WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in Michigan?

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

Canada Geese are in Michigan all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late February, peak in late March (57% 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 22-28late February
PeakMar 22-31late March
Fall back byMay 15-21mid May
FewestJun 22-30late June

Best: late March. Here all year; numbers build from late February and fall back by mid May. Peak: on about 57% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  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: 28% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 23% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 20% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 20% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 23% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 23% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 23% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 41% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 50% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 55% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 57% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 58% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 57% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 56% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 54% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 53% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 49% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 44% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 42% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 36% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 25% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 19% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 16% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 14% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 17% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 21% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 24% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 24% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 25% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 24% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 25% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 29% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 34% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 37% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 39% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 38% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 36% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 35% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 34% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 33% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 32% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 32% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 30% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 29% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 28% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 24% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 26% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gratiot CountyBest the second week of April · 153 checklists that week, 5,892 in all82%
  2. Clinton CountyBest late March · 380 checklists that week, 10,597 in all80%
  3. Ionia CountyBest mid March · 141 checklists that week, 5,509 in all75%
  4. Bay CountyBest late March · 518 checklists that week, 16,522 in all74%
  5. Alcona CountyBest late March · 310 checklists that week, 9,236 in all74%
  6. Lenawee CountyBest mid March · 367 checklists that week, 11,588 in all73%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Friend BrookIonia County, best late January · 29 checklists that week, 270 in all100%
  2. First LakeHillsdale County, best late March · 36 checklists that week, 390 in all100%
  3. Sunfish LakeKent County, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 405 in all100%
  4. Red MillpondLenawee County, best mid December · 20 checklists that week, 238 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (39% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 39% of 39298 checklists7 am: 39% of 120344 checklists8 am: 37% of 180109 checklists9 am: 37% of 171966 checklists10 am: 35% of 156332 checklists11 am: 34% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 33% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 33% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 33% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 33% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 34% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 36% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 38% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 35% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January28%23%20%20%
February23%23%23%41%
March50%55%57%58%
April57%56%54%53%
May49%44%42%36%
June25%19%16%14%
July15%17%21%24%
August24%25%24%25%
September29%34%37%39%
October38%36%35%34%
November33%32%32%30%
December29%28%24%26%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: year-round, peaks the second week of March
  • Wisconsin: arrives late February, in the same week than Michigan

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in Michigan?
Canada Geese are in Michigan all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late February, peak in late March (57% 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 Michigan?
Canada Geese never fully leave Michigan: 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 Michigan?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in late March, on about 57% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Gratiot County, Clinton County, and Ionia County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).