WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in Wyoming?

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

Canada Geese are in Wyoming all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in mid April (51% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (early February) they are still on about 15% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 1-7early March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Fall back byMay 15-21mid May
FewestFeb 1-7early February

Best: mid April. Here all year; numbers build from early March and fall back by mid May. Peak: on about 51% of Wyoming checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 16% of 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 17% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 15% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 15% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 15% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 15% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 18% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 24% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 34% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 39% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 45% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 50% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 51% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 51% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 51% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 51% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 47% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 42% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 38% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 33% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 25% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 19% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 17% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 15% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 19% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 20% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 22% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 20% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 18% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 17% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 17% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 18% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 19% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 20% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 22% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 25% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 26% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 26% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 27% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 32% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 30% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 28% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 22% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 21% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 20% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 16% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 18% of 2392 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hot Springs CountyBest mid February · 33 checklists that week, 1,345 in all78%
  2. Platte CountyBest late March · 40 checklists that week, 1,645 in all71%
  3. Sublette CountyBest late April · 230 checklists that week, 6,738 in all67%
  4. Uinta CountyBest mid April · 48 checklists that week, 1,881 in all67%
  5. Teton CountyBest late April · 568 checklists that week, 34,686 in all67%
  6. Goshen CountyBest mid March · 48 checklists that week, 1,920 in all65%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. French CreekJohnson County, best early May · 23 checklists that week, 397 in all100%
  2. Wyoming Hereford Ranch Reservoir Number TwoLaramie County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 344 in all100%
  3. Mcmanamen ParkCampbell County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 626 in all100%
  4. South Park Wildlife Habitat Management AreaTeton County, best early May · 80 checklists that week, 756 in all99%
  5. North ParkTeton County, best the second week of May · 25 checklists that week, 488 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (29% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (59) to judge1 am: too few checklists (76) to judge2 am: too few checklists (86) to judge3 am: too few checklists (79) to judge4 am: too few checklists (326) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2271) to judge6 am: 27% of 8808 checklists7 am: 27% of 18458 checklists8 am: 27% of 22143 checklists9 am: 29% of 21499 checklists10 am: 29% of 19425 checklists11 am: 26% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 26% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 26% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 26% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 26% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 26% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 28% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 26% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 24% of 4890 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2323) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (554) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (134) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (59) 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
January16%17%15%15%
February15%15%18%24%
March34%39%45%50%
April51%51%51%51%
May47%42%38%33%
June25%19%17%15%
July15%19%20%22%
August20%18%17%17%
September18%19%20%22%
October25%26%26%27%
November32%30%28%22%
December21%20%16%18%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: arrives late October, 17 weeks earlier than Wyoming
  • Utah: arrives early January, 8 weeks earlier than Wyoming
  • Montana: arrives early March, in the same week than Wyoming
  • Idaho: arrives late October, 17 weeks earlier than Wyoming

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in Wyoming?
Canada Geese are in Wyoming all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in mid April (51% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (early February) they are still on about 15% of checklists.
When do Canada Geese leave Wyoming?
Canada Geese never fully leave Wyoming: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid May, but some are still reported in every week, about 15% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Canada Goose in Wyoming?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in mid April, on about 51% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Hot Springs County, Platte County, and Sublette County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).