WhenToBird

Cyanocitta cristata · Corvidae

When Do Blue Jays Arrive in Michigan?

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

The Blue Jay is in Michigan all year. It turns up on about 72% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 39% in its quietest week (the second week of March).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 15-21mid September
Quietest weekMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: mid September. Here all year. Peak: on about 72% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  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: 39% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 39% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 40% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 41% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 40% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 42% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 42% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 40% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 40% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 38% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 39% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 41% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 43% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 45% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 46% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 52% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 58% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 60% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 57% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 52% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 47% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 46% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 46% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 46% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 45% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 44% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 45% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 47% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 49% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 50% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 51% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 56% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 63% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 70% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 73% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 73% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 70% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 66% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 64% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 62% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 58% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 56% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 53% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 50% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 48% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 47% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 48% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 46% of 30908 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 Michigan 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Oscoda CountyBest the second week of September · 44 checklists that week, 4,044 in all93%
  2. Ogemaw CountyBest mid September · 87 checklists that week, 4,675 in all92%
  3. Crawford CountyBest mid September · 153 checklists that week, 16,949 in all87%
  4. Mecosta CountyBest late September · 242 checklists that week, 11,248 in all87%
  5. Genesee CountyBest late September · 763 checklists that week, 29,698 in all86%
  6. Livingston CountyBest late September · 599 checklists that week, 31,033 in all86%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Plaster Creek TrailKent County, best the second week of October · 24 checklists that week, 1,094 in all100%
  2. Algonac State ParkSt. Clair County, best late September · 50 checklists that week, 1,486 in all100%
  3. Hudson Mills MetroparkWashtenaw County, best the second week of September · 42 checklists that week, 1,136 in all100%
  4. Asylum LakeKalamazoo County, best early October · 20 checklists that week, 1,262 in all100%
  5. George Suarez Friendship WoodsOakland County, best late September · 118 checklists that week, 4,678 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Blue Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (67% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 65% of 39298 checklists7 am: 68% of 120344 checklists8 am: 66% of 180109 checklists9 am: 62% of 171966 checklists10 am: 56% of 156332 checklists11 am: 50% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 47% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 44% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 42% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 38% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 36% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 40% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 42% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 36% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January39%39%40%41%
February40%42%42%40%
March40%38%39%41%
April43%45%46%52%
May58%60%57%52%
June47%46%46%46%
July45%44%45%47%
August49%50%51%56%
September63%70%73%73%
October70%66%64%62%
November58%56%53%50%
December48%47%48%46%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: year-round, peaks early October
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks early October
  • Illinois: year-round, peaks late September
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks mid September

Common questions

When do Blue Jays arrive in Michigan?
The Blue Jay is in Michigan all year. It turns up on about 72% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 39% in its quietest week (the second week of March).
When do Blue Jays leave Michigan?
The Blue Jay does not leave Michigan: it is reported all year, from 39% of checklists in the second week of March to 72% in mid September.
When is the best time to see a Blue Jay in Michigan?
The Blue Jay is reported most often in mid September, on about 72% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Blue Jays seen most often?
By county, Oscoda County, Ogemaw County, and Crawford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).