WhenToBird

Cyanocitta stelleri · Corvidae

When Do Steller's Jays Arrive in Nevada?

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

The Steller's Jay is in Nevada all year. It turns up on about 13% of checklists at its peak (early July) and on 6.4% in its quietest week (mid December).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJul 1-7early July
Quietest weekDec 15-21mid December

Best: early July. Here all year. Peak: on about 13% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 8.1% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.0% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.0% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.2% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.2% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.6% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.5% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.1% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.2% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.4% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.9% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.9% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.9% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 11% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.5% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.9% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 11% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 11% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 13% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 13% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.5% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.8% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 10% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.6% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.7% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.6% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.4% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.3% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.7% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.7% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.5% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.9% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.4% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.6% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.4% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.9% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.0% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.4% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.1% of 3615 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.4% of 5101 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 Nevada 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 Nevada

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Douglas CountyBest late June · 234 checklists that week, 7,476 in all45%
  2. Storey CountyBest the second week of April · 48 checklists that week, 1,593 in all41%
  3. Washoe CountyBest the second week of May · 1623 checklists that week, 53,497 in all35%
  4. Carson CityBest late June · 194 checklists that week, 6,992 in all18%
  5. White Pine CountyBest the second week of September · 157 checklists that week, 5,465 in all9.4%
  6. Mineral CountyBest early July · 13 checklists that week, 1,635 in all6.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Swope MsWashoe County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 830 in all100%
  2. Toiyabe National ForestWashoe County, best late August · 24 checklists that week, 877 in all100%
  3. Davis Creek Regional ParkWashoe County, best the second week of April · 40 checklists that week, 992 in all96%
  4. Toiyabe National Forest (Burke Creek)Douglas County, best late June · 24 checklists that week, 441 in all93%
  5. Crystal Peak ParkWashoe County, best early April · 40 checklists that week, 904 in all91%
  6. Spooner LakeDouglas County, best the second week of September · 22 checklists that week, 634 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Nevada, 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 (114) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (71) to judge3 am: too few checklists (108) to judge4 am: too few checklists (459) to judge5 am: 4.1% of 4313 checklists6 am: 6.5% of 17070 checklists7 am: 8.0% of 27389 checklists8 am: 12% of 24858 checklists9 am: 12% of 22012 checklists10 am: 11% of 19284 checklists11 am: 10% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 9.9% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 9.8% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 8.9% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 7.3% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 6.9% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 7.6% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 7.3% of 5012 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3026) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (905) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (271) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (164) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (120) 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
January8.1%9.0%9.0%8.2%
February7.2%7.6%7.5%7.1%
March7.2%8.4%7.9%7.9%
April9.9%11%9.5%11%
May11%13%11%9.9%
June11%11%12%13%
July13%12%11%9.5%
August9.8%10%9.6%9.7%
September9.6%9.4%9.3%8.7%
October8.7%9.5%10%8.9%
November8.4%7.6%7.4%7.9%
December7.0%7.4%7.1%5.4%

Neighboring states

  • California: all year, most in summer, peaks mid June
  • Utah: all year, most in fall, peaks early October
  • Idaho: all year, most in fall, peaks mid October
  • Arizona: summer visitor, peaks late August

Common questions

When do Steller's Jays arrive in Nevada?
The Steller's Jay is in Nevada all year. It turns up on about 13% of checklists at its peak (early July) and on 6.4% in its quietest week (mid December).
When do Steller's Jays leave Nevada?
The Steller's Jay does not leave Nevada: it is reported all year, from 6.4% of checklists in mid December to 13% in early July.
When is the best time to see a Steller's Jay in Nevada?
The Steller's Jay is reported most often in early July, on about 13% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are Steller's Jays seen most often?
By county, Douglas County, Storey County, and Washoe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Steller's Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).