WhenToBird

Bonasa umbellus · Phasianidae

When Do Ruffed Grouse Arrive in Maine?

Adult male Ruffed Grouse
Photo: mrdace, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Ruffed Grouse arrive in Maine in late August, peak in late April (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakApr 22-30late April
Most gone byAug 1-7early August

Best: late April. First arrivals late August; most are gone by early August. Peak: on about 3.7% of Maine checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.9% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.9% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.8% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.9% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.9% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.9% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.9% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.3% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.1% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.6% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.0% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.6% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.4% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.6% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.1% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.6% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.9% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.5% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.6% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.4% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.5% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.2% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.8% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.7% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.6% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.2% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.7% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.6% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.3% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.5% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.2% 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. Piscataquis CountyBest early May · 133 checklists that week, 14,837 in all19%
  2. Aroostook CountyBest early May · 353 checklists that week, 16,817 in all18%
  3. Washington CountyBest mid April · 580 checklists that week, 35,967 in all15%
  4. Franklin CountyBest the second week of October · 190 checklists that week, 14,182 in all12%
  5. Somerset CountyBest late April · 222 checklists that week, 12,202 in all11%
  6. Waldo CountyBest late April · 1086 checklists that week, 33,433 in all9.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Comstock PointWashington County, best mid April · 21 checklists that week, 1,031 in all72%
  2. City of Bangor (Stillwater Avenue)Penobscot County, best late April · 30 checklists that week, 374 in all57%
  3. City Forest (southwest)Penobscot County, best late April · 40 checklists that week, 673 in all45%
  4. Long CoveWaldo County, best the second week of May · 156 checklists that week, 2,744 in all25%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Ruffed Grouse is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (3.6% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 4.8% of 19895 checklists6 am: 3.2% of 54578 checklists7 am: 2.2% of 92775 checklists8 am: 1.9% of 86962 checklists9 am: 1.5% of 78989 checklists10 am: 1.4% of 70954 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 1.2% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 1.0% 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
January0.8%0.9%0.9%0.8%
February0.8%0.5%0.8%0.9%
March0.7%0.9%0.9%0.9%
April1.3%2.1%3.6%4.0%
May3.6%3.4%3.6%3.1%
June2.6%1.9%1.5%1.6%
July1.4%1.5%1.2%0.8%
August0.6%0.4%0.7%0.6%
September0.6%0.8%0.9%1.2%
October1.7%1.6%1.3%1.5%
November1.0%1.1%1.0%0.9%
December0.8%1.1%1.2%1.2%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives mid March, 21 weeks earlier than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives mid March, 21 weeks earlier than Maine
  • New York: arrives mid March, 21 weeks earlier than Maine
  • Michigan: arrives early August, 3 weeks earlier than Maine

Common questions

When do Ruffed Grouse arrive in Maine?
Ruffed Grouse arrive in Maine in late August, peak in late April (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.
When do Ruffed Grouse leave Maine?
Most Ruffed Grouse have left Maine by early August, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Ruffed Grouse in Maine?
The Ruffed Grouse is reported most often in late April, on about 3.7% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Ruffed Grouse seen most often?
By county, Piscataquis County, Aroostook County, and Washington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ruffed Grouse (counties with at least 200 checklists).