WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in Kentucky?

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

Canada Geese are in Kentucky all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early January, peak in mid March (37% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 11% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJan 1-7early January
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Fall back byMay 15-21mid May
FewestJun 22-30late June

Best: mid March. Here all year; numbers build from early January and fall back by mid May. Peak: on about 37% of Kentucky 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%40%Jan 1-7: 26% of 6923 checklistsJan 8-14: 28% of 4900 checklistsJan 15-21: 27% of 5016 checklistsJan 22-31: 32% of 6611 checklistsFeb 1-7: 34% of 4986 checklistsFeb 8-14: 29% of 5677 checklistsFeb 15-21: 26% of 8880 checklistsFeb 22-28: 38% of 5567 checklistsMar 1-7: 36% of 5397 checklistsMar 8-14: 36% of 5462 checklistsMar 15-21: 37% of 5733 checklistsMar 22-31: 36% of 9043 checklistsApr 1-7: 35% of 6763 checklistsApr 8-14: 34% of 7498 checklistsApr 15-21: 34% of 8486 checklistsApr 22-30: 32% of 13396 checklistsMay 1-7: 31% of 10825 checklistsMay 8-14: 29% of 11495 checklistsMay 15-21: 25% of 7363 checklistsMay 22-31: 22% of 8800 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 5381 checklistsJun 8-14: 14% of 5244 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 4730 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 5470 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 4567 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 4287 checklistsJul 15-21: 17% of 4097 checklistsJul 22-31: 19% of 6044 checklistsAug 1-7: 19% of 4647 checklistsAug 8-14: 21% of 4256 checklistsAug 15-21: 22% of 4484 checklistsAug 22-31: 21% of 6434 checklistsSep 1-7: 20% of 5450 checklistsSep 8-14: 19% of 5157 checklistsSep 15-21: 18% of 5530 checklistsSep 22-30: 19% of 6710 checklistsOct 1-7: 20% of 5403 checklistsOct 8-14: 19% of 5943 checklistsOct 15-21: 19% of 4873 checklistsOct 22-31: 20% of 6584 checklistsNov 1-7: 21% of 5008 checklistsNov 8-14: 21% of 4677 checklistsNov 15-21: 23% of 4419 checklistsNov 22-30: 23% of 5933 checklistsDec 1-7: 24% of 4479 checklistsDec 8-14: 24% of 4687 checklistsDec 15-21: 22% of 6239 checklistsDec 22-31: 23% of 7976 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Marion CountyBest late December · 16 checklists that week, 371 in all88%
  2. Rockcastle CountyBest early January · 12 checklists that week, 598 in all87%
  3. Gallatin CountyBest late March · 11 checklists that week, 470 in all74%
  4. Shelby CountyBest mid November · 241 checklists that week, 4,884 in all73%
  5. Todd CountyBest the second week of August · 35 checklists that week, 2,920 in all68%
  6. Rowan CountyBest late August · 91 checklists that week, 2,188 in all67%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Basil W Griffin, Jr ParkWarren County, best the second week of February · 29 checklists that week, 661 in all100%
  2. Peter W. Pfeiffer Fish HatcheryFranklin County, best the second week of March · 27 checklists that week, 1,265 in all100%
  3. Minor Clark Fish HatcheryRowan County, best late July · 20 checklists that week, 882 in all100%
  4. KDFWR Game FarmFranklin County, best late March · 54 checklists that week, 1,307 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In Kentucky, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (29% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (140) to judge1 am: too few checklists (120) to judge2 am: too few checklists (88) to judge3 am: too few checklists (95) to judge4 am: too few checklists (151) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1289) to judge6 am: 26% of 8227 checklists7 am: 29% of 24608 checklists8 am: 28% of 36577 checklists9 am: 27% of 34626 checklists10 am: 26% of 28796 checklists11 am: 25% of 22781 checklists12 pm: 24% of 19848 checklists1 pm: 24% of 19369 checklists2 pm: 23% of 19367 checklists3 pm: 22% of 19618 checklists4 pm: 23% of 19464 checklists5 pm: 23% of 16639 checklists6 pm: 24% of 12714 checklists7 pm: 24% of 8457 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (3447) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (684) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (267) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (158) 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
January26%28%27%32%
February34%29%26%38%
March36%36%37%36%
April35%34%34%32%
May31%29%25%22%
June16%14%12%11%
July12%15%17%19%
August19%21%22%21%
September20%19%18%19%
October20%19%19%20%
November21%21%23%23%
December24%24%22%23%

Neighboring states

  • Tennessee: arrives late January, 3 weeks later than Kentucky
  • Indiana: arrives mid February, 6 weeks later than Kentucky
  • Ohio: arrives mid February, 6 weeks later than Kentucky
  • Illinois: year-round, peaks the second week of March

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in Kentucky?
Canada Geese are in Kentucky all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early January, peak in mid March (37% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 11% of checklists.
When do Canada Geese leave Kentucky?
Canada Geese never fully leave Kentucky: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid May, but some are still reported in every week, about 11% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Canada Goose in Kentucky?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in mid March, on about 37% of Kentucky checklists.
Where in Kentucky are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Marion County, Rockcastle County, and Gallatin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).