WhenToBird

Gavia stellata · Gaviidae

When Do Red-throated Loons Arrive in Maine?

Adult Red-throated Loon
Photo: Elizabeth Green, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red-throated Loons are winter birds in Maine: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in the second week of November (7.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late December.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Most gone byDec 22-31late December

Best: the second week of November. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by late December. Peak: on about 7.1% of Maine checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 2.4% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.7% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.9% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.2% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.1% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.1% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.3% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.1% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.8% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.6% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.5% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.6% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% 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: 0.1% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.6% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.4% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.5% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.7% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.0% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.6% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.8% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.9% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.7% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.8% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.8% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.3% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Maine

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. York CountyBest the second week of November · 1535 checklists that week, 101,844 in all17%
  2. Sagadahoc CountyBest the second week of December · 177 checklists that week, 21,736 in all12%
  3. Waldo CountyBest mid November · 369 checklists that week, 33,433 in all10%
  4. Cumberland CountyBest the second week of November · 2147 checklists that week, 169,501 in all8.7%
  5. Knox CountyBest the second week of November · 424 checklists that week, 34,453 in all7.7%
  6. Hancock CountyBest the second week of November · 1238 checklists that week, 118,358 in all6.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Simpson PointCumberland County, best late November · 20 checklists that week, 492 in all58%
  2. Arey CoveHancock County, best the second week of November · 80 checklists that week, 1,909 in all57%
  3. Back CreekYork County, best the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 620 in all50%
  4. Long CoveWaldo County, best the second week of November · 30 checklists that week, 2,744 in all50%
  5. Little BeachYork County, best the second week of November · 42 checklists that week, 1,164 in all48%
  6. Footbridge BeachYork County, best the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 687 in all48%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Red-throated Loon is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 0.6% of 19895 checklists6 am: 1.2% of 54578 checklists7 am: 0.9% of 92775 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 86962 checklists9 am: 1.2% of 78989 checklists10 am: 1.4% of 70954 checklists11 am: 1.5% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 1.4% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 1.5% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 0.2% 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
January2.4%1.7%1.9%1.7%
February1.5%1.3%1.2%1.1%
March1.1%1.1%1.3%1.1%
April0.8%1.0%0.6%0.5%
May0.5%0.4%0.5%0.6%
June0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
September0.2%0.2%0.2%0.3%
October0.6%1.4%2.5%4.7%
November7.0%7.6%6.8%5.9%
December4.7%2.8%2.8%2.3%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives mid October, 1 week later than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives mid October, 1 week later than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives mid October, 1 week later than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives mid October, 1 week later than Maine

Common questions

When do Red-throated Loons arrive in Maine?
Red-throated Loons are winter birds in Maine: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in the second week of November (7.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late December.
When do Red-throated Loons leave Maine?
Most Red-throated Loons have left Maine by late December, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late March.
When is the best time to see a Red-throated Loon in Maine?
The Red-throated Loon is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 7.1% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Red-throated Loons seen most often?
By county, York County, Sagadahoc County, and Waldo County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-throated Loon (counties with at least 200 checklists).