WhenToBird

Cyanocitta cristata · Corvidae

When Do Blue Jays Arrive in New Jersey?

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

The Blue Jay is in New Jersey all year. It turns up on about 59% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 33% 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 59% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  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%Jan 1-7: 34% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 33% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 32% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 35% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 36% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 35% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 38% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 36% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 37% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 38% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 42% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 45% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 47% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 49% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 51% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 55% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 55% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 46% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 45% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 45% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 46% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 46% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 45% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 45% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 45% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 43% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 42% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 42% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 43% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 43% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 44% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 49% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 52% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 56% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 58% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 59% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 59% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 59% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 56% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 55% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 53% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 49% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 46% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 45% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 43% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 42% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 44% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 40% of 26651 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Passaic CountyBest mid September · 445 checklists that week, 24,933 in all86%
  2. Hunterdon CountyBest late September · 1208 checklists that week, 57,610 in all85%
  3. Somerset CountyBest late September · 1309 checklists that week, 58,057 in all84%
  4. Mercer CountyBest late September · 1049 checklists that week, 56,614 in all84%
  5. Morris CountyBest late September · 1231 checklists that week, 59,212 in all83%
  6. Camden CountyBest early October · 486 checklists that week, 25,931 in all83%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clyde Potts ReservoirMorris County, best the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 1,098 in all100%
  2. Memorial Park (Pine Grove)Burlington County, best late September · 22 checklists that week, 487 in all100%
  3. Heavenly FarmsMiddlesex County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 471 in all100%
  4. Cold Brook ReserveHunterdon County, best early October · 37 checklists that week, 322 in all100%
  5. West Essex ParkEssex County, best early April · 26 checklists that week, 1,556 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Blue Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (64% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (746) to judge1 am: too few checklists (640) to judge2 am: too few checklists (606) to judge3 am: too few checklists (755) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1681) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11258) to judge6 am: 63% of 50447 checklists7 am: 65% of 118312 checklists8 am: 59% of 123273 checklists9 am: 53% of 107783 checklists10 am: 46% of 97537 checklists11 am: 41% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 39% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 37% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 33% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 32% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 31% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 38% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 35% of 28122 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14727) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4257) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1273) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (920) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (693) 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
January34%33%32%35%
February36%35%38%36%
March37%38%42%45%
April47%49%51%55%
May55%46%45%45%
June46%46%45%45%
July45%43%42%42%
August43%43%44%49%
September52%56%58%59%
October59%59%56%55%
November53%49%46%45%
December43%42%44%40%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Blue Jays arrive in New Jersey?
The Blue Jay is in New Jersey all year. It turns up on about 59% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 33% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Blue Jays leave New Jersey?
The Blue Jay does not leave New Jersey: it is reported all year, from 33% of checklists in the second week of January to 59% in early October.
When is the best time to see a Blue Jay in New Jersey?
The Blue Jay is reported most often in early October, on about 59% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Blue Jays seen most often?
By county, Passaic County, Hunterdon County, and Somerset County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).