WhenToBird

Cyanocitta stelleri · Corvidae

When Do Steller's Jays Arrive in Montana?

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

Steller's Jays are winter birds in Montana: the first arrive in early July, they are common by late August, peak in early November (7.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 1-7early July
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: early November. First arrivals early July; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 7.6% of Montana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 4.3% of 7987 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.1% of 5561 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.4% of 5613 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.4% of 7881 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.0% of 5018 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.9% of 5598 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.2% of 7247 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.9% of 5531 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.1% of 6110 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.7% of 6623 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.4% of 7687 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.9% of 11095 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.3% of 7774 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.9% of 8785 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.1% of 9684 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.0% of 13805 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.9% of 11847 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.7% of 13547 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.7% of 13019 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.9% of 20456 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.7% of 12993 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.0% of 11594 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.8% of 11159 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.1% of 13786 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.0% of 9584 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.2% of 9078 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.2% of 7905 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.1% of 10906 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.2% of 7335 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.7% of 6868 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.9% of 6866 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.4% of 10076 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.7% of 7670 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.6% of 7490 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.1% of 6804 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.1% of 8016 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.5% of 5996 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.3% of 6156 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.9% of 5742 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.0% of 7790 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.8% of 5353 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.7% of 5475 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.8% of 4603 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.1% of 6067 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.1% of 4362 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.6% of 4467 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.1% of 5328 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.2% of 6672 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 Montana 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 Montana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Granite CountyBest the second week of January · 16 checklists that week, 1,737 in all34%
  2. Ravalli CountyBest mid October · 247 checklists that week, 16,671 in all28%
  3. Jefferson CountyBest early November · 255 checklists that week, 14,859 in all25%
  4. Lincoln CountyBest early November · 49 checklists that week, 5,543 in all17%
  5. Mineral CountyBest early October · 37 checklists that week, 2,163 in all15%
  6. Flathead CountyBest early November · 490 checklists that week, 40,185 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Avalanche LakeFlathead County, best mid July · 25 checklists that week, 338 in all72%
  2. Picnic LakesFlathead County, best late September · 24 checklists that week, 135 in all50%
  3. Running Eagle FallsGlacier County, best late June · 22 checklists that week, 134 in all38%
  4. Pray LakeGlacier County, best late August · 20 checklists that week, 250 in all33%
  5. Cemetery ParkGallatin County, best mid November · 31 checklists that week, 1,029 in all26%
  6. Glacier National ParkGlacier County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 579 in all23%

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

Best time of day

In Montana, the Steller's Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (5.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (183) to judge1 am: too few checklists (169) to judge2 am: too few checklists (163) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (503) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4022) to judge6 am: 4.1% of 12719 checklists7 am: 5.5% of 31202 checklists8 am: 6.2% of 47646 checklists9 am: 4.5% of 44624 checklists10 am: 3.8% of 40704 checklists11 am: 3.6% of 33825 checklists12 pm: 3.5% of 29407 checklists1 pm: 3.0% of 27959 checklists2 pm: 2.7% of 26928 checklists3 pm: 2.3% of 25313 checklists4 pm: 1.8% of 22151 checklists5 pm: 1.5% of 16884 checklists6 pm: 1.6% of 13780 checklists7 pm: 1.0% of 9926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5765) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2099) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (595) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (230) 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
January4.3%5.1%5.4%5.4%
February5.0%4.9%5.2%5.9%
March5.1%4.7%4.4%3.9%
April3.3%2.9%2.1%2.0%
May1.9%1.7%1.7%1.9%
June1.7%2.0%1.8%2.1%
July2.0%2.2%2.2%2.1%
August2.2%2.7%2.9%3.4%
September3.7%3.6%4.1%5.1%
October5.5%6.3%6.9%8.0%
November6.8%7.7%7.8%7.1%
December6.1%5.6%4.1%5.2%

Neighboring states

  • Idaho: arrives early September, 8 weeks later than Montana
  • Wyoming: arrives mid May, 6 weeks earlier than Montana
  • Utah: arrives early July, in the same week than Montana
  • Washington: year-round, peaks late September

Common questions

When do Steller's Jays arrive in Montana?
Steller's Jays are winter birds in Montana: the first arrive in early July, they are common by late August, peak in early November (7.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Steller's Jays leave Montana?
Most Steller's Jays have left Montana by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid April.
When is the best time to see a Steller's Jay in Montana?
The Steller's Jay is reported most often in early November, on about 7.6% of Montana checklists.
Where in Montana are Steller's Jays seen most often?
By county, Granite County, Ravalli County, and Jefferson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Steller's Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).