WhenToBird

Branta hutchinsii · Anatidae

When Do Cackling Geese Arrive in New Jersey?

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

Cackling Geese are winter birds in New Jersey: they arrive in early November, peak in the second week of January (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byFeb 22-28late February

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals early November; most are gone by late February. Peak: on about 1.5% of New Jersey 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. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 1.6% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.7% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.3% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.7% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.6% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.3% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.7% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.6% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.2% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.5% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.7% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.1% of 26651 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hunterdon CountyBest early December · 1068 checklists that week, 57,610 in all7.8%
  2. Warren CountyBest mid January · 357 checklists that week, 20,077 in all5.1%
  3. Somerset CountyBest the second week of January · 1137 checklists that week, 58,057 in all4.1%
  4. Essex CountyBest late December · 652 checklists that week, 28,396 in all3.6%
  5. Mercer CountyBest early December · 955 checklists that week, 56,614 in all2.9%
  6. Bergen CountyBest the second week of January · 1617 checklists that week, 73,457 in all2.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Warinanco ParkUnion County, best mid February · 27 checklists that week, 203 in all35%
  2. Duke Island ParkSomerset County, best the second week of January · 35 checklists that week, 1,360 in all34%
  3. Allentown LakeMonmouth County, best early February · 25 checklists that week, 301 in all30%
  4. Cramers CreekHunterdon County, best the second week of November · 36 checklists that week, 1,218 in all29%
  5. Indian LakeMercer County, best late October · 56 checklists that week, 1,531 in all27%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Cackling Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (746) to judge1 am: too few checklists (640) to judge2 am: too few checklists (606) to judge3 am: too few checklists (755) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1681) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11258) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 50447 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 118312 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 123273 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 107783 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 97537 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 28122 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14727) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4257) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1273) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (920) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (693) 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
January1.6%1.7%1.3%1.0%
February0.9%0.7%0.6%0.7%
March0.5%0.3%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
May0%0%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.1%0.2%0.2%0.4%
November0.7%0.6%0.9%1.2%
December1.5%1.7%1.1%1.1%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives mid November, 2 weeks later than New Jersey
  • District of Columbia: arrives late November, 3 weeks later than New Jersey
  • Kentucky: arrives early December, 4 weeks later than New Jersey
  • Indiana: arrives mid November, 2 weeks later than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Cackling Geese arrive in New Jersey?
Cackling Geese are winter birds in New Jersey: they arrive in early November, peak in the second week of January (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.
When do Cackling Geese leave New Jersey?
Most Cackling Geese have left New Jersey by late February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Cackling Goose in New Jersey?
The Cackling Goose is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 1.5% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Cackling Geese seen most often?
By county, Hunterdon County, Warren County, and Somerset County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cackling Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).