WhenToBird

Cyanocitta cristata · Corvidae

When Do Blue Jays Arrive in Maryland?

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

The Blue Jay is in Maryland all year. It turns up on about 71% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 36% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekOct 1-7early October
Quietest weekJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: early October. Here all year. Peak: on about 71% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  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: 37% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 35% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 35% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 38% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 37% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 37% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 36% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 36% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 37% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 38% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 40% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 43% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 45% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 46% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 51% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 56% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 55% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 50% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 47% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 44% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 43% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 41% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 41% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 40% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 42% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 40% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 40% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 40% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 41% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 42% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 44% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 48% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 57% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 61% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 68% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 71% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 73% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 69% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 67% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 62% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 56% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 46% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 48% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 45% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 44% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 43% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 45% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 40% of 29728 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Montgomery CountyBest early October · 3964 checklists that week, 219,548 in all82%
  2. Howard CountyBest late September · 2251 checklists that week, 118,290 in all81%
  3. Cecil CountyBest early October · 276 checklists that week, 18,620 in all81%
  4. Prince George's CountyBest early October · 1679 checklists that week, 87,907 in all81%
  5. Queen Anne's CountyBest early October · 463 checklists that week, 26,875 in all79%
  6. Allegany CountyBest early October · 327 checklists that week, 18,322 in all79%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Loch Raven Reservoir (Jenkins Run)Baltimore County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 759 in all100%
  2. Gerber KnollHoward County, best mid September · 26 checklists that week, 922 in all100%
  3. Perryman ParkHarford County, best the second week of October · 50 checklists that week, 849 in all99%
  4. Natural Resource Man. AreaHoward County, best the second week of October · 25 checklists that week, 1,972 in all99%
  5. Crabbs Branch SvpMontgomery County, best the second week of October · 27 checklists that week, 484 in all99%
  6. T. Howard Duckett WatershedPrince George's County, best the second week of September · 23 checklists that week, 674 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, 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 (486) to judge1 am: too few checklists (451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (447) to judge3 am: too few checklists (766) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2076) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11098) to judge6 am: 59% of 56604 checklists7 am: 63% of 139255 checklists8 am: 60% of 148626 checklists9 am: 53% of 126820 checklists10 am: 47% of 106973 checklists11 am: 42% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 39% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 39% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 36% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 33% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 32% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 36% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 34% of 32930 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19051) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5708) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1977) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1170) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (635) 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%35%35%38%
February37%37%36%36%
March37%38%40%43%
April45%46%51%56%
May55%50%47%44%
June43%41%41%40%
July42%40%40%40%
August41%42%44%48%
September57%61%68%71%
October73%69%67%62%
November56%46%48%45%
December44%43%45%40%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Blue Jays arrive in Maryland?
The Blue Jay is in Maryland all year. It turns up on about 71% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 36% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Blue Jays leave Maryland?
The Blue Jay does not leave Maryland: it is reported all year, from 36% of checklists in the second week of January to 71% in early October.
When is the best time to see a Blue Jay in Maryland?
The Blue Jay is reported most often in early October, on about 71% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Blue Jays seen most often?
By county, Montgomery County, Howard County, and Cecil County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).