WhenToBird

Cyanocitta stelleri · Corvidae

When Do Steller's Jays Arrive in Idaho?

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

Steller's Jays are in Idaho all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in mid October (7.5% of checklists), and fall back by mid November. In the quietest week (the second week of May) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 1-7early September
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Fall back byNov 15-21mid November
FewestMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: mid October. Here all year; numbers build from early September and fall back by mid November. Peak: on about 7.5% of Idaho checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 3.3% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.6% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.5% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.7% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.5% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.4% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.0% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.6% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.2% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.9% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.4% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.3% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.9% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.0% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.5% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.0% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.4% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.4% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.5% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.7% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.9% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.3% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.3% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.7% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.9% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.3% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.8% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.8% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.2% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.0% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.1% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.7% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.0% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.0% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.7% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.9% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.3% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.4% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.7% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.4% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.1% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.1% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.6% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.6% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.3% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.7% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.3% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.5% of 7792 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 Idaho 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 Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Adams CountyBest mid January · 89 checklists that week, 5,826 in all81%
  2. Shoshone CountyBest late October · 71 checklists that week, 2,886 in all45%
  3. Valley CountyBest the second week of March · 125 checklists that week, 8,991 in all35%
  4. Boundary CountyBest mid November · 63 checklists that week, 6,362 in all31%
  5. Boise CountyBest late October · 84 checklists that week, 6,761 in all31%
  6. Camas CountyBest the second week of February · 18 checklists that week, 2,112 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fall CreekValley County, best late April · 30 checklists that week, 539 in all85%
  2. Boise River Wildlife Management AreaAda County, best late October · 43 checklists that week, 733 in all45%
  3. Bogus Basin State ParkBoise County, best late July · 27 checklists that week, 339 in all30%
  4. Hulls Gulch ReserveAda County, best mid March · 54 checklists that week, 2,292 in all10%
  5. Mason CreekCanyon County, best the second week of November · 49 checklists that week, 1,694 in all8.0%

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

Best time of day

In Idaho, the Steller's Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (9.6% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 5.8% of 9122 checklists7 am: 5.9% of 22204 checklists8 am: 12% of 38672 checklists9 am: 4.2% of 38930 checklists10 am: 3.7% of 37338 checklists11 am: 3.1% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 2.8% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 2.7% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 2.3% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 2.2% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 2.3% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 2.2% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 2.0% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 1.5% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January3.3%3.6%3.5%3.7%
February3.5%4.4%4.0%4.6%
March4.2%4.9%5.4%4.3%
April3.9%4.0%3.5%3.0%
May2.4%2.4%2.5%2.7%
June2.9%3.3%3.3%3.7%
July3.9%3.3%3.8%3.8%
August4.2%5.0%5.1%4.7%
September5.0%6.0%5.7%6.9%
October6.3%7.4%7.7%7.4%
November7.1%6.1%5.6%4.6%
December4.3%3.7%3.3%3.5%

Neighboring states

  • Montana: arrives early July, 8 weeks earlier than Idaho
  • Utah: arrives early July, 8 weeks earlier than Idaho
  • Oregon: year-round, peaks early October
  • Washington: year-round, peaks late September

Common questions

When do Steller's Jays arrive in Idaho?
Steller's Jays are in Idaho all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in mid October (7.5% of checklists), and fall back by mid November. In the quietest week (the second week of May) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.
When do Steller's Jays leave Idaho?
Steller's Jays never fully leave Idaho: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid November, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.5% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Steller's Jay in Idaho?
The Steller's Jay is reported most often in mid October, on about 7.5% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are Steller's Jays seen most often?
By county, Adams County, Shoshone County, and Valley County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Steller's Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).