WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in California?

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

The Canada Goose is in California all year. It turns up on about 24% of checklists at its peak (mid March) and on 12% in its quietest week (mid June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 15-21mid March
Quietest weekJun 15-21mid June

Best: mid March. Here all year. Peak: on about 24% of California checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 19% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 20% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 21% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 21% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 21% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 21% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 20% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 22% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 23% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 24% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 24% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 24% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 23% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 23% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 22% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 22% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 22% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 20% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 19% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 16% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 14% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 13% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 14% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 16% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 16% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 15% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 15% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 15% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 15% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 15% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 15% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 15% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 15% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 15% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 16% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 16% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 17% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 17% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 18% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 17% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 16% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 17% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Plumas CountyBest late March · 663 checklists that week, 24,629 in all61%
  2. Calaveras CountyBest early March · 97 checklists that week, 6,843 in all55%
  3. Modoc CountyBest late January · 51 checklists that week, 6,138 in all55%
  4. Amador CountyBest the second week of March · 92 checklists that week, 4,733 in all53%
  5. El Dorado CountyBest the second week of March · 326 checklists that week, 25,075 in all51%
  6. Sacramento CountyBest late March · 3748 checklists that week, 121,767 in all49%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Salt Pond (historical)Los Angeles County, best late March · 22 checklists that week, 776 in all100%
  2. Stafford Lake WatershedMarin County, best late February · 25 checklists that week, 467 in all100%
  3. Ellis Lake ParkContra Costa County, best early September · 23 checklists that week, 852 in all100%
  4. Woodward Regional ParkFresno County, best early September · 22 checklists that week, 483 in all100%
  5. Almansor ParkLos Angeles County, best mid January · 23 checklists that week, 485 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (21% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 19% of 186053 checklists7 am: 21% of 444086 checklists8 am: 21% of 535846 checklists9 am: 19% of 486061 checklists10 am: 18% of 411130 checklists11 am: 17% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 16% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 17% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 17% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 17% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 17% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 16% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 15% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January19%20%21%21%
February21%21%20%22%
March23%24%24%24%
April23%23%22%22%
May22%20%19%16%
June14%13%12%12%
July14%15%16%16%
August15%15%15%15%
September15%14%15%15%
October15%15%16%16%
November16%16%17%17%
December18%17%16%17%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: all year, most in winter, peaks the second week of March
  • Utah: all year, most in spring, peaks late March
  • Arizona: all year, most in winter, peaks the second week of January
  • Oregon: all year, most in spring, peaks early April

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in California?
The Canada Goose is in California all year. It turns up on about 24% of checklists at its peak (mid March) and on 12% in its quietest week (mid June).
When do Canada Geese leave California?
The Canada Goose does not leave California: it is reported all year, from 12% of checklists in mid June to 24% in mid March.
When is the best time to see a Canada Goose in California?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in mid March, on about 24% of California checklists.
Where in California are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Plumas County, Calaveras County, and Modoc County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).