WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in Vermont?

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

Canada Geese are in Vermont all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in late March (44% of checklists), and fall back by late May. In the quietest week (early February) they are still on about 3.0% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakMar 22-31late March
Fall back byMay 22-31late May
FewestFeb 1-7early February

Best: late March. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of March and fall back by late May. Peak: on about 44% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 7.2% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.9% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.1% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.0% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.4% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.5% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.1% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 18% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 34% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 43% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 45% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 43% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 42% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 41% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 39% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 38% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 33% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 30% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 25% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 17% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 13% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.3% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.3% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.4% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.3% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.8% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 14% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 13% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 13% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 18% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 25% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 28% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 29% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 31% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 28% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 28% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 25% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 22% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 22% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 18% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 17% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.9% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.1% of 10579 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 Vermont 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 Vermont

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grand Isle CountyBest late March · 268 checklists that week, 8,507 in all61%
  2. Essex CountyBest late April · 265 checklists that week, 9,416 in all55%
  3. Addison CountyBest mid March · 1957 checklists that week, 77,064 in all52%
  4. Franklin CountyBest late March · 799 checklists that week, 25,284 in all50%
  5. Orleans CountyBest the second week of April · 332 checklists that week, 11,785 in all50%
  6. Windham CountyBest late March · 1692 checklists that week, 39,105 in all50%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. South Hero Marsh Wildlife Management AreaGrand Isle County, best the second week of April · 37 checklists that week, 720 in all100%
  2. Ompompanoosuc RiverWindsor County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 172 in all100%
  3. South Stream Wildlife Management AreaBennington County, best early April · 20 checklists that week, 347 in all100%
  4. Barre City ForestOrange County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 585 in all100%
  5. Trout BrookOrleans County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 388 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (26% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (384) to judge1 am: too few checklists (418) to judge2 am: too few checklists (568) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3460) to judge5 am: 24% of 10340 checklists6 am: 27% of 30951 checklists7 am: 23% of 64150 checklists8 am: 21% of 70252 checklists9 am: 23% of 55280 checklists10 am: 23% of 47111 checklists11 am: 21% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 20% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 20% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 21% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 23% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 24% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 25% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 22% of 12110 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8203) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4425) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1829) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (597) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (309) 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
January7.2%4.9%4.1%3.0%
February2.4%3.5%4.1%11%
March18%34%43%45%
April43%42%41%39%
May38%33%30%25%
June17%13%8.3%7.3%
July6.4%8.3%9.8%13%
August14%13%13%13%
September14%18%25%28%
October29%31%28%28%
November25%22%22%18%
December17%11%6.9%5.1%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in Vermont?
Canada Geese are in Vermont all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in late March (44% of checklists), and fall back by late May. In the quietest week (early February) they are still on about 3.0% of checklists.
When do Canada Geese leave Vermont?
Canada Geese never fully leave Vermont: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late May, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.0% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Canada Goose in Vermont?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in late March, on about 44% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Grand Isle County, Essex County, and Addison County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).