WhenToBird

Branta hutchinsii · Anatidae

When Do Cackling Geese Arrive in Nebraska?

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

Cackling Geese are winter birds in Nebraska: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in early December (13% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakDec 1-7early December
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: early December. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 13% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 9.3% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.4% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.8% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.3% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.7% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.2% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 10% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 12% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 13% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.4% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.5% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.5% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.6% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.5% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.0% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.1% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.3% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 10% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 10% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jefferson CountyBest late December · 15 checklists that week, 804 in all50%
  2. Dakota CountyBest early December · 41 checklists that week, 2,182 in all40%
  3. Platte CountyBest early December · 13 checklists that week, 1,287 in all38%
  4. Madison CountyBest early December · 18 checklists that week, 1,920 in all37%
  5. Sherman CountyBest mid February · 12 checklists that week, 399 in all37%
  6. Hitchcock CountyBest early December · 15 checklists that week, 441 in all35%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cottonmill Lake State Recreation AreaBuffalo County, best mid March · 25 checklists that week, 587 in all60%
  2. Flanagan Lake & Recreation AreaDouglas County, best early December · 21 checklists that week, 1,089 in all58%
  3. Salt Lake (west)Lancaster County, best early December · 35 checklists that week, 805 in all53%
  4. Eagle Scout Recreation AreaHall County, best late March · 28 checklists that week, 365 in all46%
  5. Levi Carter ParkDouglas County, best the second week of January · 28 checklists that week, 371 in all46%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Cackling Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (4.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 1.8% of 6945 checklists7 am: 2.5% of 19066 checklists8 am: 3.0% of 24661 checklists9 am: 3.7% of 23438 checklists10 am: 3.8% of 20424 checklists11 am: 4.1% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 4.3% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 4.4% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 4.4% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 4.7% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 4.5% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 2.6% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 1.4% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 0.8% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January9.3%7.4%5.8%6.3%
February7.7%8.2%10%12%
March13%12%7.4%3.5%
April1.5%1.1%0.6%0.3%
May0.3%0.3%0.3%0.3%
June0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
August0.1%0.3%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.3%0.5%0.3%
October0.2%0.7%0.4%2.0%
November5.1%9.3%10%13%
December13%14%11%10%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives late October, 1 week later than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives late October, 1 week later than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives early November, 2 weeks later than Nebraska
  • Missouri: arrives mid November, 4 weeks later than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Cackling Geese arrive in Nebraska?
Cackling Geese are winter birds in Nebraska: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in early December (13% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Cackling Geese leave Nebraska?
Most Cackling Geese have left Nebraska by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Cackling Goose in Nebraska?
The Cackling Goose is reported most often in early December, on about 13% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Cackling Geese seen most often?
By county, Jefferson County, Dakota County, and Platte County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cackling Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).