WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in Maine?

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

Canada Geese are in Maine all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in late March (29% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (early July) they are still on about 6.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakMar 22-31late March
Fall back byMay 15-21mid May
FewestJul 1-7early July

Best: late March. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of March and fall back by mid May. Peak: on about 29% of Maine checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  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: 12% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 10% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.2% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.6% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 11% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 11% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 11% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 14% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 16% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 22% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 28% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 30% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 29% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 27% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 26% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 25% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 24% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 22% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 20% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 17% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 13% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.9% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.2% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.8% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.1% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.8% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.5% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 15% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 17% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 16% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 17% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 18% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 18% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 19% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 18% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 17% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 16% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 15% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 12% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 14285 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 Maine 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Maine

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Aroostook CountyBest mid October · 289 checklists that week, 16,817 in all60%
  2. Sagadahoc CountyBest the second week of February · 717 checklists that week, 21,736 in all43%
  3. Knox CountyBest late March · 648 checklists that week, 34,453 in all40%
  4. York CountyBest late March · 2321 checklists that week, 101,844 in all39%
  5. Penobscot CountyBest early April · 1452 checklists that week, 56,895 in all39%
  6. Oxford CountyBest early April · 265 checklists that week, 15,115 in all32%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake JosephineAroostook County, best early October · 21 checklists that week, 460 in all99%
  2. Jagger PondYork County, best the second week of April · 75 checklists that week, 1,870 in all99%
  3. Mars Hill PondAroostook County, best early October · 20 checklists that week, 401 in all97%
  4. Scarborough Marsh Audubon CenterCumberland County, best early March · 21 checklists that week, 1,454 in all97%
  5. Scarborough Marsh Wildlife Management AreaCumberland County, best the second week of March · 64 checklists that week, 4,768 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (21% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (510) to judge1 am: too few checklists (517) to judge2 am: too few checklists (581) to judge3 am: too few checklists (3242) to judge4 am: too few checklists (7221) to judge5 am: 22% of 19895 checklists6 am: 21% of 54578 checklists7 am: 18% of 92775 checklists8 am: 16% of 86962 checklists9 am: 15% of 78989 checklists10 am: 15% of 70954 checklists11 am: 14% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 13% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 14% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 14% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 14% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 15% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 14% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 14% of 18309 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14287) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5336) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2253) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1518) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (720) 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
January12%10%9.2%9.6%
February11%11%11%14%
March16%22%28%30%
April29%27%26%25%
May24%22%20%17%
June13%9.9%7.2%5.8%
July6.1%6.8%8.5%11%
August12%12%11%11%
September12%12%14%15%
October17%16%17%18%
November18%19%18%17%
December16%15%12%11%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives mid February, 3 weeks earlier than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives mid October, 19 weeks earlier than Maine

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in Maine?
Canada Geese are in Maine all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in late March (29% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (early July) they are still on about 6.2% of checklists.
When do Canada Geese leave Maine?
Canada Geese never fully leave Maine: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid May, but some are still reported in every week, about 6.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Canada Goose in Maine?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in late March, on about 29% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Aroostook County, Sagadahoc County, and Knox County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).