WhenToBird

Cyanocitta cristata · Corvidae

When Do Blue Jays Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

The Blue Jay is in Wisconsin all year. It turns up on about 66% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 28% 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 66% of Wisconsin 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: 29% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 30% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 31% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 32% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 31% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 31% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 31% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 30% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 29% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 28% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 28% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 29% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 31% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 34% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 35% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 42% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 52% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 53% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 49% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 44% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 39% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 39% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 38% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 39% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 39% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 40% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 40% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 41% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 44% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 44% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 47% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 52% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 60% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 66% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 68% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 63% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 59% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 56% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 50% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 48% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 44% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 42% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 39% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 37% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 36% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 34% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 34% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 35% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lafayette CountyBest the second week of October · 19 checklists that week, 1,911 in all91%
  2. Taylor CountyBest the second week of December · 31 checklists that week, 4,326 in all91%
  3. Jackson CountyBest mid September · 25 checklists that week, 3,223 in all91%
  4. Green CountyBest early September · 61 checklists that week, 4,387 in all90%
  5. Dunn CountyBest mid September · 121 checklists that week, 8,247 in all87%
  6. Florence CountyBest mid September · 197 checklists that week, 10,179 in all86%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Schmeeckle Reserve (Johns Lake)Portage County, best the second week of July · 26 checklists that week, 1,322 in all100%
  2. Red Cedar State TrailDunn County, best early September · 20 checklists that week, 444 in all100%
  3. Ottawa LakeWaukesha County, best late September · 27 checklists that week, 985 in all100%
  4. Fischer LakeFlorence County, best the second week of October · 40 checklists that week, 2,931 in all100%
  5. Owen Conservation ParkDane County, best the second week of August · 101 checklists that week, 5,184 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Blue Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (59% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 53% of 27016 checklists6 am: 59% of 83973 checklists7 am: 58% of 160717 checklists8 am: 53% of 160531 checklists9 am: 46% of 136968 checklists10 am: 40% of 119110 checklists11 am: 36% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 34% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 32% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 31% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 29% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 30% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 33% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 31% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January29%30%31%32%
February31%31%31%30%
March29%28%28%29%
April31%34%35%42%
May52%53%49%44%
June39%39%38%39%
July39%40%40%41%
August44%44%47%52%
September60%66%68%63%
October59%56%50%48%
November44%42%39%37%
December36%34%34%35%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: year-round, peaks late September
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Michigan: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Minnesota: year-round, peaks mid September

Common questions

When do Blue Jays arrive in Wisconsin?
The Blue Jay is in Wisconsin all year. It turns up on about 66% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 28% in its quietest week (the second week of March).
When do Blue Jays leave Wisconsin?
The Blue Jay does not leave Wisconsin: it is reported all year, from 28% of checklists in the second week of March to 66% in mid September.
When is the best time to see a Blue Jay in Wisconsin?
The Blue Jay is reported most often in mid September, on about 66% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Blue Jays seen most often?
By county, Lafayette County, Taylor County, and Jackson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).