WhenToBird

Perisoreus canadensis · Corvidae

When Do Canada Jays Arrive in Wyoming?

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

Canada Jays reach Wyoming in early June, are common by the second week of June, peak in early September (4.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 1-7early June
Common byJun 8-14the second week of June
PeakSep 1-7early September
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: early September. First arrivals early June; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 4.8% of Wyoming checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.4% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.5% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.5% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.5% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.1% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.4% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.9% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.8% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.4% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.6% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.3% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.7% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.8% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.4% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.2% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.9% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.9% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.3% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.1% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.1% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.0% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.6% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.0% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.2% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.3% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.4% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.5% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.2% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.3% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% of 2392 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Big Horn CountyBest late August · 62 checklists that week, 2,023 in all15%
  2. Sublette CountyBest mid September · 105 checklists that week, 6,738 in all13%
  3. Carbon CountyBest mid September · 110 checklists that week, 6,429 in all11%
  4. Teton CountyBest late October · 279 checklists that week, 34,686 in all9.5%
  5. Park CountyBest late September · 1037 checklists that week, 27,277 in all7.2%
  6. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of October · 37 checklists that week, 3,169 in all6.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. String LakeTeton County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 294 in all44%
  2. Twin GeysersTeton County, best late August · 29 checklists that week, 542 in all44%
  3. Bridge BayTeton County, best late August · 21 checklists that week, 297 in all42%
  4. Bridge Bay (Gull Point)Teton County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 229 in all40%
  5. Colter BayTeton County, best late September · 29 checklists that week, 463 in all23%
  6. Yellowstone National Park (south)Teton County, best early June · 21 checklists that week, 361 in all16%

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

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the Canada Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (2.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (59) to judge1 am: too few checklists (76) to judge2 am: too few checklists (86) to judge3 am: too few checklists (79) to judge4 am: too few checklists (326) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2271) to judge6 am: 1.9% of 8808 checklists7 am: 1.5% of 18458 checklists8 am: 1.7% of 22143 checklists9 am: 1.8% of 21499 checklists10 am: 1.9% of 19425 checklists11 am: 2.1% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 2.4% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 2.4% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 2.1% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 1.8% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 1.5% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 1.5% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 1.3% of 4890 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2323) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (554) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (134) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (59) 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%0.4%0.5%0.4%
February0.5%0.4%0.7%0.5%
March0.4%0.6%0.5%0.5%
April0.4%0.2%0.2%0.2%
May0.3%0.4%0.5%1.1%
June1.4%1.9%1.8%2.4%
July2.6%2.3%2.7%2.8%
August2.4%3.2%3.9%4.9%
September4.3%5.1%4.1%5.0%
October4.6%3.0%3.2%2.3%
November1.4%0.9%0.5%0.7%
December0.2%0.2%0.3%0.5%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: arrives late May, 1 week earlier than Wyoming
  • Montana: arrives late May, 1 week earlier than Wyoming
  • Idaho: arrives early June, in the same week than Wyoming
  • South Dakota: arrives late May, 1 week earlier than Wyoming

Common questions

When do Canada Jays arrive in Wyoming?
Canada Jays reach Wyoming in early June, are common by the second week of June, peak in early September (4.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Canada Jays leave Wyoming?
Most Canada Jays have left Wyoming by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Canada Jay in Wyoming?
The Canada Jay is reported most often in early September, on about 4.8% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are Canada Jays seen most often?
By county, Big Horn County, Sublette County, and Carbon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).