WhenToBird

Agelaius phoeniceus · Icteridae

When Do Red-winged Blackbirds Arrive in Maine?

Adult male Red-winged Blackbird
Photo: infiniteuniverse, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Red-winged Blackbirds reach Maine in late February, are common by the second week of March, peak in the second week of May (41% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byJul 22-31late July

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals late February; most are gone by late July. Peak: on about 41% of Maine checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seprare
  10. Octrare
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.7% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.9% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.2% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 18% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 27% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 30% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 30% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 32% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 34% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 38% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 42% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 41% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 40% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 33% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 27% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 26% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 24% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 23% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 23% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 22% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 19% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 15% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 11% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.5% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.6% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.9% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.6% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.4% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.4% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.6% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.0% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.5% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.2% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.7% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.0% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.8% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.2% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.3% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.5% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.5% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% 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.

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Where in Maine

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kennebec CountyBest the second week of May · 1947 checklists that week, 48,185 in all51%
  2. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of May · 1602 checklists that week, 59,429 in all51%
  3. Penobscot CountyBest late April · 2080 checklists that week, 56,895 in all50%
  4. Cumberland CountyBest the second week of May · 8112 checklists that week, 169,501 in all48%
  5. York CountyBest early May · 3100 checklists that week, 101,844 in all48%
  6. Aroostook CountyBest mid April · 271 checklists that week, 16,817 in all47%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Maj. Gregory Sanborn (Brownfield Bog) Wildlife Management AreaOxford County, best early July · 21 checklists that week, 586 in all100%
  2. Alder StreamPenobscot County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 159 in all100%
  3. Jagger PondYork County, best the second week of May · 51 checklists that week, 1,870 in all99%
  4. Prays Brook Marsh PreserveHancock County, best early June · 35 checklists that week, 304 in all99%
  5. Plymouth PondPenobscot County, best the second week of June · 27 checklists that week, 539 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Red-winged Blackbird is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (29% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%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: 31% of 19895 checklists6 am: 28% of 54578 checklists7 am: 23% of 92775 checklists8 am: 20% of 86962 checklists9 am: 17% of 78989 checklists10 am: 15% of 70954 checklists11 am: 12% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 12% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 12% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 11% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 13% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 17% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 19% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 19% 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
January0.2%0.2%0.2%0.1%
February0.2%0.5%1.7%4.9%
March9.2%18%27%30%
April30%32%34%38%
May42%41%40%33%
June27%26%24%23%
July23%22%19%15%
August11%7.5%4.6%2.9%
September2.6%2.4%2.4%2.6%
October3.0%3.5%5.2%6.7%
November6.0%4.8%3.2%1.3%
December0.8%0.5%0.5%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives early March, 1 week later than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of February, 2 weeks earlier than Maine

Common questions

When do Red-winged Blackbirds arrive in Maine?
Red-winged Blackbirds reach Maine in late February, are common by the second week of March, peak in the second week of May (41% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.
When do Red-winged Blackbirds leave Maine?
Most Red-winged Blackbirds have left Maine by late July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early September.
When is the best time to see a Red-winged Blackbird in Maine?
The Red-winged Blackbird is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 41% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Red-winged Blackbirds seen most often?
By county, Kennebec County, Lincoln County, and Penobscot County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-winged Blackbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).