late November, on about 5.1% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Red-necked Grebes seen most often?
By county, Sagadahoc County, York County, and Hancock County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-necked Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).