WhenToBird

Cyanocitta cristata · Corvidae

When Do Blue Jays Arrive in Indiana?

Adult Blue Jay
Photo: Texas Bird Family, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Blue Jay is in Indiana all year. It turns up on about 70% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 35% in its quietest week (early March).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekOct 1-7early October
Quietest weekMar 1-7early March

Best: early October. Here all year. Peak: on about 70% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 40% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 38% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 38% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 38% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 38% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 38% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 36% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 35% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 35% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 36% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 38% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 39% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 41% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 43% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 48% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 53% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 53% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 49% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 44% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 42% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 40% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 40% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 41% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 41% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 41% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 39% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 39% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 39% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 41% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 40% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 43% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 47% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 54% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 61% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 66% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 70% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 71% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 69% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 66% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 61% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 56% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 51% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 49% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 47% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 44% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 45% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 46% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 46% 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. Washington CountyBest mid October · 23 checklists that week, 1,463 in all96%
  2. Owen CountyBest late October · 30 checklists that week, 2,117 in all90%
  3. Martin CountyBest early October · 14 checklists that week, 934 in all89%
  4. Carroll CountyBest mid October · 14 checklists that week, 930 in all89%
  5. Blackford CountyBest mid September · 15 checklists that week, 962 in all88%
  6. Wells CountyBest the second week of October · 109 checklists that week, 3,465 in all88%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Imperial HillsJohnson County, best late September · 31 checklists that week, 543 in all98%
  2. St. Patrick's County ParkSt. Joseph County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 656 in all98%
  3. Saint Marys Lake (Saint Josephs Lake)St. Joseph County, best late September · 25 checklists that week, 331 in all98%
  4. Metea ParkAllen County, best the second week of May · 27 checklists that week, 380 in all97%
  5. Cobus Creek Community ParkElkhart County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 262 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Blue Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (61% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%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: 59% of 20589 checklists7 am: 61% of 58470 checklists8 am: 61% of 86931 checklists9 am: 57% of 78239 checklists10 am: 50% of 66080 checklists11 am: 45% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 41% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 40% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 37% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 35% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 33% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 33% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 35% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 29% 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
January40%38%38%38%
February38%38%36%35%
March35%36%38%39%
April41%43%48%53%
May53%49%44%42%
June40%40%41%41%
July41%39%39%39%
August41%40%43%47%
September54%61%66%70%
October71%69%66%61%
November56%51%49%47%
December44%45%46%46%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: year-round, peaks late September
  • Kentucky: year-round, peaks early October
  • Ohio: year-round, peaks early October
  • Michigan: year-round, peaks mid September

Common questions

When do Blue Jays arrive in Indiana?
The Blue Jay is in Indiana all year. It turns up on about 70% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 35% in its quietest week (early March).
When do Blue Jays leave Indiana?
The Blue Jay does not leave Indiana: it is reported all year, from 35% of checklists in early March to 70% in early October.
When is the best time to see a Blue Jay in Indiana?
The Blue Jay is reported most often in early October, on about 70% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Blue Jays seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Owen County, and Martin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).