WhenToBird

Euphagus carolinus · Icteridae

When Do Rusty Blackbirds Arrive in Maine?

Adult female Rusty Blackbird
Photo: Carol Ann Vermeer, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Rusty Blackbirds are winter birds in Maine: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in early October (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byNov 15-21mid November

Best: early October. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by mid November. Peak: on about 1.4% of Maine checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.3% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.2% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.8% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.7% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% 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: 0.1% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.5% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.4% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.5% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.1% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.0% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.5% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.3% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% 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. Androscoggin CountyBest late October · 430 checklists that week, 16,955 in all4.6%
  2. Lincoln CountyBest early October · 1325 checklists that week, 59,429 in all4.2%
  3. Penobscot CountyBest the second week of October · 959 checklists that week, 56,895 in all2.6%
  4. Piscataquis CountyBest mid October · 113 checklists that week, 14,837 in all2.5%
  5. Kennebec CountyBest mid January · 613 checklists that week, 48,185 in all2.1%
  6. Waldo CountyBest the second week of October · 549 checklists that week, 33,433 in all2.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge (Pollack Creek)Cumberland County, best early February · 42 checklists that week, 858 in all24%
  2. Matinicus IslandKnox County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 109 in all21%
  3. Sandy Point Beach on Cousins IslandCumberland County, best the second week of October · 41 checklists that week, 760 in all19%
  4. Monhegan IslandLincoln County, best the second week of October · 104 checklists that week, 4,434 in all18%
  5. Round PondAndroscoggin County, best mid October · 34 checklists that week, 483 in all16%
  6. City of BangorPenobscot County, best early October · 41 checklists that week, 2,579 in all13%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Rusty Blackbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.3% of 19895 checklists6 am: 0.6% of 54578 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 92775 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 86962 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 78989 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 70954 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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%0.3%0.3%
February0.3%0.2%0.3%0.2%
March0.1%0.2%0.4%0.6%
April0.6%0.8%0.7%0.5%
May0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.5%1.3%
October1.4%1.5%1.1%1.0%
November0.5%0.3%0.2%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.2%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives late September, 2 weeks later than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives early October, 3 weeks later than Maine

Common questions

When do Rusty Blackbirds arrive in Maine?
Rusty Blackbirds are winter birds in Maine: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in early October (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.
When do Rusty Blackbirds leave Maine?
Most Rusty Blackbirds have left Maine by mid November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Rusty Blackbird in Maine?
The Rusty Blackbird is reported most often in early October, on about 1.4% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Rusty Blackbirds seen most often?
By county, Androscoggin County, Lincoln County, and Penobscot County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rusty Blackbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).