WhenToBird

Branta hutchinsii · Anatidae

When Do Cackling Geese Arrive in Utah?

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

Cackling Geese are winter birds in Utah: they arrive in mid November, peak in the second week of January (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 15-21mid November
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals mid November; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 1.9% of Utah checklists.

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

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 2.1% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.0% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.5% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.1% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.5% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.3% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.3% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.2% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.6% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Duchesne CountyBest early February · 11 checklists that week, 2,692 in all6.9%
  2. Salt Lake CountyBest the second week of January · 2548 checklists that week, 104,432 in all3.6%
  3. Weber CountyBest late November · 309 checklists that week, 13,172 in all3.5%
  4. Juab CountyBest the second week of December · 17 checklists that week, 2,572 in all3.3%
  5. Wasatch CountyBest mid February · 124 checklists that week, 7,780 in all3.2%
  6. Box Elder CountyBest mid February · 258 checklists that week, 9,867 in all3.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Powell Slough Waterfowl Management AreaUtah County, best early January · 20 checklists that week, 136 in all29%
  2. Springs ParkWashington County, best late January · 39 checklists that week, 795 in all24%
  3. Decker Lake ParkSalt Lake County, best early February · 31 checklists that week, 1,965 in all23%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Cackling Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (0.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 11714 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 33209 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 46944 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 46290 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 43144 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January2.1%2.0%1.5%1.6%
February1.2%0.9%1.1%1.0%
March1.1%0.7%0.5%0.3%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
October0%0%0%0.1%
November0.2%0.1%1.0%1.1%
December1.3%1.2%1.6%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives late October, 3 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Nevada: arrives the second week of November, 1 week earlier than Utah
  • Colorado: arrives mid October, 4 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Idaho: arrives mid October, 4 weeks earlier than Utah

Common questions

When do Cackling Geese arrive in Utah?
Cackling Geese are winter birds in Utah: they arrive in mid November, peak in the second week of January (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Cackling Geese leave Utah?
Most Cackling Geese have left Utah by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Cackling Goose in Utah?
The Cackling Goose is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 1.9% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Cackling Geese seen most often?
By county, Duchesne County, Salt Lake County, and Weber County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cackling Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).