WhenToBird

Cyanocitta cristata · Corvidae

When Do Blue Jays Arrive in Kansas?

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

The Blue Jay is in Kansas all year. It turns up on about 63% of checklists at its peak (late September) and on 35% in its quietest week (early April).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 22-30late September
Quietest weekApr 1-7early April

Best: late September. Here all year. Peak: on about 63% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 37% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 38% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 39% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 36% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 34% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 37% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 39% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 37% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 36% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 37% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 34% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 36% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 36% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 32% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 38% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 50% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 52% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 51% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 49% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 46% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 43% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 44% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 43% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 44% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 44% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 45% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 43% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 44% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 42% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 44% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 43% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 47% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 52% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 58% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 62% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 64% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 62% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 59% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 53% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 48% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 45% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 40% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 41% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 44% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 41% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 41% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 41% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 39% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lyon CountyBest early October · 19 checklists that week, 1,785 in all88%
  2. Leavenworth CountyBest late September · 183 checklists that week, 9,065 in all87%
  3. Allen CountyBest the second week of October · 25 checklists that week, 1,562 in all87%
  4. Harvey CountyBest mid September · 173 checklists that week, 11,509 in all83%
  5. Miami CountyBest early October · 108 checklists that week, 5,634 in all82%
  6. Pottawatomie CountyBest late September · 190 checklists that week, 8,405 in all82%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dyck Arboretum of the PlainsHarvey County, best late January · 29 checklists that week, 983 in all100%
  2. Felker ParkShawnee County, best mid October · 28 checklists that week, 988 in all98%
  3. Kaw River State ParkShawnee County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 823 in all98%
  4. Mill Creek StreamwayJohnson County, best late September · 36 checklists that week, 1,119 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Blue Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (62% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 60% of 12550 checklists7 am: 63% of 34128 checklists8 am: 61% of 45960 checklists9 am: 52% of 37806 checklists10 am: 44% of 32102 checklists11 am: 38% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 38% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 35% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 33% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 32% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 29% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 31% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 35% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 32% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January37%38%39%36%
February34%37%39%37%
March36%37%34%36%
April36%32%38%50%
May52%51%49%46%
June43%44%43%44%
July44%45%43%44%
August42%44%43%47%
September52%58%62%64%
October62%59%53%48%
November45%40%41%44%
December41%41%41%39%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: all year, most in fall, peaks the second week of September
  • Oklahoma: year-round, peaks the second week of October
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks early October
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks early October

Common questions

When do Blue Jays arrive in Kansas?
The Blue Jay is in Kansas all year. It turns up on about 63% of checklists at its peak (late September) and on 35% in its quietest week (early April).
When do Blue Jays leave Kansas?
The Blue Jay does not leave Kansas: it is reported all year, from 35% of checklists in early April to 63% in late September.
When is the best time to see a Blue Jay in Kansas?
The Blue Jay is reported most often in late September, on about 63% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Blue Jays seen most often?
By county, Lyon County, Leavenworth County, and Allen County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).