WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in Washington?

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

Canada Geese are in Washington all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid February, peak in late March (34% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 13% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildFeb 15-21mid February
PeakMar 22-31late March
Fall back byMay 15-21mid May
FewestJun 15-21mid June

Best: late March. Here all year; numbers build from mid February and fall back by mid May. Peak: on about 34% of Washington checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  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: 21% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 20% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 21% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 23% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 24% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 23% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 23% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 28% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 30% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 32% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 34% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 34% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 33% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 33% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 33% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 33% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 31% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 30% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 28% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 24% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 18% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 14% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 13% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 14% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 16% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 19% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 21% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 19% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 20% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 20% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 21% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 22% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 22% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 21% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 23% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 22% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 22% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 24% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 24% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 23% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 23% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 23% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 22% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 20% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 19% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 18% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 20% of 42130 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 Washington 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Franklin CountyBest mid November · 81 checklists that week, 7,970 in all70%
  2. Pend Oreille CountyBest early April · 33 checklists that week, 3,664 in all67%
  3. Garfield CountyBest early March · 15 checklists that week, 1,130 in all66%
  4. Asotin CountyBest mid March · 65 checklists that week, 4,316 in all61%
  5. Benton CountyBest late October · 459 checklists that week, 23,565 in all55%
  6. Spokane CountyBest the second week of March · 888 checklists that week, 43,379 in all51%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Swallows ParkAsotin County, best the second week of February · 22 checklists that week, 890 in all100%
  2. Sayres Memorial ParkKing County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 747 in all100%
  3. Marysville Sewage LagoonSnohomish County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 1,523 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (29% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 31% of 56744 checklists7 am: 28% of 133294 checklists8 am: 27% of 184196 checklists9 am: 25% of 186303 checklists10 am: 24% of 177063 checklists11 am: 23% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 21% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 21% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 21% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 21% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 22% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 22% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 21% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January21%20%21%23%
February24%23%23%28%
March30%32%34%34%
April33%33%33%33%
May31%30%28%24%
June18%14%13%13%
July14%16%19%21%
August19%20%20%21%
September22%22%21%23%
October22%22%24%24%
November23%23%23%22%
December20%19%18%20%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives early January, 6 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives late October, 15 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Montana: arrives early March, 2 weeks later than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives early November, 14 weeks earlier than Washington

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in Washington?
Canada Geese are in Washington all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid February, peak in late March (34% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 13% of checklists.
When do Canada Geese leave Washington?
Canada Geese never fully leave Washington: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid 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 Washington?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in late March, on about 34% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Franklin County, Pend Oreille County, and Garfield County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).