WhenToBird

Branta hutchinsii · Anatidae

When Do Cackling Geese Arrive in Indiana?

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

Cackling Geese are winter birds in Indiana: they arrive in mid November, peak in mid January (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 15-21mid November
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakJan 15-21mid January
Most gone byMar 1-7early March

Best: mid January. First arrivals mid November; most are gone by early March. Peak: on about 1.2% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 1.1% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.1% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.8% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.2% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.3% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.3% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.5% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.5% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.8% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.8% of 15432 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 Indiana 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 Indiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clinton CountyBest the second week of January · 11 checklists that week, 900 in all18%
  2. Bartholomew CountyBest late January · 74 checklists that week, 1,754 in all7.5%
  3. Fountain CountyBest late January · 10 checklists that week, 397 in all6.3%
  4. Warren CountyBest the second week of February · 11 checklists that week, 458 in all6.1%
  5. Scott CountyBest mid December · 14 checklists that week, 798 in all5.8%
  6. Howard CountyBest early March · 10 checklists that week, 788 in all5.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bendix ParkSt. Joseph County, best mid December · 29 checklists that week, 708 in all28%
  2. Buffalo Trace ParkHarrison County, best the second week of February · 20 checklists that week, 339 in all22%
  3. Little Grassy (Grassie) Pond Game Management AreaVigo County, best late January · 37 checklists that week, 1,441 in all16%
  4. Morse ParkHamilton County, best mid January · 32 checklists that week, 625 in all16%
  5. Ashland ParkClark County, best late January · 23 checklists that week, 536 in all15%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Cackling Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (0.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (240) to judge1 am: too few checklists (231) to judge2 am: too few checklists (222) to judge3 am: too few checklists (202) to judge4 am: too few checklists (674) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4329) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 20589 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 58470 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 86931 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 78239 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 66080 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 17740 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (7603) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1721) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (272) 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
January1.1%1.3%1.1%1.2%
February1.1%0.8%0.5%0.7%
March0.4%0.2%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0%0.1%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.4%0.3%0.3%0.5%
December0.5%0.7%0.8%0.8%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives mid October, 4 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Kentucky: arrives early December, 2 weeks later than Indiana
  • Wisconsin: arrives the second week of February, 11 weeks later than Indiana
  • Missouri: arrives mid November, in the same week than Indiana

Common questions

When do Cackling Geese arrive in Indiana?
Cackling Geese are winter birds in Indiana: they arrive in mid November, peak in mid January (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early March.
When do Cackling Geese leave Indiana?
Most Cackling Geese have left Indiana by early March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Cackling Goose in Indiana?
The Cackling Goose is reported most often in mid January, on about 1.2% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Cackling Geese seen most often?
By county, Clinton County, Bartholomew County, and Fountain County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cackling Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).