WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in Colorado?

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

Canada Geese are in Colorado all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from late October, peak in mid April (43% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (early July) they are still on about 16% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 22-31late October
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Fall back byMay 15-21mid May
FewestJul 1-7early July

Best: mid April. Here all year; numbers build from late October and fall back by mid May. Peak: on about 43% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 36% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 36% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 35% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 36% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 36% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 33% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 32% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 39% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 41% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 42% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 43% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 43% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 43% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 42% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 43% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 44% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 40% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 36% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 34% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 28% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 23% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 18% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 16% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 16% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 16% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 16% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 17% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 17% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 17% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 17% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 19% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 21% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 22% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 23% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 23% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 24% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 23% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 25% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 26% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 30% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 35% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 39% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 39% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 40% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 40% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 37% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 34% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 36% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Delta CountyBest the second week of March · 110 checklists that week, 6,509 in all71%
  2. Adams CountyBest mid March · 926 checklists that week, 44,639 in all66%
  3. Rio Grande CountyBest late March · 193 checklists that week, 4,655 in all66%
  4. Rio Blanco CountyBest the second week of March · 23 checklists that week, 2,806 in all66%
  5. Hinsdale CountyBest late April · 63 checklists that week, 2,303 in all64%
  6. Costilla CountyBest late February · 14 checklists that week, 1,323 in all63%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Blue River Ranch LakesSummit County, best late March · 22 checklists that week, 154 in all100%
  2. Dan Noble State Wildlife AreaSan Miguel County, best late April · 29 checklists that week, 399 in all100%
  3. Wilmor LakeEagle County, best late March · 29 checklists that week, 690 in all100%
  4. Eastlake Reservoir Number ThreeAdams County, best the second week of May · 32 checklists that week, 876 in all100%
  5. Northgate Open Space (southeast)El Paso County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 179 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (33% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 28% of 71991 checklists7 am: 30% of 159189 checklists8 am: 32% of 177206 checklists9 am: 32% of 165269 checklists10 am: 31% of 141029 checklists11 am: 31% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 31% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 31% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 33% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 33% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 32% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 29% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 27% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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
January36%36%35%36%
February36%33%32%39%
March41%42%43%43%
April43%42%43%44%
May40%36%34%28%
June23%18%16%16%
July16%16%17%17%
August17%17%19%21%
September22%23%23%24%
October23%25%26%30%
November35%39%39%40%
December40%37%34%36%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives early March, 17 weeks later than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives late October, in the same week than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives early January, 9 weeks later than Colorado
  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of February, 14 weeks later than Colorado

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in Colorado?
Canada Geese are in Colorado all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from late October, peak in mid April (43% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (early July) they are still on about 16% of checklists.
When do Canada Geese leave Colorado?
Canada Geese never fully leave Colorado: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid May, but some are still reported in every week, about 16% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Canada Goose in Colorado?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in mid April, on about 43% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Delta County, Adams County, and Rio Grande County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).