WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in Utah?

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

Canada Geese are in Utah all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early January, peak in late March (36% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 11% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJan 1-7early January
PeakMar 22-31late March
Fall back byMay 8-14the second week of May
FewestJun 22-30late June

Best: late March. Here all year; numbers build from early January and fall back by the second week of May. Peak: on about 36% of Utah checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  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: 26% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 27% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 27% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 26% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 27% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 28% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 29% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 33% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 33% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 35% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 36% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 36% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 36% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 34% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 36% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 33% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 30% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 27% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 25% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 17% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 13% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 11% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 10% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 13% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 14% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 13% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 13% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 14% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 17% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 16% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 17% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 17% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 18% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 16% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 18% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 20% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 21% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 23% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 22% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 21% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 20% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 21% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rich CountyBest late March · 10 checklists that week, 1,563 in all61%
  2. Wasatch CountyBest mid March · 134 checklists that week, 7,780 in all58%
  3. Summit CountyBest late April · 364 checklists that week, 13,829 in all57%
  4. Cache CountyBest mid March · 416 checklists that week, 21,769 in all57%
  5. Piute CountyBest mid April · 24 checklists that week, 1,035 in all55%
  6. Juab CountyBest the second week of March · 74 checklists that week, 2,572 in all53%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mill CreekSalt Lake County, best late January · 27 checklists that week, 999 in all99%
  2. Mountain Dell ReservoirSalt Lake County, best early April · 25 checklists that week, 390 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 4 and 6 pm (24% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 23% of 11714 checklists7 am: 23% of 33209 checklists8 am: 23% of 46944 checklists9 am: 23% of 46290 checklists10 am: 23% of 43144 checklists11 am: 23% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 24% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 23% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 23% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 24% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 24% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 24% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 21% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 19% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January26%27%27%26%
February27%28%29%33%
March33%35%36%36%
April36%34%36%33%
May30%27%25%17%
June13%11%10%11%
July11%12%13%13%
August14%13%13%14%
September17%16%17%17%
October18%16%16%17%
November18%20%21%23%
December22%21%20%21%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives early March, 8 weeks later than Utah
  • Nevada: arrives early November, 8 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Colorado: arrives late October, 9 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Idaho: arrives late October, 9 weeks earlier than Utah

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in Utah?
Canada Geese are in Utah all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early January, peak in late March (36% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 11% of checklists.
When do Canada Geese leave Utah?
Canada Geese never fully leave Utah: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of May, but some are still reported in every week, about 11% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Canada Goose in Utah?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in late March, on about 36% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Rich County, Wasatch County, and Summit County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).