WhenToBird

Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus · Corvidae

When Do Pinyon Jays Arrive in Colorado?

Pinyon Jays reach Colorado in the second week of February, are common by the second week of March, peak in the second week of September (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 1.4% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.4% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.4% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.4% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.5% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.7% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.8% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.9% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.9% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.0% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.0% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.1% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.8% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.7% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.7% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.6% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.6% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.7% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.7% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.9% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.1% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.1% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.5% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.5% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.2% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.2% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.9% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.8% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.5% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.4% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.5% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.4% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.5% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% of 30802 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 Colorado 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Saguache CountyBest early December · 11 checklists that week, 3,220 in all28%
  2. Chaffee CountyBest the second week of October · 168 checklists that week, 14,510 in all20%
  3. Conejos CountyBest the second week of May · 49 checklists that week, 1,636 in all19%
  4. Dolores CountyBest the second week of September · 41 checklists that week, 2,000 in all18%
  5. Rio Grande CountyBest mid November · 46 checklists that week, 4,655 in all16%
  6. Montezuma CountyBest late August · 409 checklists that week, 15,992 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. NorwoodSan Miguel County, best late September · 29 checklists that week, 1,247 in all41%
  2. Ridgway State Park (Dallas Creek)Ouray County, best the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 820 in all41%
  3. NeuhauserBoulder County, best mid December · 22 checklists that week, 274 in all39%
  4. Chalk Cliffs SFUChaffee County, best mid May · 26 checklists that week, 316 in all37%
  5. Colorado River Segment 7Eagle County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 499 in all32%
  6. Bald Mountain GulchChaffee County, best late August · 21 checklists that week, 552 in all31%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Pinyon Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (1.0% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 0.9% of 71991 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 159189 checklists8 am: 1.0% of 177206 checklists9 am: 0.9% of 165269 checklists10 am: 0.8% of 141029 checklists11 am: 0.7% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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
January0.4%0.4%0.4%0.4%
February0.3%0.4%0.5%0.4%
March0.5%0.5%0.7%0.6%
April0.8%0.9%0.8%0.8%
May0.7%0.9%1.0%1.0%
June1.1%0.8%0.7%0.7%
July0.6%0.6%0.6%0.7%
August0.7%0.9%1.1%1.1%
September1.5%1.5%1.2%1.3%
October1.2%1.1%0.9%0.8%
November0.5%0.7%0.4%0.5%
December0.4%0.4%0.5%0.5%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: arrives the second week of February, in the same week than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives the second week of February, in the same week than Colorado
  • South Dakota: arrives mid November, 11 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • Arizona: arrives the second week of August, 24 weeks earlier than Colorado

Common questions

When do Pinyon Jays arrive in Colorado?
Pinyon Jays reach Colorado in the second week of February, are common by the second week of March, peak in the second week of September (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Pinyon Jays leave Colorado?
Most Pinyon Jays have left Colorado by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late December.
When is the best time to see a Pinyon Jay in Colorado?
The Pinyon Jay is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 1.4% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Pinyon Jays seen most often?
By county, Saguache County, Chaffee County, and Conejos County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pinyon Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).