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ND Bird Photography

Snow Goose

Waterfowl · Fall migration in September

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Painted illustration of a Snow 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
F
S
S
M
J
J
A
F
F
F
D
Spring window
mid-March to late April
Fall window
September to November

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 mid-March to late April

  1. First arrivals: MarchThe earliest month the guide's records place this bird in North Dakota heading north. Early birds can be thin on the ground.
  2. Last of them: AprilThe last month in the records for this spring passage. After it, birds have usually moved on.

Fall passage September to November

  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: NovemberThe 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

Central Flyway; enters southeastern North Dakota first, then spreads north and northeast through Valley City, Jamestown, Devils Lake, and Rugby

  • Prairie pothole region of central and eastern ND
  • Missouri River bottomlands near Bismarck
  • Devils Lake basin

Photography tip

Work flooded fields and pothole lakes at dawn and dusk for massive lift-offs; 'tornado' departures are the signature shot. Late March to early April concentrations can number in the hundreds of thousands.

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 (6)

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 (13)

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.

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