WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in Massachusetts?

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

Canada Geese are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid February, peak in mid March (43% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 15% 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 43% of Massachusetts 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. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 30% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 29% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 28% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 28% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 28% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 28% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 27% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 36% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 39% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 44% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 44% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 43% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 41% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 41% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 40% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 40% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 37% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 33% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 30% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 25% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 21% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 18% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 15% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 15% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 16% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 16% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 19% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 20% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 20% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 17% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 17% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 18% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 18% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 19% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 21% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 23% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 26% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 28% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 29% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 29% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 30% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 30% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 31% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 32% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 32% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 33% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 31% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 30% of 44323 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hampden CountyBest the second week of March · 763 checklists that week, 35,410 in all57%
  2. Berkshire CountyBest mid March · 2024 checklists that week, 92,890 in all53%
  3. Middlesex CountyBest mid March · 7000 checklists that week, 307,511 in all51%
  4. Suffolk CountyBest early December · 1870 checklists that week, 112,443 in all47%
  5. Plymouth CountyBest the second week of March · 1737 checklists that week, 89,282 in all44%
  6. Worcester CountyBest late March · 4093 checklists that week, 128,594 in all44%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Locke FarmMiddlesex County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 245 in all100%
  2. Charles River Reservation (Charles River Basin)Middlesex County, best early May · 24 checklists that week, 386 in all100%
  3. Bakers Meadow ReservationEssex County, best late April · 22 checklists that week, 296 in all100%
  4. Hummock PondNantucket County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 528 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (32% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (630) to judge1 am: too few checklists (657) to judge2 am: too few checklists (645) to judge3 am: too few checklists (850) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3787) to judge5 am: too few checklists (29743) to judge6 am: 33% of 108601 checklists7 am: 32% of 186104 checklists8 am: 31% of 185905 checklists9 am: 29% of 166049 checklists10 am: 28% of 150508 checklists11 am: 27% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 27% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 28% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 29% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 29% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 30% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 28% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 27% of 41435 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (21041) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5240) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1094) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (704) 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
January30%29%28%28%
February28%28%27%36%
March39%44%44%43%
April41%41%40%40%
May37%33%30%25%
June21%18%15%15%
July16%16%19%20%
August20%17%17%18%
September18%19%21%23%
October26%28%29%29%
November30%30%31%32%
December32%33%31%30%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives mid October, 16 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives early March, 2 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: year-round, peaks late March
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of March, 3 weeks later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in Massachusetts?
Canada Geese are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid February, peak in mid March (43% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 15% of checklists.
When do Canada Geese leave Massachusetts?
Canada Geese never fully leave Massachusetts: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid May, but some are still reported in every week, about 15% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Canada Goose in Massachusetts?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in mid March, on about 43% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Hampden County, Berkshire County, and Middlesex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).