WhenToBird

Cyanocitta cristata · Corvidae

When Do Blue Jays Arrive in Nebraska?

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

Blue Jays are in Nebraska all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of August, peak in the second week of September (60% of checklists), and fall back by late October. In the quietest week (mid March) they are still on about 24% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 8-14the second week of August
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Fall back byOct 22-31late October
FewestMar 15-21mid March

Best: the second week of September. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of August and fall back by late October. Peak: on about 60% of Nebraska 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. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 38% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 36% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 36% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 33% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 33% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 34% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 35% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 30% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 28% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 24% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 22% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 24% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 27% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 28% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 31% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 40% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 48% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 49% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 43% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 39% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 34% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 32% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 31% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 33% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 35% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 37% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 37% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 40% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 41% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 43% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 42% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 54% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 58% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 64% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 60% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 57% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 54% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 52% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 46% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 43% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 42% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 38% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 39% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 39% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 38% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 38% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 36% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 38% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Otoe CountyBest late September · 90 checklists that week, 3,856 in all88%
  2. Gage CountyBest late September · 33 checklists that week, 1,579 in all86%
  3. Madison CountyBest mid September · 20 checklists that week, 1,920 in all86%
  4. Nemaha CountyBest late September · 13 checklists that week, 883 in all84%
  5. Wayne CountyBest mid September · 10 checklists that week, 1,960 in all82%
  6. Lancaster CountyBest the second week of September · 801 checklists that week, 44,392 in all80%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Towl ParkDouglas County, best the second week of October · 32 checklists that week, 1,437 in all99%
  2. Wilderness Park (south 2)Lancaster County, best early September · 20 checklists that week, 293 in all98%
  3. Wilderness Park (south)Lancaster County, best the second week of September · 40 checklists that week, 425 in all98%
  4. Cottonmill Lake State Recreation AreaBuffalo County, best late August · 21 checklists that week, 587 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Blue Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (55% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 51% of 6945 checklists7 am: 55% of 19066 checklists8 am: 55% of 24661 checklists9 am: 49% of 23438 checklists10 am: 41% of 20424 checklists11 am: 35% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 32% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 31% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 30% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 27% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 27% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 30% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 33% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 30% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January38%36%36%33%
February33%34%35%30%
March28%24%22%24%
April27%28%31%40%
May48%49%43%39%
June34%32%31%33%
July35%37%37%40%
August41%43%42%54%
September58%64%60%57%
October54%52%46%43%
November42%38%39%39%
December38%38%36%38%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: year-round, peaks late September
  • South Dakota: arrives mid August, 1 week later than Nebraska
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks early October

Common questions

When do Blue Jays arrive in Nebraska?
Blue Jays are in Nebraska all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of August, peak in the second week of September (60% of checklists), and fall back by late October. In the quietest week (mid March) they are still on about 24% of checklists.
When do Blue Jays leave Nebraska?
Blue Jays never fully leave Nebraska: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late October, but some are still reported in every week, about 24% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Blue Jay in Nebraska?
The Blue Jay is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 60% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Blue Jays seen most often?
By county, Otoe County, Gage County, and Madison County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).