WhenToBird

Anser albifrons · Anatidae

When Do Greater White-fronted Geese Arrive in Idaho?

Adult Greater White-fronted Goose
Photo: Andrey Gulivanov, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Greater White-fronted Geese are winter birds in Idaho: the first arrive in early February, they are common by the second week of February, peak in early March (4.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 1-7early February
Common byFeb 8-14the second week of February
PeakMar 1-7early March
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: early March. First arrivals early February; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 4.9% of Idaho checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octrare
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.5% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.6% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.1% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.3% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.5% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.9% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.2% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.5% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.6% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.7% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.7% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.3% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.7% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.6% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.4% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.5% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.2% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% of 7792 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 Idaho 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 Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Canyon CountyBest the second week of March · 797 checklists that week, 31,704 in all29%
  2. Payette CountyBest the second week of April · 80 checklists that week, 2,860 in all20%
  3. Elmore CountyBest mid February · 99 checklists that week, 6,239 in all20%
  4. Lewis CountyBest the second week of October · 12 checklists that week, 603 in all11%
  5. Gem CountyBest mid March · 201 checklists that week, 8,320 in all8.8%
  6. Nez Perce CountyBest early October · 167 checklists that week, 10,708 in all7.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Roswell Marsh Wildlife Habitat AreaCanyon County, best mid February · 28 checklists that week, 504 in all90%
  2. Fort Boise Wildlife Management AreaCanyon County, best late February · 61 checklists that week, 1,235 in all89%
  3. Little RockGem County, best mid March · 21 checklists that week, 620 in all58%
  4. Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation AreaElmore County, best mid February · 26 checklists that week, 1,056 in all56%

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

Best time of day

In Idaho, the Greater White-fronted Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (1.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 9122 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 22204 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 38672 checklists9 am: 1.0% of 38930 checklists10 am: 1.2% of 37338 checklists11 am: 1.3% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 1.3% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 1.2% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 1.1% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 0.5% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January0.1%0.2%0.5%1.0%
February1.5%2.6%3.1%4.3%
March5.5%4.9%4.2%4.5%
April3.6%2.7%1.7%0.4%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0.1%0.1%0%
July0%0%0.1%0%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.3%0.2%0.2%0.7%
October0.7%0.6%0.4%0.5%
November0.2%0.4%0.5%0.6%
December0.1%0.2%0.2%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives the second week of September, 19 weeks earlier than Idaho
  • Washington: arrives mid September, 18 weeks earlier than Idaho
  • Nevada: arrives early September, 20 weeks earlier than Idaho
  • California: arrives mid September, 18 weeks earlier than Idaho

Common questions

When do Greater White-fronted Geese arrive in Idaho?
Greater White-fronted Geese are winter birds in Idaho: the first arrive in early February, they are common by the second week of February, peak in early March (4.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Greater White-fronted Geese leave Idaho?
Most Greater White-fronted Geese have left Idaho by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid April.
When is the best time to see a Greater White-fronted Goose in Idaho?
The Greater White-fronted Goose is reported most often in early March, on about 4.9% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are Greater White-fronted Geese seen most often?
By county, Canyon County, Payette County, and Elmore County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Greater White-fronted Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).