Until further notice, typically mid-August, Penobscot East Trail, Jordan Cliffs Trail, Precipice Trail, and Valley Cove Trail are closed for Peregrine falcon nesting season. Also, as roads reopen, the Precipice Trail parking lot will remain closed. More
Historic carriage roads closed until further notice for "mud season"
Spring thaw has led to temporary closures to protect Acadia's historic carriage roads during "mud season." Walking, bicycling or riding horses in these wet and soft conditions can cause costly ruts and potholes that channel water and exacerbate erosion. More
Common Loon feeding its young at Echo Lake in Acadia National Park.
Will Greene, Friends of Acadia, NPS
With a record of 338 bird species encountered, Acadia National Park is considered one of the premier bird-watching areas in the country. Because of the wide variety of habitats and its location along the eastern seaboard, Acadia is a favorite breeding ground and stop-over site for an incredible diversity of birds, from owls to shorebirds and from raptors to warblers.
A snowy owl scans the mountain landscape for its next meal.
Will Greene / Friends of Acadia
Birding Across All Seasons
Acadia’s birding opportunities vary throughout the seasons. Take a walk through the woods in the spring and hear warblers and other passerines singing in search of mates, or walk out the Ship Harbor Trail in summer to see guillemots, sandpipers, eiders, and other shorebirds riding the ocean waves. Paddle on Jordan Pond and Eagle Lake in the warmer months to see loons, eagles, and mergansers. While you typically can’t hike the Precipice Trail in the summer, you can visit the parking lot and participate in Peregrine Watch; a program where visitors can use scopes to check out the peregrines and their young nesting high on the cliff. Visit Cadillac North Ridge Trail in the fall to watch for and help record migrating hawks as they head south for the winter. If you’re brave enough, come back in the winter to cross-country ski up the Cadillac Summit Road. You might even catch a glimpse of a snowy owl scanning the landscape for its next meal. Whatever the season, birding is a joy in Acadia National Park.
Common terns are often seen further offshore. Here, a group of them hover and dive above a school of fish.
Will Greene / Friends of Acadia
What kinds of birds does Acadia have?
Acadia's bird diversity spans a host of different taxonomic groups. Here are some of our most common groups.
Songbirds and Woodpeckers | Small forest birds like warblers, vireos, chickadees, and thrushes
Locations:Acadia National Park, Alagnak Wild River, Alaska Public Lands, Aleutian Islands World War II National Historic Area, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Assateague Island National Seashore, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Big Bend National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Big Thicket National Preserve, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Biscayne National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Bluestone National Scenic River, Cabrillo National Monument, Canaveral National Seashore, Cape Cod National Seashore, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Channel Islands National Park, Everglades National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Indiana Dunes National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Padre Island National Seashore, Yellowstone National Parkmore »
At night, birds use the stars to find their way. But bright lights from buildings can confuse them. That's why national parks are so important - they're like bird hotels! They give birds safe places to rest and eat, especially after flying across the ocean.
Check back for weekly updates on the development of peregrine falcon chicks nesting in cliffs above the Precipice Trailhead parking area in Acadia National Park, Maine.
My name is Sara, and I am here with the SCA (Student Conservation Association) as the Raptor Intern at Acadia National Park. I am assisting in the Hawk Watch program and will be providing updates on our 30th season of Hawk Watch as I write the “Riding the Winds” blog.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Antietam National Battlefield, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Bluestone National Scenic River, Booker T Washington National Monument, Catoctin Mountain Park, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Colonial National Historical Park, Crater Lake National Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Devils Postpile National Monument, Eisenhower National Historic Site, Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, Friendship Hill National Historic Site, Gauley River National Recreation Area, George Washington Memorial Parkway, George Washington Birthplace National Monument, Gettysburg National Military Park, Grand Teton National Park, Haleakalā National Park, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, Johnstown Flood National Memorial, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park, Minute Man National Historical Park, Monocacy National Battlefield, Morristown National Historical Park, Mount Rainier National Park, National Capital Parks-East, New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, Petersburg National Battlefield, Prince William Forest Park, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Rock Creek Park, Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Saratoga National Historical Park, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Thomas Stone National Historic Site, Valley Forge National Historical Park, Weir Farm National Historical Park, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Parkmore »
Offices:Eastern Rivers and Mountains Inventory & Monitoring Network, Greater Yellowstone Inventory & Monitoring Network, Inventory and Monitoring Division, Mid-Atlantic Inventory & Monitoring Network, National Capital Inventory & Monitoring Network, North Coast and Cascades Inventory & Monitoring Network, Northeast Coastal and Barrier Inventory & Monitoring Network, Northeast Temperate Inventory & Monitoring Network, Pacific Island Inventory & Monitoring Network, Rocky Mountain Inventory & Monitoring Network, Sierra Nevada Inventory & Monitoring Networkmore »
From coast to coast, the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Division is helping park managers improve the health and function of forest ecosystems. From promoting resilient forests in the Northeast, to conserving whitebark pine in the West, to protecting Hawaiian forest birds from avian malaria, scientific partnerships are helping parks to share information, leverage funding sources, and work together for outcomes that extend beyond what any park could accomplish on its own.
Acadia National Park annually participates in a Hawk Watch to document the migration of raptors as they pass over Cadillac Mountain. The Hawk Watch is conducted in partnership with the Schoodic Institute and is one of over 300 sites across North America that identify and quantify migratory raptors including hawks, osprey, eagles and falcons.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Devils Postpile National Monument, Gateway National Recreation Area
Read Megan's park story of interning with the Student Conservation Association at Devils Postpile National Monument and later as a Scientists in Parks at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Follow along with the peregrine falcons growing up on the Precipice cliffs here in Acadia National Park. Acadia's raptor intern writes weekly updates to keep you informed on this pair and they continue the success of nesting peregrines in the park after recovering from collapsed populations.
Brand new research shows declining winter bird populations around Acadia National Park. Learn how Schoodic Institute and local volunteers have helped document these changes.
Follow along with the peregrine falcons growing up on the Precipice cliffs here in Acadia National Park. Acadia's raptor intern writes weekly updates to keep you informed on this pair and they continue the success of nesting peregrines in the park after recovering from collapsed populations.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park, Minute Man National Historical Park, Morristown National Historical Park, Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Saratoga National Historical Park, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, Weir Farm National Historical Parkmore »
Offices:Inventory and Monitoring Division
The return of Eastern Phoebes early each spring is a soul-satisfying, calendar-turning event after a long northeastern winter.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park
Offices:Inventory and Monitoring Division
Cultivating native plants and trees in your yard is more important than ever before to sustain our bird and pollinator species. Learn how you can do more.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park, Minute Man National Historical Park, Morristown National Historical Park, Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Saratoga National Historical Park, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, Weir Farm National Historical Parkmore »
Offices:Inventory and Monitoring Division, National Heritage Areas Program
Wild Turkeys are one of the most iconic species in America. They have a long, and as it turns out, mythic history.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Denali National Park & Preserve, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park, Minute Man National Historical Park, Morristown National Historical Park, Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Saratoga National Historical Park, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, Weir Farm National Historical Parkmore »
Offices:Inventory and Monitoring Division, National Heritage Areas Program
About the size of a Blue-Jay, Sharp-shinned Hawks are aerial acrobats and are the smallest of three North American agile hawks known as the accipiters (ah-sip-it-ers). Learn more about this amazing and oft misunderstood hawk.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park, Minute Man National Historical Park, Morristown National Historical Park, Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Saratoga National Historical Park, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, Weir Farm National Historical Parkmore »
Offices:Inventory and Monitoring Division, National Heritage Areas Program
Though it goes by many names, the serviceberry tree is much loved by people and birds alike. Learn more about one of spring's first bloomers and why you should plant one in your yard.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park, Minute Man National Historical Park, Morristown National Historical Park, Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Saratoga National Historical Park, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, Weir Farm National Historical Parkmore »
Offices:Inventory and Monitoring Division, National Heritage Areas Program
Ruffed Grouse have evolved many effective and surprising traits that allow them to survive northeastern winters.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park, Minute Man National Historical Park, Morristown National Historical Park, Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Saratoga National Historical Park, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, Weir Farm National Historical Parkmore »
Offices:Inventory and Monitoring Division, National Heritage Areas Program
The Hermit Thrush's ethereal song is a mainstay of summers in the Northeastern U.S. But climate change could mean its song will only be heard north of the border if warming continues unabated.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park, Morristown National Historical Park, Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Saratoga National Historical Park, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, Weir Farm National Historical Parkmore »
Offices:Inventory and Monitoring Division, National Heritage Areas Program, Region 1
The American Woodcock is a quirky bird. Learn about their habits. and why they are a welcome sight (and sound) each spring in the Northeast,
Locations:Acadia National Park, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park, Minute Man National Historical Park, Morristown National Historical Park, Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Saratoga National Historical Park, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, Weir Farm National Historical Parkmore »
Offices:Inventory and Monitoring Division
The Red Crossbillis one of the most unique and specialized birds of North America. Learn about their traits and habits, and how you may encounter a flock of them during this irruption year. .
