For birds and birders alike, Maine provides an abundance of excellent habitat. As the largest and most sparsely populated state in New England, Maine represents a significant portion of the breeding range for many eastern woodland bird species.
The state’s abundant precipitation – more than 40 inches a year – and glaciated landscape have created thousands of lakes, ponds, wetlands, and rivers that are ideal habitat for a variety of water birds. And with its deeply indented coastline and uncountable islands, Maine offers attractive habitat for breeding seabirds, migrating shorebirds, and wintering waterfowl.
Maine Birding Events
- Upcoming Maine Audubon Birding Events (both online and in-person)
- Wings, Waves, and Woods, Deer Island & Stonington ( 2024 tba)
- Down East Spring Birding Festival (May 24-27, 2024)
- Acadia Birding Festival (May 30 – June 2, 2024)
- Rangeley Birding Festival (June 7-9, 2024)
Maine Audubon Birding Resources
- Maine Birding Guide
- Maine Birds Checklist for Young Birders
- Christmas Bird Count
- Big Sit Bird Count
- Field Checklist of Maine Birds (pdf)
Other Useful Sites & Information
- Maine Birding Trail – A great place to start on where to bird in Maine.
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology – Best site for bird IDs and more.
- Maine eBird.org – A real-time, online bird checklist program to report and access information about birds.
- Maine Young Birder’s Club – Connecting Maine youth interested in the natural world.
- GroupMe Rare Bird Alert — Group text messaging app for realtime information about rare birds in Maine
More Birding News and Information
Backyard bird of the month for February: Golden-crowned Kinglet February 1, 2024