WhenToBird

Branta hutchinsii · Anatidae

When Do Cackling Geese Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

Cackling Geese are winter birds in Wisconsin: they arrive in the second week of February, peak in the second week of March (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byFeb 8-14the second week of February
PeakMar 8-14the second week of March
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: the second week of March. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 2.4% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.1% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.6% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.3% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.7% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.1% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.7% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.9% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.9% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.2% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.4% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.2% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.2% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.9% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.5% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.4% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Columbia CountyBest mid March · 638 checklists that week, 15,761 in all27%
  2. Ashland CountyBest early November · 282 checklists that week, 16,576 in all10%
  3. Monroe CountyBest early March · 65 checklists that week, 3,836 in all7.8%
  4. Lafayette CountyBest the second week of March · 36 checklists that week, 1,911 in all6.9%
  5. Wood CountyBest the second week of November · 79 checklists that week, 6,984 in all4.6%
  6. Dodge CountyBest the second week of March · 682 checklists that week, 34,980 in all4.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Goose LakeColumbia County, best the second week of April · 148 checklists that week, 3,060 in all57%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Cackling Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (0.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 0.1% of 27016 checklists6 am: 0.2% of 83973 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 160717 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 160531 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 136968 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 119110 checklists11 am: 0.7% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January0.3%0.3%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.5%0.7%1.2%
March2.1%2.6%2.3%1.7%
April1.1%0.7%0.4%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.2%0.4%
October0.7%0.9%0.9%1.2%
November1.4%1.3%1.2%1.2%
December0.9%0.7%0.5%0.4%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives mid October, 15 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives early November, 13 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives late February, 2 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Indiana: arrives mid November, 11 weeks earlier than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Cackling Geese arrive in Wisconsin?
Cackling Geese are winter birds in Wisconsin: they arrive in the second week of February, peak in the second week of March (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Cackling Geese leave Wisconsin?
Most Cackling Geese have left Wisconsin by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Cackling Goose in Wisconsin?
The Cackling Goose is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 2.4% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Cackling Geese seen most often?
By county, Columbia County, Ashland County, and Monroe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cackling Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).