WhenToBird

Sitta carolinensis · Sittidae

When Do White-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Maine?

Adult White-breasted Nuthatch
Photo: S Boisvert, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The White-breasted Nuthatch is in Maine all year. It turns up on about 33% of checklists at its peak (early December) and on 11% in its quietest week (the second week of June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekDec 1-7early December
Quietest weekJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: early December. Here all year. Peak: on about 33% of Maine checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 27% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 27% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 29% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 27% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 29% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 30% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 32% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 28% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 27% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 28% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 27% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 27% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 26% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 28% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 27% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 25% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 26% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 26% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 21% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 15% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 11% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 11% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 13% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 16% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 16% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 16% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 17% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 17% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 18% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 19% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 21% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 24% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 25% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 26% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 28% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 30% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 29% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 30% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 31% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 30% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 31% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 32% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 32% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 33% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 33% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 31% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 31% 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 mid November · 565 checklists that week, 59,429 in all51%
  2. Kennebec CountyBest the second week of December · 569 checklists that week, 48,185 in all49%
  3. Androscoggin CountyBest the second week of December · 154 checklists that week, 16,955 in all48%
  4. Penobscot CountyBest mid December · 729 checklists that week, 56,895 in all44%
  5. Somerset CountyBest mid September · 159 checklists that week, 12,202 in all44%
  6. Oxford CountyBest the second week of February · 152 checklists that week, 15,115 in all41%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Baxter WoodsCumberland County, best late August · 26 checklists that week, 1,002 in all98%
  2. Fields Pond Audubon CenterPenobscot County, best late October · 25 checklists that week, 987 in all87%
  3. Emmon's Preserve, Gravelly Brook Rd.York County, best late January · 20 checklists that week, 389 in all84%
  4. Staples Cove (Hunts Point)Cumberland County, best late January · 32 checklists that week, 146 in all83%
  5. Gisland Farm Audubon CenterCumberland County, best early December · 54 checklists that week, 4,957 in all81%
  6. Evergreen CemeteryCumberland County, best the second week of March · 29 checklists that week, 2,175 in all76%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the White-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (35% 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: 26% of 19895 checklists6 am: 33% of 54578 checklists7 am: 36% of 92775 checklists8 am: 29% of 86962 checklists9 am: 25% of 78989 checklists10 am: 22% of 70954 checklists11 am: 20% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 19% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 18% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 18% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 17% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 16% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 16% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 13% 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
January27%27%29%27%
February29%30%32%28%
March27%28%27%27%
April26%28%27%25%
May26%26%21%15%
June11%11%12%13%
July16%16%16%17%
August17%18%19%21%
September24%25%26%28%
October30%29%30%31%
November30%31%32%32%
December33%33%31%31%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do White-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Maine?
The White-breasted Nuthatch is in Maine all year. It turns up on about 33% of checklists at its peak (early December) and on 11% in its quietest week (the second week of June).
When do White-breasted Nuthatches leave Maine?
The White-breasted Nuthatch does not leave Maine: it is reported all year, from 11% of checklists in the second week of June to 33% in early December.
When is the best time to see a White-breasted Nuthatch in Maine?
The White-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in early December, on about 33% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are White-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Lincoln County, Kennebec County, and Androscoggin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).