WhenToBird

Rallus limicola · Rallidae

When Do Virginia Rails Arrive in Maine?

Adult Virginia Rail
Photo: sprcrkwild, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Virginia Rails arrive in Maine in mid April, peak in mid May (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 15-21mid April
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone byAug 1-7early August

Best: mid May. First arrivals mid April; most are gone by early August. Peak: on about 1.5% of Maine checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seprare
  10. Octrare
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.3% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.9% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.2% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.2% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.7% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.6% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.1% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.0% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.7% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.8% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.5% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.7% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% 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: 0.2% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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. Lincoln CountyBest late May · 3553 checklists that week, 59,429 in all6.3%
  2. Penobscot CountyBest late July · 1370 checklists that week, 56,895 in all4.5%
  3. Kennebec CountyBest the second week of May · 1947 checklists that week, 48,185 in all2.5%
  4. Waldo CountyBest early June · 870 checklists that week, 33,433 in all2.0%
  5. Knox CountyBest late April · 840 checklists that week, 34,453 in all1.9%
  6. York CountyBest early May · 3100 checklists that week, 101,844 in all1.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ocean Ave Dog ParkCumberland County, best early March · 33 checklists that week, 261 in all57%
  2. Prays Brook Marsh PreserveHancock County, best the second week of May · 39 checklists that week, 304 in all41%
  3. City of BangorPenobscot County, best late July · 108 checklists that week, 2,579 in all41%
  4. Monhegan IslandLincoln County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 4,434 in all33%
  5. City of Bangor (Stillwater Avenue)Penobscot County, best early May · 28 checklists that week, 374 in all26%
  6. MedomakLincoln County, best early June · 26 checklists that week, 115 in all24%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Virginia Rail is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (1.5% 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: 2.2% of 19895 checklists6 am: 1.3% of 54578 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 92775 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 86962 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 78989 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 70954 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 0.6% 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%0%0%0.1%
February0%0%0%0%
March0.3%0%0%0.1%
April0.1%0.2%0.4%0.9%
May1.2%1.2%1.7%1.6%
June1.1%1.0%0.7%0.8%
July0.6%0.7%0.5%0.7%
August0.5%0.4%0.3%0.2%
September0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives the second week of April, 1 week earlier than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives early April, 2 weeks earlier than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of April, 1 week earlier than Maine
  • Connecticut: arrives early April, 2 weeks earlier than Maine

Common questions

When do Virginia Rails arrive in Maine?
Virginia Rails arrive in Maine in mid April, peak in mid May (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.
When do Virginia Rails leave Maine?
Most Virginia Rails have left Maine by early August, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Virginia Rail in Maine?
The Virginia Rail is reported most often in mid May, on about 1.5% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Virginia Rails seen most often?
By county, Lincoln County, Penobscot County, and Kennebec County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Virginia Rail (counties with at least 200 checklists).