WhenToBird

Cyanocitta stelleri · Corvidae

When Do Steller's Jays Arrive in California?

Adult Steller's Jay
Photo: Steven Smethurst, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Steller's Jays are in California all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in mid June (17% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 6.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakJun 15-21mid June
Fall back byOct 15-21mid October
FewestJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: mid June. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of April and fall back by mid October. Peak: on about 17% of California checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 5.9% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.1% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.3% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.7% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.9% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.6% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.4% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.8% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.1% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.6% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.6% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 10% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 15% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 16% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 17% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 17% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 16% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 14% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 13% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 13% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 13% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 13% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 12% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.6% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.9% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.9% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.5% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.2% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.2% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.7% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.0% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Plumas CountyBest the second week of October · 289 checklists that week, 24,629 in all67%
  2. Sierra CountyBest mid September · 72 checklists that week, 8,945 in all64%
  3. Alpine CountyBest late April · 56 checklists that week, 6,013 in all62%
  4. Mariposa CountyBest the second week of September · 332 checklists that week, 17,385 in all59%
  5. El Dorado CountyBest mid June · 759 checklists that week, 25,075 in all56%
  6. Nevada CountyBest late August · 575 checklists that week, 25,896 in all56%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. East Fork Morro CreekSan Luis Obispo County, best mid June · 23 checklists that week, 1,449 in all100%
  2. Jewel Lake (east)Contra Costa County, best late September · 31 checklists that week, 1,137 in all99%
  3. Sanborn County Park (The Peak)Santa Clara County, best mid April · 25 checklists that week, 398 in all98%
  4. Tallac Historical SiteEl Dorado County, best the second week of September · 25 checklists that week, 588 in all98%
  5. Palomar Mountain State ParkSan Diego County, best late March · 27 checklists that week, 746 in all98%
  6. DeLaveaga Park & Golf CourseSanta Cruz County, best late July · 21 checklists that week, 459 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Steller's Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 13% of 186053 checklists7 am: 12% of 444086 checklists8 am: 12% of 535846 checklists9 am: 13% of 486061 checklists10 am: 12% of 411130 checklists11 am: 11% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 10% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 9.8% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 9.2% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 8.1% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 7.8% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 9.1% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 8.5% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January5.9%6.1%6.3%6.7%
February6.9%7.6%7.4%7.8%
March8.1%8.6%9.6%10%
April11%12%12%12%
May13%13%14%15%
June16%16%17%17%
July16%15%14%14%
August13%13%13%13%
September13%14%13%13%
October13%12%12%11%
November9.6%8.9%7.9%7.5%
December7.2%7.2%8.7%7.0%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: year-round, peaks early July
  • Utah: arrives early July, 11 weeks later than California
  • Arizona: arrives late February, 6 weeks earlier than California
  • Oregon: year-round, peaks early October

Common questions

When do Steller's Jays arrive in California?
Steller's Jays are in California all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in mid June (17% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 6.1% of checklists.
When do Steller's Jays leave California?
Steller's Jays never fully leave California: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid October, but some are still reported in every week, about 6.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Steller's Jay in California?
The Steller's Jay is reported most often in mid June, on about 17% of California checklists.
Where in California are Steller's Jays seen most often?
By county, Plumas County, Sierra County, and Alpine County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Steller's Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).