WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in New Hampshire?

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

Canada Geese are in New Hampshire all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in early April (32% of checklists), and fall back by late May. In the quietest week (early July) they are still on about 7.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 1-7early March
PeakApr 1-7early April
Fall back byMay 22-31late May
FewestJul 1-7early July

Best: early April. Here all year; numbers build from early March and fall back by late May. Peak: on about 32% of New Hampshire checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  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: 10% of 8253 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.7% of 5998 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.9% of 5734 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.1% of 7776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.0% of 5253 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.7% of 6802 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.7% of 8852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 13% of 5792 checklistsMar 1-7: 19% of 6187 checklistsMar 8-14: 27% of 6977 checklistsMar 15-21: 32% of 7863 checklistsMar 22-31: 32% of 11746 checklistsApr 1-7: 32% of 9329 checklistsApr 8-14: 33% of 10499 checklistsApr 15-21: 32% of 10376 checklistsApr 22-30: 32% of 13086 checklistsMay 1-7: 30% of 13198 checklistsMay 8-14: 27% of 14980 checklistsMay 15-21: 24% of 12487 checklistsMay 22-31: 20% of 14294 checklistsJun 1-7: 17% of 8974 checklistsJun 8-14: 11% of 8395 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.0% of 7670 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.2% of 9188 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.4% of 7707 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.1% of 6554 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.8% of 6636 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 9599 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 6436 checklistsAug 8-14: 13% of 6477 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 6510 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 9762 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 6700 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 6012 checklistsSep 15-21: 16% of 6238 checklistsSep 22-30: 18% of 7619 checklistsOct 1-7: 19% of 6702 checklistsOct 8-14: 20% of 6863 checklistsOct 15-21: 18% of 6284 checklistsOct 22-31: 18% of 8287 checklistsNov 1-7: 17% of 7584 checklistsNov 8-14: 17% of 6056 checklistsNov 15-21: 16% of 5597 checklistsNov 22-30: 17% of 7140 checklistsDec 1-7: 14% of 4623 checklistsDec 8-14: 12% of 4920 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.1% of 6416 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.3% of 7659 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sullivan CountyBest early April · 322 checklists that week, 13,105 in all47%
  2. Coos CountyBest mid April · 626 checklists that week, 27,719 in all44%
  3. Grafton CountyBest the second week of April · 1396 checklists that week, 45,699 in all36%
  4. Merrimack CountyBest late March · 1349 checklists that week, 36,980 in all36%
  5. Cheshire CountyBest mid March · 898 checklists that week, 39,834 in all35%
  6. Belknap CountyBest late March · 419 checklists that week, 13,295 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cocheco River ReservoirStrafford County, best late May · 34 checklists that week, 2,281 in all100%
  2. Airport Marsh ReservoirCoos County, best late April · 67 checklists that week, 1,437 in all98%
  3. UNH PropertyStrafford County, best the second week of January · 34 checklists that week, 905 in all98%
  4. Little PondBelknap County, best early April · 20 checklists that week, 112 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In New Hampshire, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (21% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (219) to judge1 am: too few checklists (192) to judge2 am: too few checklists (176) to judge3 am: too few checklists (234) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1042) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6352) to judge6 am: 24% of 23140 checklists7 am: 20% of 43401 checklists8 am: 20% of 48039 checklists9 am: 18% of 43328 checklists10 am: 17% of 37073 checklists11 am: 16% of 32028 checklists12 pm: 15% of 27396 checklists1 pm: 15% of 25182 checklists2 pm: 15% of 24318 checklists3 pm: 16% of 21974 checklists4 pm: 17% of 17958 checklists5 pm: 17% of 14528 checklists6 pm: 16% of 9144 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (5341) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1845) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (578) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (346) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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
January10%8.7%7.9%8.1%
February7.0%7.7%7.7%13%
March19%27%32%32%
April32%33%32%32%
May30%27%24%20%
June17%11%8.0%7.2%
July6.4%8.1%8.8%11%
August12%13%12%11%
September14%14%16%18%
October19%20%18%18%
November17%17%16%17%
December14%12%9.1%9.3%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives mid February, 2 weeks earlier than New Hampshire
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island: arrives mid October, 18 weeks earlier than New Hampshire
  • Maine: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than New Hampshire

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in New Hampshire?
Canada Geese are in New Hampshire all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in early April (32% of checklists), and fall back by late May. In the quietest week (early July) they are still on about 7.2% of checklists.
When do Canada Geese leave New Hampshire?
Canada Geese never fully leave New Hampshire: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late May, but some are still reported in every week, about 7.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Canada Goose in New Hampshire?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in early April, on about 32% of New Hampshire checklists.
Where in New Hampshire are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Sullivan County, Coos County, and Grafton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).