This is perhaps the earliest passage migrant to arrive in the Pribilofs each spring with the first migrants likely appearing during March or April each year with peak numbers probably having moved through by mid-May. This species is normally still present into the tourist season, which begins in May, though most individuals are gone by June 1st. Typically, any birds found into early June are lingerers from May (often 1st-year birds), which remain into the first couple days, rarely through the first two weeks, of June, with sightings every other year or so. As is typical among geese the earliest migrants have been noted at the end of August though in most years they will not be found until September with a record prior to the 15th of the month in most years. Fall migrants continue to be intermittent through the rest of the fall as they do in the winter though coverage is very sparse in late fall and winter. Most winter records are likely to include lingering birds from the late fall which remain around the islands when the sea ice does not push the birds further south. While this species is a regular migrant and present around the islands during spring and fall, their habit of spending time on rocky coastlines can cause them to be difficult to find due to lack of access to some of their favored haunts.
