Mainepedia
Nature & Outdoors Guide

Birding in Maine

From Atlantic puffins to boreal owls, Maine offers exceptional birding across diverse habitats. Your guide to Maine's best birding spots and species.

Maine sits at the confluence of multiple bird migration routes, features habitats from coastal islands to boreal forests, and hosts species found nowhere else in the eastern United States. For birders, Maine delivers year-round opportunities—from the iconic Atlantic puffin to the elusive spruce grouse, from massive seabird colonies to hawk migration spectacles.

Whether you’re a lister chasing life birds or a casual observer who enjoys watching whatever appears, Maine’s diversity rewards every level of birding interest.

Signature Maine Birds

Atlantic Puffin

Maine is the only state where Atlantic puffins nest. Several islands host colonies accessible by tour boats.

Where to see them:

  • Eastern Egg Rock: Closest colony to the mainland. Tours from Boothbay Harbor and New Harbor.
  • Machias Seal Island: Largest colony. Tours from Cutler—book months ahead.
  • Petit Manan Island: Boat tours from Milbridge.

When: Late May through mid-August. Peak viewing June-July.

What to expect: Tours approach nesting islands, and puffins can often be seen on the water, in flight, and at burrow entrances.

Roseate Terns

Endangered terns that nest on protected islands.

Where: Best seen from puffin tour boats, which pass tern nesting islands.

When: May-August.

Razorbills

Chunky black-and-white seabirds related to puffins.

Where: Machias Seal Island has significant numbers.

Spruce Grouse

A boreal forest specialty, difficult to find elsewhere in the East.

Where: Baxter State Park, Aroostook County, North Maine Woods.

When: Year-round, but spring drumming season increases visibility.

Tip: Walk logging roads quietly; they’re often seen along road edges.

Black-backed Woodpecker

Another boreal specialty that prefers burned or dying forest.

Where: Areas of recent fire or insect kill in northern Maine.

Boreal Chickadee

The brown-capped chickadee of northern forests.

Where: Common in northern Maine spruce-fir forests. Baxter State Park, Aroostook County.

Best Birding Locations

Coastal Hotspots

Scarborough Marsh (Scarborough) Maine’s largest salt marsh. Excellent for wading birds, shorebirds, and saltmarsh sparrows.

  • Sharp-tailed sparrow specialty
  • Herons and egrets in summer
  • Shorebird migration spring and fall
  • Accessible from trails and by kayak

Biddeford Pool One of the best shorebird spots in Maine.

  • Spring and fall shorebird migration
  • Rare species regularly appear
  • Easy walking access

Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge Multiple units along the southern Maine coast.

  • Salt marsh habitat
  • Wading birds
  • Shorebird viewing
  • Easy trails

Schoodic Point (Acadia) Rocky coastline for sea watching.

  • Winter seabirds (alcids, sea ducks)
  • Migration concentration point
  • Often less crowded than main Acadia

Island Birding

Monhegan Island Famous migration trap—exhausted migrants make landfall after crossing water.

  • Peak migration: Mid-May, September-October
  • Warblers by the dozen
  • Rarities appear regularly
  • Artist-colony atmosphere

Matinicus Rock Seabird nesting colony (access limited).

  • Puffins, razorbills, terns
  • Important restoration site

Inland and Northern

Baxter State Park Maine’s greatest wilderness offers boreal species unavailable elsewhere in the East.

  • Spruce grouse (walk roads at dawn)
  • Boreal chickadee
  • Gray jay
  • Three-toed woodpecker
  • Black-backed woodpecker

Aroostook County The least-visited corner of New England has major birding appeal.

  • Boreal forest species
  • Northern breeding specialties
  • Very little birding pressure

Rangeley Lakes Region Western mountains with mixed forest habitat.

  • Nesting warblers
  • Common loon on lakes
  • Occasional moose sightings as bonus

Seasonal Birding

Spring Migration (April-June)

What to expect: Warblers, thrushes, flycatchers streaming north. Peak mid-May.

Best locations:

  • Monhegan Island (mid-May)
  • Coastal points and peninsulas
  • River valleys

Summer Breeding (June-July)

What to expect: Nesting activity, territorial singing, seabird colonies at peak.

Best for:

  • Puffin tours (June-July)
  • Northern breeding species
  • Freshwater marsh birds

Fall Migration (August-November)

What to expect: Shorebirds first (August), then songbirds (September-October), raptors throughout.

Best locations:

  • Biddeford Pool (shorebirds)
  • Monhegan Island (songbirds)
  • Mount Agamenticus (hawkwatch)
  • Bradbury Mountain (hawkwatch)

Winter (December-March)

What to expect: Sea ducks, winter finches, irruptive species.

Best locations:

  • Portland waterfront (sea ducks)
  • Cape Elizabeth (coastal species)
  • Northern Maine (winter finches in irruption years)
  • Backyard feeders (irruptives)

Birding by Habitat

Seabird Colonies

Tour boats access nesting islands:

  • Eastern Egg Rock (puffins)
  • Machias Seal Island (puffins, razorbills)
  • Tern nesting islands

Salt Marshes

  • Scarborough Marsh
  • Rachel Carson NWR
  • Wells National Estuarine Reserve

Rocky Coast

  • Schoodic Point
  • Pemaquid Point
  • Cape Elizabeth

Boreal Forest

  • Baxter State Park
  • Aroostook County
  • North Maine Woods

Lakes and Ponds

  • Rangeley Lakes (loons)
  • Moosehead Lake (loons)
  • Multiple small ponds throughout

Planning Your Birding Trip

What to Bring

Essential:

  • Binoculars (8x42 recommended)
  • Field guide (Sibley, Peterson, or National Geographic)
  • Notebook or app for recording
  • Weather-appropriate layers
  • Bug spray (summer)
  • Sunscreen

For serious birders:

  • Spotting scope and tripod
  • Camera with telephoto
  • eBird app for recording and finding birds

Resources

eBird Maine: Real-time sighting reports show what’s being seen where.

Maine Audubon: Field trips, festivals, and local expertise.

Maine Bird Records Committee: Rare bird documentation.

Guided Options

Maine Audubon: Regular field trips statewide.

Local bird clubs: Portland, Midcoast, Downeast chapters offer trips.

Professional guides: Several guide services specialize in Maine birding.

Puffin Tour Details

Booking

Book puffin tours weeks or months ahead, especially for Machias Seal Island (limited daily permits).

Tour operators:

  • Hardy Boat Cruises (New Harbor)
  • Cap’n Fish’s (Boothbay Harbor)
  • Bold Coast Charter Company (Cutler—Machias Seal Island)

What to Expect

  • 2-4 hour boat trips depending on destination
  • Puffins seen on water, in flight, and at burrows
  • Other seabirds included (terns, razorbills, guillemots)
  • Motion sickness possible—take medication if susceptible

Photography

Puffin photography from boats is challenging:

  • Fast shutter speeds for moving boat
  • Long telephoto lens essential
  • Waterproof camera protection wise

Birding Etiquette

General principles:

  • Stay on trails
  • Don’t approach nests or flush birds
  • Keep voices low
  • Respect private property
  • Share sightings with the community

At sensitive sites:

  • Follow posted guidelines
  • Don’t play recordings near nests
  • Report rare birds through proper channels
  • Respect colony closures

The Maine Birding Experience

Maine birding combines accessibility and challenge. You can see puffins from a tour boat with minimal effort, or spend years chasing spruce grouse through remote logging roads. Maine rewards both approaches.

What sets Maine apart is the overlap of ranges—southern species at their northern limits, northern species at their southern limits, and maritime species that barely touch the continental United States. In a single trip, you might add species to your life list that require travel to the Arctic or the open ocean elsewhere.

Come for the puffins. Stay for the warblers. Return for the winter finches. Maine’s birds will keep you coming back.

From the puffin colonies of Machias Seal Island to the boreal forests of Baxter State Park, Maine offers birding experiences unavailable elsewhere in the eastern United States. Plan your trip around the species and seasons that interest you, and discover why birders consider Maine one of the Northeast’s premier destinations.

Beyond birds, Maine’s diverse habitats support remarkable wildlife. Learn more about bald eagles, one of Maine’s most majestic raptors now thriving after conservation efforts. Winter birders may encounter the spectacular snowy owl along coastal areas. The common loon, while technically a bird, deserves special attention for its haunting calls that define Maine’s northern lakes.

Enhance your birding experience with these complementary guides: