Backyard birds in Sanford, Maine
Which birds visit Sanford yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Sanford's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 43.439°, -70.774°
- Population
- 20,893
- June 21 daylight
- 15 h 25 min
- December 21 daylight
- 8 h 57 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 6:02 AM / 5:01 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- about the same time as the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- USDA 3b–6b
Nesting timing in Sanford
The state guides give nesting windows for Maine as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 43.9°N). Sanford is at 43.4°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts about the same time as the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Sanford goes from 8 h 57 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 15 h 25 min in June, a 6 h 28 min swing.
- Northern Cardinal — state window May–August
- Eastern Bluebird — state window May–August; box hole 1 1/2 in round (1 9/16 in for Mountain/Western overlap)
- Black-capped Chickadee — state window May–July; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Purple Martin — state window June–July; box hole 1 3/4–2 1/8 in round, or starling-resistant crescent (3 × 1 3/16 in)
- Downy Woodpecker — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- American Goldfinch — state window August–September
- Tufted Titmouse — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- House Wren — state window June–August; box hole 1 to 1 1/8 in round
Birds you can expect in Sanford
Year-round residents (55)
Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, American Goldfinchs, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatchs, Blue Jays, House Finchs, Purple Finchs, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Northern Flickers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Brown Creepers, Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Screech-Owls, House Sparrows, European Starlings, Canada Jays, American Crows, Common Ravens, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, American Kestrels, Wood Ducks, Wild Turkeys, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, Eastern Meadowlarks, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Winter Wrens, Red Crossbills, Field Sparrows, Hooded Mergansers, Canada Gooses, Bald Eagles, Red-shouldered Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Black-backed Woodpeckers, Horned Larks, White-winged Crossbills, Rock Pigeons
Summer breeders (58)
Eastern Bluebirds, Purple Martins, House Wrens, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Chipping Sparrows, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Baltimore Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Eastern Towhees, Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Eastern Phoebes, Chimney Swifts, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Pine Warblers, Wood Thrushs, Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, Scarlet Tanagers, Hermit Thrushs, Gray Catbirds, Lark Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, American Redstarts, Black-and-white Warblers, Ovenbirds, Palm Warblers, Red-eyed Vireos, Warbling Vireos, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Least Flycatchers, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Bank Swallows, Common Nighthawks, Eastern Whip-poor-wills, American Coots, Killdeers, Spotted Sandpipers, American Woodcocks, Green Herons, Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Turkey Vultures, Ospreys, Merlins, Savannah Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Bobolinks, Rusty Blackbirds
Winter visitors (7)
Common Redpolls, American Tree Sparrows, Pine Grosbeaks, Snow Buntings, Common Redpolls, Hoary Redpolls, Bohemian Waxwings
Long, snowy winters; boreal finches and Pine Grosbeaks irrupt south in poor cone years.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Sanford
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Sanford, sunrise is around 6:02 AM in mid-April, 5:01 AM at the June solstice and 7:12 AM in late December (local time, America/New York). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Sanford yards
Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.
Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.
Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter.
Fruit clusters persist all winter as emergency food.
Red fruit heads hang on through winter.
Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.
Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.
Blue-black fall fruit and dense nesting cover.
Nearby cities in Maine
- Biddeford — 16 mi away, nesting about the same time as Sanford
- West Scarborough — 21 mi away, nesting about the same time as Sanford
- Portland — 30 mi away, nesting about the same time as Sanford
- Brunswick — 52 mi away, nesting about the same time as Sanford
- Lewiston — 53 mi away, nesting roughly 3 days later than Sanford
- Augusta — 78 mi away, nesting roughly 3 days later than Sanford
Frequently asked
What birds live in Sanford all year?
Year-round residents across Maine include Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, American Goldfinch. All of them visit backyard feeders in Sanford.
When do birds start nesting in Sanford?
Sanford sits at a different latitude from Maine's population centre, so nesting runs about the same time as the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Sanford?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Sanford, sunrise is around 6:02 AM in mid-April and 5:01 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Maine
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023)
- Audubon Native Plants Database
- GeoNames gazetteer (city coordinates & population)
- NOAA Solar Calculator methodology
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.