WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in North Dakota?

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

Canada Geese are in North Dakota all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in early April (55% of checklists), and fall back by early June. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 6.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 1-7early April
Fall back byJun 1-7early June
FewestJan 15-21mid January

Best: early April. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of March and fall back by early June. Peak: on about 55% of North Dakota checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  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: 12% of 1694 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.5% of 1210 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.3% of 1263 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.2% of 1984 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.2% of 1209 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.0% of 1307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.7% of 1655 checklistsFeb 22-28: 19% of 1619 checklistsMar 1-7: 29% of 1653 checklistsMar 8-14: 41% of 1818 checklistsMar 15-21: 48% of 2103 checklistsMar 22-31: 56% of 3714 checklistsApr 1-7: 53% of 2955 checklistsApr 8-14: 56% of 3550 checklistsApr 15-21: 53% of 4104 checklistsApr 22-30: 51% of 5712 checklistsMay 1-7: 48% of 5328 checklistsMay 8-14: 45% of 5885 checklistsMay 15-21: 45% of 5344 checklistsMay 22-31: 41% of 7512 checklistsJun 1-7: 36% of 4329 checklistsJun 8-14: 26% of 4287 checklistsJun 15-21: 18% of 3798 checklistsJun 22-30: 15% of 4361 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 2939 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 2407 checklistsJul 15-21: 15% of 2254 checklistsJul 22-31: 20% of 2852 checklistsAug 1-7: 21% of 2119 checklistsAug 8-14: 20% of 2044 checklistsAug 15-21: 17% of 2124 checklistsAug 22-31: 20% of 3168 checklistsSep 1-7: 30% of 2449 checklistsSep 8-14: 33% of 2310 checklistsSep 15-21: 33% of 2092 checklistsSep 22-30: 34% of 2565 checklistsOct 1-7: 30% of 2071 checklistsOct 8-14: 28% of 1918 checklistsOct 15-21: 31% of 1907 checklistsOct 22-31: 34% of 2589 checklistsNov 1-7: 35% of 1858 checklistsNov 8-14: 36% of 1753 checklistsNov 15-21: 27% of 1483 checklistsNov 22-30: 30% of 1928 checklistsDec 1-7: 21% of 1337 checklistsDec 8-14: 16% of 1309 checklistsDec 15-21: 14% of 1642 checklistsDec 22-31: 12% of 1830 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pierce CountyBest early April · 15 checklists that week, 403 in all90%
  2. Renville CountyBest mid October · 10 checklists that week, 415 in all88%
  3. Sheridan CountyBest the second week of April · 15 checklists that week, 620 in all87%
  4. Sargent CountyBest the second week of March · 13 checklists that week, 894 in all85%
  5. Mercer CountyBest the second week of February · 20 checklists that week, 2,518 in all84%
  6. McLean CountyBest early March · 30 checklists that week, 1,933 in all80%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Oak ParkWard County, best the second week of April · 22 checklists that week, 777 in all100%
  2. Kellys Slough ReservoirGrand Forks County, best late March · 22 checklists that week, 438 in all100%
  3. Spring Lake ParkWilliams County, best late April · 41 checklists that week, 767 in all99%
  4. Des Lacs National Wildlife RefugeWard County, best mid May · 23 checklists that week, 116 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In North Dakota, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (37% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (74) to judge1 am: too few checklists (45) to judge2 am: too few checklists (42) to judge3 am: too few checklists (68) to judge4 am: too few checklists (274) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1538) to judge6 am: 42% of 4242 checklists7 am: 35% of 9520 checklists8 am: 34% of 13065 checklists9 am: 35% of 13356 checklists10 am: 33% of 12128 checklists11 am: 31% of 10772 checklists12 pm: 31% of 10316 checklists1 pm: 29% of 9169 checklists2 pm: 29% of 8880 checklists3 pm: 28% of 8688 checklists4 pm: 29% of 8201 checklists5 pm: 32% of 6687 checklists6 pm: 32% of 5455 checklists7 pm: 33% of 3926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2024) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (602) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (181) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (89) 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%6.5%8.3%6.2%
February7.2%8.0%9.7%19%
March29%41%48%56%
April53%56%53%51%
May48%45%45%41%
June36%26%18%15%
July12%15%15%20%
August21%20%17%20%
September30%33%33%34%
October30%28%31%34%
November35%36%27%30%
December21%16%14%12%

Neighboring states

  • South Dakota: arrives late February, 2 weeks earlier than North Dakota
  • Minnesota: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than North Dakota
  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of February, 4 weeks earlier than North Dakota
  • Iowa: arrives mid February, 3 weeks earlier than North Dakota

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in North Dakota?
Canada Geese are in North Dakota all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in early April (55% of checklists), and fall back by early June. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 6.9% of checklists.
When do Canada Geese leave North Dakota?
Canada Geese never fully leave North Dakota: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early June, but some are still reported in every week, about 6.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Canada Goose in North Dakota?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in early April, on about 55% of North Dakota checklists.
Where in North Dakota are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Pierce County, Renville County, and Sheridan County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).