WhenToBird

Branta hutchinsii · Anatidae

When Do Cackling Geese Arrive in California?

Adult Cackling Goose
Photo: Tser, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cackling Geese are winter birds in California: they arrive in early October, peak in early November (3.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: early November. First arrivals early October; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 3.0% of California checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 2.3% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.3% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.1% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.9% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.0% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.7% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.8% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.7% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.4% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.2% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.1% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.9% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.4% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.2% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.8% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.0% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.0% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.0% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.9% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.5% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.7% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.3% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.9% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.9% of 124993 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 California 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.

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Where in California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Humboldt CountyBest early November · 1703 checklists that week, 95,963 in all33%
  2. San Joaquin CountyBest mid November · 879 checklists that week, 33,237 in all18%
  3. Del Norte CountyBest late October · 348 checklists that week, 16,363 in all16%
  4. Colusa CountyBest the second week of November · 186 checklists that week, 7,653 in all14%
  5. Modoc CountyBest late January · 51 checklists that week, 6,138 in all14%
  6. Napa CountyBest early March · 330 checklists that week, 18,976 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jacoby Creek-Gannon Slough Wildlife AreaHumboldt County, best late November · 23 checklists that week, 117 in all96%
  2. Mad River Slough Wildlife AreaHumboldt County, best early April · 53 checklists that week, 3,102 in all94%
  3. Staten IslandSan Joaquin County, best early November · 66 checklists that week, 1,284 in all92%
  4. Cogswell MarshAlameda County, best late January · 29 checklists that week, 675 in all90%
  5. Waller ParkSanta Barbara County, best early December · 51 checklists that week, 663 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Cackling Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (1.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 0.7% of 186053 checklists7 am: 1.3% of 444086 checklists8 am: 1.4% of 535846 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 486061 checklists10 am: 1.4% of 411130 checklists11 am: 1.4% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 1.3% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 1.4% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 1.3% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 1.1% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January2.3%2.3%2.1%1.9%
February2.0%1.8%1.5%1.7%
March1.8%1.7%1.4%1.2%
April1.1%1.0%0.9%0.4%
May0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.2%0.6%
October1.4%2.2%2.8%3.0%
November3.0%3.0%2.9%2.5%
December2.7%2.3%1.9%1.9%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives the second week of November, 5 weeks later than California
  • Utah: arrives mid November, 6 weeks later than California
  • Oregon: arrives mid September, 2 weeks earlier than California
  • Idaho: arrives mid October, 2 weeks later than California

Common questions

When do Cackling Geese arrive in California?
Cackling Geese are winter birds in California: they arrive in early October, peak in early November (3.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Cackling Geese leave California?
Most Cackling Geese have left California by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Cackling Goose in California?
The Cackling Goose is reported most often in early November, on about 3.0% of California checklists.
Where in California are Cackling Geese seen most often?
By county, Humboldt County, San Joaquin County, and Del Norte County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cackling Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).