WhenToBird

Cyanocitta cristata · Corvidae

When Do Blue Jays Arrive in West Virginia?

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

The Blue Jay is in West Virginia all year. It turns up on about 77% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 38% in its quietest week (late February).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekOct 1-7early October
Quietest weekFeb 22-28late February

Best: early October. Here all year. Peak: on about 77% of West Virginia checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  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: 40% of 4227 checklistsJan 8-14: 41% of 3147 checklistsJan 15-21: 41% of 3410 checklistsJan 22-31: 39% of 4248 checklistsFeb 1-7: 39% of 3150 checklistsFeb 8-14: 39% of 3653 checklistsFeb 15-21: 38% of 5140 checklistsFeb 22-28: 39% of 3846 checklistsMar 1-7: 38% of 3901 checklistsMar 8-14: 42% of 3820 checklistsMar 15-21: 43% of 3781 checklistsMar 22-31: 46% of 5705 checklistsApr 1-7: 45% of 4529 checklistsApr 8-14: 44% of 4935 checklistsApr 15-21: 49% of 5429 checklistsApr 22-30: 55% of 8015 checklistsMay 1-7: 54% of 7421 checklistsMay 8-14: 52% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 50% of 5596 checklistsMay 22-31: 44% of 6884 checklistsJun 1-7: 42% of 4123 checklistsJun 8-14: 43% of 3957 checklistsJun 15-21: 41% of 3863 checklistsJun 22-30: 43% of 4217 checklistsJul 1-7: 42% of 3491 checklistsJul 8-14: 43% of 3044 checklistsJul 15-21: 43% of 3095 checklistsJul 22-31: 46% of 4120 checklistsAug 1-7: 47% of 3009 checklistsAug 8-14: 45% of 3007 checklistsAug 15-21: 47% of 2905 checklistsAug 22-31: 51% of 4312 checklistsSep 1-7: 57% of 3429 checklistsSep 8-14: 67% of 3217 checklistsSep 15-21: 74% of 3285 checklistsSep 22-30: 78% of 4067 checklistsOct 1-7: 76% of 3380 checklistsOct 8-14: 75% of 3460 checklistsOct 15-21: 71% of 3129 checklistsOct 22-31: 66% of 3881 checklistsNov 1-7: 61% of 3084 checklistsNov 8-14: 53% of 2869 checklistsNov 15-21: 48% of 2484 checklistsNov 22-30: 46% of 3663 checklistsDec 1-7: 46% of 2574 checklistsDec 8-14: 44% of 2680 checklistsDec 15-21: 45% of 3792 checklistsDec 22-31: 44% of 4236 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Upshur CountyBest early October · 12 checklists that week, 639 in all93%
  2. Marion CountyBest late September · 96 checklists that week, 5,628 in all92%
  3. Wetzel CountyBest mid September · 25 checklists that week, 1,196 in all91%
  4. Doddridge CountyBest mid September · 14 checklists that week, 427 in all91%
  5. Marshall CountyBest late November · 14 checklists that week, 895 in all91%
  6. Lewis CountyBest late October · 35 checklists that week, 1,802 in all91%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. McDonough Wildlife RefugeWood County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 542 in all100%
  2. Johnson T. Janes Nature Preserve and Conservation ParkWood County, best late September · 28 checklists that week, 339 in all99%
  3. Ohio River Islands National Wildlife RefugeWood County, best mid September · 46 checklists that week, 1,994 in all98%
  4. Harpers Ferry National Historical ParkJefferson County, best early October · 21 checklists that week, 533 in all97%
  5. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (Bolivar)Jefferson County, best early May · 41 checklists that week, 251 in all96%
  6. Wade SpringMonongalia County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 401 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In West Virginia, the Blue Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (66% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (65) to judge1 am: too few checklists (47) to judge2 am: too few checklists (46) to judge3 am: too few checklists (49) to judge4 am: too few checklists (140) to judge5 am: too few checklists (952) to judge6 am: 63% of 5860 checklists7 am: 67% of 18233 checklists8 am: 66% of 24468 checklists9 am: 58% of 22542 checklists10 am: 52% of 19537 checklists11 am: 46% of 16362 checklists12 pm: 46% of 14819 checklists1 pm: 40% of 12772 checklists2 pm: 37% of 11765 checklists3 pm: 31% of 12579 checklists4 pm: 33% of 11463 checklists5 pm: 39% of 9409 checklists6 pm: 41% of 6557 checklists7 pm: 29% of 4256 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (1589) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (377) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (147) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (86) 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
January40%41%41%39%
February39%39%38%39%
March38%42%43%46%
April45%44%49%55%
May54%52%50%44%
June42%43%41%43%
July42%43%43%46%
August47%45%47%51%
September57%67%74%78%
October76%75%71%66%
November61%53%48%46%
December46%44%45%44%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Blue Jays arrive in West Virginia?
The Blue Jay is in West Virginia all year. It turns up on about 77% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 38% in its quietest week (late February).
When do Blue Jays leave West Virginia?
The Blue Jay does not leave West Virginia: it is reported all year, from 38% of checklists in late February to 77% in early October.
When is the best time to see a Blue Jay in West Virginia?
The Blue Jay is reported most often in early October, on about 77% of West Virginia checklists.
Where in West Virginia are Blue Jays seen most often?
By county, Upshur County, Marion County, and Wetzel County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).