WhenToBird

Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus · Corvidae

When Do Pinyon Jays Arrive in Utah?

Pinyon Jays reach Utah in the second week of February, are common by late February, peak in the second week of September (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byNov 15-21mid November

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by mid November. Peak: on about 2.4% of Utah checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  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. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.9% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.7% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.8% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.9% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.2% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.1% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.4% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.6% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.3% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.8% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.7% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.8% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.0% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.9% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.0% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.5% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.4% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.2% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.9% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.0% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.0% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.0% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.9% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.3% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.5% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.0% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.2% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.4% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.3% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.5% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.1% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.3% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.4% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.9% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.6% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.4% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.2% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.2% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.8% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.6% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wayne CountyBest mid March · 47 checklists that week, 4,300 in all23%
  2. Carbon CountyBest late August · 103 checklists that week, 3,753 in all20%
  3. Garfield CountyBest the second week of January · 67 checklists that week, 10,367 in all18%
  4. Piute CountyBest the second week of September · 21 checklists that week, 1,035 in all14%
  5. Emery CountyBest early March · 31 checklists that week, 2,339 in all14%
  6. San Juan CountyBest early October · 169 checklists that week, 6,877 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Echo ReservoirSummit County, best early April · 20 checklists that week, 541 in all26%
  2. Soldiers PassUtah County, best late May · 31 checklists that week, 281 in all17%
  3. Cottonwood Canyon (Utah Bottoms)Grand County, best mid August · 20 checklists that week, 352 in all9.1%
  4. Pack CreekGrand County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 316 in all7.0%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Pinyon Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.6% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 2.6% of 11714 checklists7 am: 2.6% of 33209 checklists8 am: 2.1% of 46944 checklists9 am: 1.7% of 46290 checklists10 am: 1.4% of 43144 checklists11 am: 1.2% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 1.0% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 1.2% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 1.0% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January0.9%0.7%0.6%0.8%
February0.8%0.6%1.1%0.9%
March1.2%1.1%1.4%1.6%
April1.3%1.6%1.8%1.7%
May1.8%2.0%1.9%2.0%
June1.5%1.4%1.2%0.9%
July1.0%1.0%1.0%0.9%
August1.3%1.5%2.0%2.2%
September2.4%2.3%2.5%2.1%
October2.3%2.4%1.9%1.6%
November1.4%1.2%1.2%0.9%
December0.8%0.8%0.8%0.6%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives late January, 2 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Colorado: arrives the second week of February, in the same week than Utah
  • New Mexico: arrives the second week of February, in the same week than Utah
  • Arizona: arrives the second week of August, 24 weeks earlier than Utah

Common questions

When do Pinyon Jays arrive in Utah?
Pinyon Jays reach Utah in the second week of February, are common by late February, peak in the second week of September (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.
When do Pinyon Jays leave Utah?
Most Pinyon Jays have left Utah by mid November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of December.
When is the best time to see a Pinyon Jay in Utah?
The Pinyon Jay is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 2.4% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Pinyon Jays seen most often?
By county, Wayne County, Carbon County, and Garfield County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pinyon Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).