WhenToBird

Cyanocitta cristata · Corvidae

When Do Blue Jays Arrive in Massachusetts?

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

The Blue Jay is in Massachusetts all year. It turns up on about 74% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 39% in its quietest week (mid January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekOct 1-7early October
Quietest weekJan 15-21mid January

Best: early October. Here all year. Peak: on about 74% of Massachusetts 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: 41% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 39% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 39% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 40% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 41% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 42% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 42% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 44% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 44% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 43% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 44% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 46% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 48% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 53% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 54% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 57% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 61% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 58% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 57% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 51% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 48% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 48% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 47% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 47% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 46% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 45% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 45% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 46% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 47% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 49% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 49% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 54% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 59% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 65% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 70% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 74% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 75% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 72% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 72% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 68% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 64% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 59% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 56% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 54% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 50% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 49% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 51% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 46% of 44323 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Middlesex CountyBest late September · 6555 checklists that week, 307,511 in all86%
  2. Worcester CountyBest early October · 2185 checklists that week, 128,594 in all84%
  3. Hampden CountyBest early October · 603 checklists that week, 35,410 in all81%
  4. Norfolk CountyBest early October · 2055 checklists that week, 114,756 in all81%
  5. Hampshire CountyBest late September · 3514 checklists that week, 162,423 in all80%
  6. Franklin CountyBest late September · 898 checklists that week, 41,382 in all79%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wilbraham Middle SchoolHampden County, best late October · 20 checklists that week, 499 in all100%
  2. Wildwood Conservation AreaHampshire County, best late September · 27 checklists that week, 623 in all100%
  3. Blacks Creek MarshesNorfolk County, best the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 380 in all100%
  4. Puffer PondMiddlesex County, best mid September · 59 checklists that week, 2,179 in all100%
  5. Mill Pond ReservoirMiddlesex County, best mid May · 23 checklists that week, 453 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Blue Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (68% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (630) to judge1 am: too few checklists (657) to judge2 am: too few checklists (645) to judge3 am: too few checklists (850) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3787) to judge5 am: too few checklists (29743) to judge6 am: 67% of 108601 checklists7 am: 68% of 186104 checklists8 am: 65% of 185905 checklists9 am: 59% of 166049 checklists10 am: 54% of 150508 checklists11 am: 49% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 47% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 45% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 41% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 37% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 38% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 41% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 36% of 41435 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (21041) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5240) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1094) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (704) 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
January41%39%39%40%
February41%42%42%44%
March44%43%44%46%
April48%53%54%57%
May61%58%57%51%
June48%48%47%47%
July46%45%45%46%
August47%49%49%54%
September59%65%70%74%
October75%72%72%68%
November64%59%56%54%
December50%49%51%46%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Blue Jays arrive in Massachusetts?
The Blue Jay is in Massachusetts all year. It turns up on about 74% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 39% in its quietest week (mid January).
When do Blue Jays leave Massachusetts?
The Blue Jay does not leave Massachusetts: it is reported all year, from 39% of checklists in mid January to 74% in early October.
When is the best time to see a Blue Jay in Massachusetts?
The Blue Jay is reported most often in early October, on about 74% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Blue Jays seen most often?
By county, Middlesex County, Worcester County, and Hampden County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).