WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in Virginia?

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

Canada Geese are in Virginia all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early November, peak in early April (37% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 13% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildNov 1-7early November
PeakApr 1-7early April
Fall back byMay 8-14the second week of May
FewestJun 22-30late June

Best: early April. Here all year; numbers build from early November and fall back by the second week of May. Peak: on about 37% of Virginia 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. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 32% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 31% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 32% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 34% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 37% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 31% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 29% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 38% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 36% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 37% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 37% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 37% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 37% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 37% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 35% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 33% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 30% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 28% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 25% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 21% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 18% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 15% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 13% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 16% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 18% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 19% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 19% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 18% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 18% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 18% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 19% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 18% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 18% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 20% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 21% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 23% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 24% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 25% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 25% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 26% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 26% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 29% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 30% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 31% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 32% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 33% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hopewell CountyBest late February · 63 checklists that week, 3,116 in all82%
  2. Colonial Heights CountyBest late March · 49 checklists that week, 889 in all74%
  3. Waynesboro CountyBest mid January · 72 checklists that week, 3,400 in all73%
  4. Charles CityBest the second week of January · 24 checklists that week, 2,357 in all70%
  5. Covington CountyBest the second week of April · 14 checklists that week, 217 in all67%
  6. Buena Vista CountyBest late December · 11 checklists that week, 525 in all66%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. George Washington Memorial ParkwayFairfax County, best mid December · 32 checklists that week, 1,231 in all100%
  2. Echo Lake ParkHenrico County, best early July · 20 checklists that week, 1,125 in all100%
  3. William Byrd Park (Boat Lake)Richmond City, best the second week of February · 20 checklists that week, 471 in all100%
  4. Upper Occoquan Polish PondFairfax County, best the second week of April · 29 checklists that week, 798 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (35% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 35% of 64788 checklists7 am: 35% of 169128 checklists8 am: 30% of 180748 checklists9 am: 27% of 153462 checklists10 am: 25% of 128966 checklists11 am: 24% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 23% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 24% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 24% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 25% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 25% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 25% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 21% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January32%31%32%34%
February37%31%29%38%
March36%37%37%37%
April37%37%35%33%
May30%28%25%21%
June18%15%13%12%
July13%16%18%19%
August19%18%18%18%
September19%18%18%20%
October21%23%24%25%
November25%26%26%29%
December30%31%32%33%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in Virginia?
Canada Geese are in Virginia all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early November, peak in early April (37% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 13% of checklists.
When do Canada Geese leave Virginia?
Canada Geese never fully leave Virginia: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of May, but some are still reported in every week, about 13% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Canada Goose in Virginia?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in early April, on about 37% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Hopewell County, Colonial Heights County, and Waynesboro County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).