WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in New Jersey?

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

Canada Geese are in New Jersey all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from mid October, peak in early March (52% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 20% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 15-21mid October
PeakMar 1-7early March
Fall back byMay 8-14the second week of May
FewestJun 22-30late June

Best: early March. Here all year; numbers build from mid October and fall back by the second week of May. Peak: on about 52% of New Jersey 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. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 46% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 47% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 45% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 45% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 45% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 43% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 40% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 52% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 52% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 52% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 49% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 49% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 48% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 48% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 47% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 46% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 42% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 38% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 37% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 33% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 30% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 26% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 21% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 20% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 20% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 24% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 27% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 30% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 29% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 27% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 27% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 27% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 27% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 25% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 28% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 32% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 34% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 37% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 38% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 40% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 40% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 40% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 42% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 44% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 47% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 47% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 45% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 45% of 26651 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 Jersey 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 Jersey

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hunterdon CountyBest early December · 1068 checklists that week, 57,610 in all66%
  2. Hudson CountyBest early March · 367 checklists that week, 21,191 in all64%
  3. Bergen CountyBest mid March · 1364 checklists that week, 73,457 in all64%
  4. Warren CountyBest mid December · 388 checklists that week, 20,077 in all64%
  5. Burlington CountyBest early March · 1010 checklists that week, 52,358 in all63%
  6. Mercer CountyBest the second week of December · 958 checklists that week, 56,614 in all62%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake CarasaljoOcean County, best late August · 26 checklists that week, 1,087 in all100%
  2. Brainerd LakeMiddlesex County, best late November · 20 checklists that week, 853 in all100%
  3. North Branch ParkSomerset County, best early January · 75 checklists that week, 504 in all100%
  4. Allentown LakeMonmouth County, best early January · 44 checklists that week, 301 in all100%
  5. Raccoon Creek Conservation AreaGloucester County, best early March · 28 checklists that week, 1,309 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (44% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (746) to judge1 am: too few checklists (640) to judge2 am: too few checklists (606) to judge3 am: too few checklists (755) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1681) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11258) to judge6 am: 46% of 50447 checklists7 am: 43% of 118312 checklists8 am: 41% of 123273 checklists9 am: 40% of 107783 checklists10 am: 38% of 97537 checklists11 am: 36% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 36% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 37% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 38% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 39% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 38% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 36% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 33% of 28122 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14727) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4257) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1273) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (920) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (693) 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
January46%47%45%45%
February45%43%40%52%
March52%52%49%49%
April48%48%47%46%
May42%38%37%33%
June30%26%21%20%
July20%24%27%30%
August29%27%27%27%
September27%25%28%32%
October34%37%38%40%
November40%40%42%44%
December47%47%45%45%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Connecticut: year-round, peaks late March
  • Pennsylvania: arrives early February, 14 weeks later than New Jersey
  • New York: arrives late February, 17 weeks later than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in New Jersey?
Canada Geese are in New Jersey all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from mid October, peak in early March (52% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 20% of checklists.
When do Canada Geese leave New Jersey?
Canada Geese never fully leave New Jersey: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of May, but some are still reported in every week, about 20% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Canada Goose in New Jersey?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in early March, on about 52% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Hunterdon County, Hudson County, and Bergen County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).