WhenToBird

Perisoreus canadensis · Corvidae

When Do Canada Jays Arrive in Washington?

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

Canada Jays arrive in Washington in early June, peak in early August (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 1-7early June
Common byJun 1-7early June
PeakAug 1-7early August
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: early August. First arrivals early June; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 1.7% of Washington checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.3% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.3% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.3% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.3% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.3% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.3% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.7% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.9% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.1% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.3% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.5% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.3% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.6% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.6% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.7% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.7% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.4% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.6% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.7% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.6% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.5% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.5% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.4% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.0% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.3% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.3% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.2% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wahkiakum CountyBest late August · 111 checklists that week, 5,618 in all18%
  2. Lewis CountyBest mid August · 224 checklists that week, 12,910 in all13%
  3. Pend Oreille CountyBest early September · 113 checklists that week, 3,664 in all11%
  4. Skamania CountyBest the second week of September · 214 checklists that week, 10,140 in all10%
  5. Yakima CountyBest the second week of August · 370 checklists that week, 28,504 in all8.3%
  6. Garfield CountyBest early September · 13 checklists that week, 1,130 in all7.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lost LakePierce County, best late May · 43 checklists that week, 1,386 in all84%
  2. Daniel J. Evans Wilderness AreaClallam County, best late September · 24 checklists that week, 424 in all75%
  3. Washington PassChelan County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 224 in all68%
  4. Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (Hurricane Hill)Clallam County, best mid September · 27 checklists that week, 441 in all64%
  5. Reflection LakesLewis County, best the second week of August · 21 checklists that week, 218 in all63%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Canada Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 1.1% of 56744 checklists7 am: 0.8% of 133294 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 184196 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 186303 checklists10 am: 0.8% of 177063 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January0.2%0.3%0.3%0.3%
February0.2%0.3%0.3%0.3%
March0.3%0.3%0.4%0.3%
April0.3%0.3%0.3%0.3%
May0.3%0.4%0.5%0.8%
June0.7%0.9%1.1%1.3%
July1.5%1.3%1.6%1.6%
August1.7%1.7%1.4%1.6%
September1.7%1.6%1.5%1.5%
October1.4%1.0%0.8%0.5%
November0.4%0.3%0.2%0.3%
December0.2%0.2%0.2%0.3%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do Canada Jays arrive in Washington?
Canada Jays arrive in Washington in early June, peak in early August (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Canada Jays leave Washington?
Most Canada Jays have left Washington by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Canada Jay in Washington?
The Canada Jay is reported most often in early August, on about 1.7% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Canada Jays seen most often?
By county, Wahkiakum County, Lewis County, and Pend Oreille County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).