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ND Bird Photography

Canada Goose

Waterfowl · Fall migration in September

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Painted illustration of a Canada Goose
Illustration, not a field photographReal photos on All About Birds

Where and when to find this bird right now

Live observation

Recent North Dakota reports from eBird, closest first from Bismarck (the default starting point).

These are observations submitted by birders and are not reviewed before appearing here. A report is not a guarantee that the bird is still present, and a sighting location is not a public-access guarantee.

Recent sightings data from eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Sunrise, sunset and sun direction: calculated on your device from the location's coordinates.

Migration timeline

Seasonal expectation

S = spring window, F = fall window, B = both. Built from the month arrays in the source record; months are January (1) through December (12).

J
S
S
S
M
J
J
A
F
F
F
F
Spring window
late February to early April
Fall window
September to freeze-up (December); large numbers winter on open Missouri River water

Arrives, busiest, leaves

Seasonal expectation

Planning guidance from this bird's own seasonal record, not a live report. Weather shifts these dates every year, sometimes by a fortnight.

Spring passage late February to early April

  1. First arrivals: FebruaryThe earliest month the guide's records place this bird in North Dakota heading north. Early birds can be thin on the ground.
  2. Middle of the window: MarchThe middle of the recorded window, when numbers are usually highest. The records do not count birds, so treat this as the likeliest stretch rather than a measured peak.
  3. Last of them: AprilThe last month in the records for this spring passage. After it, birds have usually moved on.

Fall passage September to freeze-up (December); large numbers winter on open Missouri River water

  1. First arrivals: SeptemberThe earliest month the guide's records place this bird in North Dakota heading south. Early birds can be thin on the ground.
  2. Middle of the window: OctoberThe middle of the recorded window, when numbers are usually highest. The records do not count birds, so treat this as the likeliest stretch rather than a measured peak.
  3. Last of them: DecemberThe last month in the records for this fall passage. After it, birds have usually moved on.

Migration journey reference: National Audubon Society Bird Migration Explorer.

See the full journey on Audubon's Bird Migration Explorer

Corridor and staging areas

Statewide; the Missouri River corridor is the anchor

  • Missouri River near Bismarck/Mandan (wintering open water)
  • Lake Audubon
  • Lake Oahe

Photography tip

Backlit dawn takeoffs from river roosts near Bismarck give clean sky backgrounds minutes from home.

Wildlife safeguards

Never approach nests, nesting islands, roosts, leks, or sensitive colonies. Keep to established routes and observation points, respect closures and posted signs, and back off at the first sign that a bird is reacting to you.

Public places linked to this bird (9)

Live observation

Each place shows what eBird received within 10 miles of that place in the last 7 days. Reports further away belong to somewhere else and are never counted here.

Recent sightings data from eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Recent eBird reports

Recent sightings data from eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Open eBird North Dakota

Historical photo evidence (0)

These are historical public posts collected as supporting evidence. They are not live sightings and do not guarantee current bird activity. Photos are not copied here — each entry links to the original post.

No collected posts reference this species. That is a gap in the evidence set, not evidence of absence.

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