WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in Indiana?

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

Canada Geese are in Indiana all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid February, peak in mid March (52% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 17% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildFeb 15-21mid February
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Fall back byMay 15-21mid May
FewestJun 22-30late June

Best: mid March. Here all year; numbers build from mid February and fall back by mid May. Peak: on about 52% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  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%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 33% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 32% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 32% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 35% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 39% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 34% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 32% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 48% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 51% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 52% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 52% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 52% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 49% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 48% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 48% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 46% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 42% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 40% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 37% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 32% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 23% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 19% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 18% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 16% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 18% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 21% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 23% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 24% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 24% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 25% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 25% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 24% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 26% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 27% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 27% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 30% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 29% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 29% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 30% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 30% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 28% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 27% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 27% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 28% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 28% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 29% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 28% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 31% of 15432 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 Indiana 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 Indiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Whitley CountyBest late March · 187 checklists that week, 4,695 in all86%
  2. Howard CountyBest early March · 10 checklists that week, 788 in all83%
  3. Jennings CountyBest early March · 54 checklists that week, 1,395 in all81%
  4. Jay CountyBest late March · 56 checklists that week, 1,334 in all80%
  5. Washington CountyBest late March · 37 checklists that week, 1,463 in all77%
  6. Kosciusko CountyBest mid March · 176 checklists that week, 8,359 in all77%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ashland ParkClark County, best the second week of March · 25 checklists that week, 536 in all100%
  2. Mount Zion Branch (Thorpe Creek)Hamilton County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 104 in all100%
  3. Mongo MillpondLaGrange County, best early March · 22 checklists that week, 235 in all100%
  4. Buffalo Trace ParkHarrison County, best the second week of February · 20 checklists that week, 339 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (41% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (240) to judge1 am: too few checklists (231) to judge2 am: too few checklists (222) to judge3 am: too few checklists (202) to judge4 am: too few checklists (674) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4329) to judge6 am: 46% of 20589 checklists7 am: 40% of 58470 checklists8 am: 38% of 86931 checklists9 am: 35% of 78239 checklists10 am: 34% of 66080 checklists11 am: 32% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 31% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 31% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 33% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 33% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 34% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 34% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 34% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 30% of 17740 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (7603) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1721) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (272) 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
January33%32%32%35%
February39%34%32%48%
March51%52%52%52%
April49%48%48%46%
May42%40%37%32%
June23%19%18%16%
July18%21%23%24%
August24%25%25%24%
September26%27%27%30%
October29%29%30%30%
November28%27%27%28%
December28%29%28%31%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: year-round, peaks the second week of March
  • Kentucky: arrives early January, 6 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives mid February, in the same week than Indiana
  • Michigan: arrives late February, 1 week later than Indiana

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in Indiana?
Canada Geese are in Indiana all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid February, peak in mid March (52% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 17% of checklists.
When do Canada Geese leave Indiana?
Canada Geese never fully leave Indiana: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid May, but some are still reported in every week, about 17% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Canada Goose in Indiana?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in mid March, on about 52% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Whitley County, Howard County, and Jennings County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).