WhenToBird

Zonotrichia albicollis · Passerellidae

When Do White-throated Sparrows Arrive in Maine?

Adult White-throated Sparrow
Photo: northerly, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

White-throated Sparrows are in Maine all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late September, peak in the second week of October (36% of checklists), and fall back by early November. In the quietest week (mid August) they are still on about 4.3% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 22-30late September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Fall back byNov 1-7early November
FewestAug 15-21mid August

Best: the second week of October. Here all year; numbers build from late September and fall back by early November. Peak: on about 36% of Maine checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 9.0% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.1% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.2% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.1% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.7% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.4% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.0% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.2% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.0% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.1% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.1% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.7% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.7% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.7% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 17% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 28% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 33% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 28% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 19% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 13% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 14% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 14% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 15% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 17% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 14% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 12% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 10% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.9% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.4% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.8% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.5% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.4% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.5% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 18% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 30% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 37% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 36% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 36% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 29% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 19% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 12% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 12% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 13% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.6% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Maine

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Aroostook CountyBest late June · 1269 checklists that week, 16,817 in all56%
  2. Piscataquis CountyBest early July · 982 checklists that week, 14,837 in all50%
  3. Somerset CountyBest early October · 116 checklists that week, 12,202 in all48%
  4. Washington CountyBest the second week of May · 1095 checklists that week, 35,967 in all45%
  5. Franklin CountyBest early October · 199 checklists that week, 14,182 in all43%
  6. Kennebec CountyBest the second week of October · 834 checklists that week, 48,185 in all43%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Three BrooksLincoln County, best the second week of June · 27 checklists that week, 161 in all90%
  2. Appalachian National Scenic TrailFranklin County, best the second week of June · 20 checklists that week, 166 in all90%
  3. Pigeon Hill BayWashington County, best late May · 34 checklists that week, 462 in all89%
  4. City ForestPenobscot County, best the second week of July · 37 checklists that week, 750 in all88%
  5. Whetstone BrookFranklin County, best early July · 21 checklists that week, 407 in all88%
  6. Quill HillFranklin County, best the second week of June · 25 checklists that week, 112 in all86%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the White-throated Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (26% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%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: 27% of 19895 checklists6 am: 25% of 54578 checklists7 am: 21% of 92775 checklists8 am: 18% of 86962 checklists9 am: 15% of 78989 checklists10 am: 13% of 70954 checklists11 am: 11% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 11% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 10% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 9.8% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 10% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 11% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 10% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 8.6% 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
January9.0%8.1%9.2%9.1%
February9.7%8.4%8.0%6.2%
March6.0%6.1%6.1%6.7%
April6.7%9.7%17%28%
May33%28%19%13%
June14%14%15%17%
July15%14%12%10%
August5.9%4.4%3.8%4.5%
September5.4%9.5%18%30%
October37%36%36%29%
November19%15%15%12%
December12%13%11%9.6%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives late September, in the same week than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks earlier than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives late September, in the same week than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Maine

Common questions

When do White-throated Sparrows arrive in Maine?
White-throated Sparrows are in Maine all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late September, peak in the second week of October (36% of checklists), and fall back by early November. In the quietest week (mid August) they are still on about 4.3% of checklists.
When do White-throated Sparrows leave Maine?
White-throated Sparrows never fully leave Maine: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early November, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.3% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a White-throated Sparrow in Maine?
The White-throated Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 36% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are White-throated Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Aroostook County, Piscataquis County, and Somerset County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-throated Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).