WhenToBird

Anser caerulescens · Anatidae

When Do Snow Geese Arrive in Indiana?

Adult Snow Goose
Photo: sprcrkwild, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Snow Geese are winter birds in Indiana: the first arrive in mid November, they are common by late November, peak in late January (4.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 15-21mid November
Common byNov 22-30late November
PeakJan 22-31late January
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: late January. First arrivals mid November; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 4.1% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 2.9% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.0% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.3% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.6% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.2% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.9% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.9% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.9% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.4% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.3% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.5% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.6% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.0% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.7% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.5% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.8% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.6% of 15432 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 Indiana 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 Indiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gibson CountyBest the second week of December · 153 checklists that week, 10,754 in all46%
  2. Greene CountyBest early February · 343 checklists that week, 17,518 in all40%
  3. Vermillion CountyBest late January · 38 checklists that week, 772 in all40%
  4. Sullivan CountyBest late January · 153 checklists that week, 4,018 in all31%
  5. Benton CountyBest late January · 11 checklists that week, 993 in all31%
  6. Posey CountyBest early February · 32 checklists that week, 2,179 in all28%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cane Ridge Wildlife Management AreaGibson County, best mid December · 32 checklists that week, 2,252 in all86%
  2. Goose Pond (historical) (southwest)Greene County, best early February · 24 checklists that week, 902 in all82%
  3. Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife AreaGreene County, best mid February · 28 checklists that week, 1,000 in all75%
  4. Tern Bar SloughGibson County, best early January · 23 checklists that week, 569 in all59%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Snow Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (240) to judge1 am: too few checklists (231) to judge2 am: too few checklists (222) to judge3 am: too few checklists (202) to judge4 am: too few checklists (674) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4329) to judge6 am: 1.1% of 20589 checklists7 am: 0.8% of 58470 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 86931 checklists9 am: 0.9% of 78239 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 66080 checklists11 am: 1.2% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 1.2% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 1.4% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 1.3% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 1.2% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 17740 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (7603) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1721) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (272) 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
January2.9%3.0%3.3%4.6%
February4.2%2.9%2.9%3.9%
March2.4%1.3%0.8%0.4%
April0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.3%
November0.5%0.6%1.1%2.0%
December2.7%2.5%2.8%2.6%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives early November, 2 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Kentucky: arrives late November, 1 week later than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives the second week of November, 1 week earlier than Indiana
  • Tennessee: arrives mid November, in the same week than Indiana

Common questions

When do Snow Geese arrive in Indiana?
Snow Geese are winter birds in Indiana: the first arrive in mid November, they are common by late November, peak in late January (4.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Snow Geese leave Indiana?
Most Snow Geese have left Indiana by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Snow Goose in Indiana?
The Snow Goose is reported most often in late January, on about 4.1% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Snow Geese seen most often?
By county, Gibson County, Greene County, and Vermillion County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Snow Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).