WhenToBird

Perisoreus canadensis · Corvidae

When Do Canada Jays Arrive in Idaho?

Adult Canada Jay
Photo: Teagan Weiss, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Canada Jays arrive in Idaho in early June, peak in the second week of August (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 1-7early June
Common byJun 1-7early June
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone byNov 22-30late November

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals early June; most are gone by late November. Peak: on about 1.3% of Idaho checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.3% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.2% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.3% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.6% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.8% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.8% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.8% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.9% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.1% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.1% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.4% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.2% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.3% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.2% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.2% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.9% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.9% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.0% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.8% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.5% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.7% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.4% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.3% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% of 7792 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 Idaho 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 Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Benewah CountyBest late March · 49 checklists that week, 2,541 in all14%
  2. Custer CountyBest the second week of October · 45 checklists that week, 3,853 in all13%
  3. Clark CountyBest early September · 13 checklists that week, 578 in all12%
  4. Idaho CountyBest the second week of August · 115 checklists that week, 3,961 in all10%
  5. Valley CountyBest the second week of October · 147 checklists that week, 8,991 in all9.1%
  6. Lewis CountyBest mid August · 12 checklists that week, 603 in all8.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fall CreekValley County, best mid March · 20 checklists that week, 539 in all8.5%
  2. Spring Valley Reservoir Access SiteLatah County, best the second week of November · 31 checklists that week, 536 in all3.4%

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

Best time of day

In Idaho, the Canada Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.0% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 1.2% of 9122 checklists7 am: 0.9% of 22204 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 38672 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 38930 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 37338 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 0.4% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January0.1%0.2%0.2%0.3%
February0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
March0.3%0.2%0.4%0.3%
April0.2%0.2%0.2%0.1%
May0.2%0.2%0.3%0.4%
June0.6%0.7%0.8%0.8%
July0.8%0.9%1.1%1.1%
August1.4%1.2%1.3%1.2%
September1.2%0.9%0.8%0.9%
October1.0%0.7%0.8%0.8%
November0.5%0.7%0.7%0.4%
December0.3%0.1%0.2%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • Montana: arrives late May, 1 week earlier than Idaho
  • Oregon: arrives late April, 5 weeks earlier than Idaho
  • Washington: arrives early June, in the same week than Idaho
  • Wyoming: arrives early June, in the same week than Idaho

Common questions

When do Canada Jays arrive in Idaho?
Canada Jays arrive in Idaho in early June, peak in the second week of August (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.
When do Canada Jays leave Idaho?
Most Canada Jays have left Idaho by late November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Canada Jay in Idaho?
The Canada Jay is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 1.3% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are Canada Jays seen most often?
By county, Benewah County, Custer County, and Clark County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).