WhenToBird

Branta hutchinsii · Anatidae

When Do Cackling Geese Arrive in Montana?

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

Cackling Geese are winter birds in Montana: they arrive in late October, peak in mid November (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of February.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakNov 15-21mid November
Most gone byFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: mid November. First arrivals late October; most are gone by the second week of February. Peak: on about 3.6% of Montana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  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. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 7987 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 5561 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.9% of 5613 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 7881 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 5018 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.7% of 5598 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.6% of 7247 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 5531 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 6110 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.3% of 6623 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.2% of 7687 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 11095 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 7774 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.4% of 8785 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 9684 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 13805 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 11847 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 13547 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 13019 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 20456 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 12993 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 11594 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 11159 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 13786 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 9584 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 9078 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7905 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 10906 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 7335 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 6868 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 6866 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 10076 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 7670 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 7490 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 6804 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 8016 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 5996 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 6156 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 5742 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 7790 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.0% of 5353 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.8% of 5475 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.4% of 4603 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.7% of 6067 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.3% of 4362 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.8% of 4467 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.4% of 5328 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.0% of 6672 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 Montana 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Montana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Big Horn CountyBest the second week of December · 11 checklists that week, 1,279 in all35%
  2. Custer CountyBest late November · 14 checklists that week, 1,404 in all28%
  3. Daniels CountyBest mid March · 10 checklists that week, 481 in all25%
  4. Yellowstone CountyBest late November · 174 checklists that week, 13,895 in all23%
  5. Valley CountyBest late November · 47 checklists that week, 3,392 in all22%
  6. McCone CountyBest mid December · 11 checklists that week, 537 in all18%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Helena Valley Reservoir Fishing Access SiteLewis and Clark County, best early December · 28 checklists that week, 1,628 in all47%
  2. Three Forks Ponds Fishing Access SiteGallatin County, best mid November · 22 checklists that week, 1,662 in all36%
  3. East Gallatin Recreation AreaGallatin County, best early November · 104 checklists that week, 1,671 in all29%
  4. West Bank ParkCascade County, best the second week of November · 22 checklists that week, 691 in all28%

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

Best time of day

In Montana, the Cackling Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (183) to judge1 am: too few checklists (169) to judge2 am: too few checklists (163) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (503) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4022) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 12719 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 31202 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 47646 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 44624 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 40704 checklists11 am: 0.7% of 33825 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 29407 checklists1 pm: 0.8% of 27959 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 26928 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 25313 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 22151 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 16884 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 13780 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 9926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5765) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2099) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (595) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (230) 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%1.3%0.9%0.8%
February1.2%0.7%0.6%0.8%
March1.3%1.3%1.2%0.7%
April0.3%0.4%0.2%0.2%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.3%1.3%
November3.0%3.8%3.4%3.7%
December3.3%2.8%2.4%2.0%

Neighboring states

  • Idaho: arrives mid October, 1 week earlier than Montana
  • Wyoming: arrives late October, in the same week than Montana
  • Utah: arrives mid November, 3 weeks later than Montana
  • Washington: arrives mid September, 5 weeks earlier than Montana

Common questions

When do Cackling Geese arrive in Montana?
Cackling Geese are winter birds in Montana: they arrive in late October, peak in mid November (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of February.
When do Cackling Geese leave Montana?
Most Cackling Geese have left Montana by the second week of February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Cackling Goose in Montana?
The Cackling Goose is reported most often in mid November, on about 3.6% of Montana checklists.
Where in Montana are Cackling Geese seen most often?
By county, Big Horn County, Custer County, and Daniels County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cackling Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).