WhenToBird

Branta hutchinsii · Anatidae

When Do Cackling Geese Arrive in Maryland?

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

Cackling Geese are winter birds in Maryland: they arrive in mid November, peak in early January (1.8% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 15-21mid November
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakJan 1-7early January
Most gone byFeb 22-28late February

Best: early January. First arrivals mid November; most are gone by late February. Peak: on about 1.8% of Maryland checklists.

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

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.1% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.5% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.3% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.7% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.5% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.7% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.0% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.7% of 29728 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kent CountyBest the second week of December · 272 checklists that week, 13,396 in all12%
  2. Frederick CountyBest the second week of January · 974 checklists that week, 57,576 in all5.8%
  3. Queen Anne's CountyBest the second week of December · 448 checklists that week, 26,875 in all5.6%
  4. Carroll CountyBest early December · 319 checklists that week, 26,728 in all4.2%
  5. Talbot CountyBest mid December · 650 checklists that week, 31,140 in all3.2%
  6. Dorchester CountyBest mid January · 750 checklists that week, 26,161 in all2.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Poplar NeckKent County, best early December · 36 checklists that week, 474 in all67%
  2. Whittier Lake Park (City of Frederick)Frederick County, best early January · 38 checklists that week, 953 in all53%
  3. Montrose Farm PondKent County, best the second week of October · 33 checklists that week, 632 in all33%
  4. Damazo PondFrederick County, best late February · 29 checklists that week, 690 in all28%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Cackling Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (486) to judge1 am: too few checklists (451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (447) to judge3 am: too few checklists (766) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2076) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11098) to judge6 am: 0.4% of 56604 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 139255 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 148626 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 126820 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 106973 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 0.5% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 32930 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19051) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5708) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1977) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1170) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (635) 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
January1.7%2.1%1.5%1.6%
February1.3%0.7%0.7%1.0%
March0.7%0.4%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.2%0.3%0.3%
November0.3%0.5%0.8%1.1%
December1.7%1.4%2.0%1.7%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives late November, 1 week later than Maryland
  • New Jersey: arrives early November, 2 weeks earlier than Maryland
  • Kentucky: arrives early December, 2 weeks later than Maryland
  • Indiana: arrives mid November, in the same week than Maryland

Common questions

When do Cackling Geese arrive in Maryland?
Cackling Geese are winter birds in Maryland: they arrive in mid November, peak in early January (1.8% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.
When do Cackling Geese leave Maryland?
Most Cackling Geese have left Maryland by late February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Cackling Goose in Maryland?
The Cackling Goose is reported most often in early January, on about 1.8% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Cackling Geese seen most often?
By county, Kent County, Frederick County, and Queen Anne's County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cackling Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).