WhenToBird

Anser caerulescens · Anatidae

When Do Snow Geese Arrive in Virginia?

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

Snow Geese are winter birds in Virginia: they arrive in mid November, peak in mid December (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 15-21mid November
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakDec 15-21mid December
Most gone byMar 1-7early March

Best: mid December. First arrivals mid November; most are gone by early March. Peak: on about 1.6% of Virginia 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. Octrare
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.9% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.1% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.7% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.6% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.5% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.5% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.2% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.8% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.3% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.5% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.9% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bristol CountyBest the second week of January · 12 checklists that week, 718 in all21%
  2. Accomack CountyBest late December · 1329 checklists that week, 43,278 in all20%
  3. Campbell CountyBest late November · 47 checklists that week, 3,060 in all20%
  4. Pulaski CountyBest late November · 162 checklists that week, 6,305 in all10%
  5. Russell CountyBest mid March · 17 checklists that week, 770 in all8.1%
  6. King William CountyBest early December · 14 checklists that week, 2,070 in all7.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Toms CoveAccomack County, best mid February · 24 checklists that week, 937 in all64%
  2. Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (north)Accomack County, best late December · 62 checklists that week, 2,019 in all61%
  3. Little Toms CoveAccomack County, best late December · 60 checklists that week, 2,044 in all57%
  4. New River Valley FairgroundsPulaski County, best late November · 21 checklists that week, 509 in all53%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Snow Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (0.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 64788 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 169128 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 180748 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 153462 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 128966 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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%0.9%1.1%1.0%
February1.1%0.7%0.6%0.7%
March0.5%0.4%0.3%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0.1%0%0%
July0.1%0%0.1%0%
August0%0.1%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
November0.4%0.5%0.5%1.2%
December1.8%1.3%1.5%1.9%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives late November, 1 week later than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives early December, 2 weeks later than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives mid November, in the same week than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives early November, 2 weeks earlier than Virginia

Common questions

When do Snow Geese arrive in Virginia?
Snow Geese are winter birds in Virginia: they arrive in mid November, peak in mid December (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early March.
When do Snow Geese leave Virginia?
Most Snow Geese have left Virginia by early March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Snow Goose in Virginia?
The Snow Goose is reported most often in mid December, on about 1.6% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Snow Geese seen most often?
By county, Bristol County, Accomack County, and Campbell County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Snow Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).