WhenToBird

Anser albifrons · Anatidae

When Do Greater White-fronted Geese Arrive in Oregon?

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

Greater White-fronted Geese are winter birds in Oregon: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in early October (6.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: early October. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 6.0% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.4% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.3% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.5% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.6% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.8% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.0% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.2% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.4% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.2% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.3% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.8% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.0% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.6% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.0% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.1% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.7% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.1% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.7% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.8% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.8% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.9% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.4% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.7% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.2% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.9% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.8% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.6% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.3% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Klamath CountyBest the second week of March · 317 checklists that week, 26,875 in all31%
  2. Crook CountyBest late March · 256 checklists that week, 9,466 in all20%
  3. Lake CountyBest the second week of March · 86 checklists that week, 13,301 in all17%
  4. Harney CountyBest mid March · 374 checklists that week, 40,943 in all15%
  5. Union CountyBest early April · 831 checklists that week, 33,301 in all13%
  6. Gilliam CountyBest the second week of January · 27 checklists that week, 2,323 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Largent PondKlamath County, best early March · 31 checklists that week, 1,241 in all99%
  2. Little Houston LakeCrook County, best the second week of April · 23 checklists that week, 435 in all95%
  3. Joseph H. Stewart State Recreation AreaJackson County, best the second week of October · 32 checklists that week, 358 in all83%
  4. Lower Klamath National Wildlife RefugeKlamath County, best mid February · 20 checklists that week, 331 in all73%
  5. Wood River MarshKlamath County, best the second week of April · 23 checklists that week, 1,094 in all73%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Greater White-fronted Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (1.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 1.0% of 50677 checklists7 am: 1.5% of 125347 checklists8 am: 1.7% of 163668 checklists9 am: 2.0% of 160351 checklists10 am: 1.9% of 148940 checklists11 am: 2.0% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 1.8% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 1.8% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 1.9% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 1.9% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 1.7% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 1.5% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 1.1% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 0.5% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January1.2%1.2%1.4%1.2%
February1.3%1.5%1.6%1.8%
March2.0%2.2%2.4%2.2%
April2.3%2.8%5.0%4.6%
May2.0%1.1%0.7%0.2%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.3%0.4%
September0.8%1.1%2.7%7.8%
October5.8%3.9%3.4%2.7%
November2.2%1.9%1.8%1.6%
December1.4%1.3%1.1%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives early February, 19 weeks later than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives early September, 1 week earlier than Oregon
  • California: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Oregon

Common questions

When do Greater White-fronted Geese arrive in Oregon?
Greater White-fronted Geese are winter birds in Oregon: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in early October (6.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Greater White-fronted Geese leave Oregon?
Most Greater White-fronted Geese have left Oregon by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Greater White-fronted Goose in Oregon?
The Greater White-fronted Goose is reported most often in early October, on about 6.0% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Greater White-fronted Geese seen most often?
By county, Klamath County, Crook County, and Lake County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Greater White-fronted Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).