WhenToBird

Anser rossii · Anatidae

When Do Ross's Geese Arrive in Colorado?

Adult Ross's Goose
Photo: Andrew Cannizzaro, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Ross's Geese are winter birds in Colorado: they arrive in early November, peak in early December (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of February.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakDec 1-7early December
Most gone byFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: early December. First arrivals early November; most are gone by the second week of February. Peak: on about 1.5% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 1.1% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.9% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.5% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.3% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.5% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.2% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.2% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.6% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.6% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.4% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.1% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Washington CountyBest the second week of November · 15 checklists that week, 2,511 in all38%
  2. Sedgwick CountyBest mid November · 24 checklists that week, 1,168 in all38%
  3. Kiowa CountyBest early December · 27 checklists that week, 3,854 in all31%
  4. Bent CountyBest late November · 43 checklists that week, 5,275 in all27%
  5. Logan CountyBest mid November · 75 checklists that week, 4,117 in all24%
  6. Delta CountyBest early February · 86 checklists that week, 6,509 in all15%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cheyenne Lake (Broadmoor)El Paso County, best late January · 43 checklists that week, 158 in all58%
  2. Confluence ParkDelta County, best mid December · 21 checklists that week, 742 in all48%
  3. Julesburg ReservoirLogan County, best mid November · 20 checklists that week, 460 in all48%
  4. Carbon Valley Recreation District Regional (Metro District) ParksWeld County, best the second week of January · 100 checklists that week, 994 in all47%
  5. Dodd ReservoirBoulder County, best late November · 77 checklists that week, 841 in all44%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Ross's Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 71991 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 159189 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 177206 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 165269 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 141029 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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
January1.1%1.3%1.2%0.9%
February0.7%0.5%0.4%0.5%
March0.5%0.5%0.4%0.3%
April0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
June0.1%0%0%0.1%
July0%0%0.1%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0.1%0.1%0.3%
November0.5%1.2%1.2%1.6%
December1.6%1.4%1.4%1.1%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: arrives early November, in the same week than Colorado
  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of February, 13 weeks later than Colorado
  • South Dakota: arrives mid February, 14 weeks later than Colorado
  • Kansas: arrives early November, in the same week than Colorado

Common questions

When do Ross's Geese arrive in Colorado?
Ross's Geese are winter birds in Colorado: they arrive in early November, peak in early December (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of February.
When do Ross's Geese leave Colorado?
Most Ross's Geese have left Colorado by the second week of February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Ross's Goose in Colorado?
The Ross's Goose is reported most often in early December, on about 1.5% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Ross's Geese seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Sedgwick County, and Kiowa County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ross's Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).