WhenToBird

Cyanocitta stelleri · Corvidae

When Do Steller's Jays Arrive in Utah?

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

Steller's Jays are in Utah all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early July, peak in early October (6.7% of checklists), and fall back by mid November. In the quietest week (mid May) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJul 1-7early July
PeakOct 1-7early October
Fall back byNov 15-21mid November
FewestMay 15-21mid May

Best: early October. Here all year; numbers build from early July and fall back by mid November. Peak: on about 6.7% of Utah checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  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: 4.0% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.1% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.6% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.7% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.3% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.2% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.8% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.1% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.9% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.1% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.6% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.4% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.4% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.4% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.4% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.8% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.9% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.6% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.5% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.7% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.6% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.6% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.9% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.8% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.8% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.5% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.7% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.3% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.7% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.2% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.2% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.4% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.6% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.6% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.4% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.0% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.3% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.8% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.0% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.0% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.5% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.1% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.9% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.6% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.0% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.6% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.5% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.2% 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. Daggett CountyBest late February · 12 checklists that week, 1,885 in all40%
  2. Sanpete CountyBest mid September · 147 checklists that week, 6,190 in all34%
  3. Kane CountyBest late August · 161 checklists that week, 6,105 in all31%
  4. Garfield CountyBest the second week of September · 291 checklists that week, 10,367 in all29%
  5. Beaver CountyBest mid August · 103 checklists that week, 6,956 in all23%
  6. Summit CountyBest mid February · 215 checklists that week, 13,829 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Collins GulchSalt Lake County, best the second week of November · 32 checklists that week, 1,774 in all88%
  2. Pine Valley ReservoirWashington County, best late April · 32 checklists that week, 265 in all75%
  3. Silver LakeSalt Lake County, best early September · 31 checklists that week, 1,026 in all71%
  4. Hidden LakeWeber County, best late November · 25 checklists that week, 466 in all71%
  5. Zion National Park (Goose Creek Knoll)Washington County, best late August · 30 checklists that week, 299 in all69%
  6. Silver Lake (Giles Flat)Salt Lake County, best mid September · 30 checklists that week, 278 in all68%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Steller's Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (5.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%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: 5.0% of 11714 checklists7 am: 5.0% of 33209 checklists8 am: 5.5% of 46944 checklists9 am: 6.2% of 46290 checklists10 am: 5.6% of 43144 checklists11 am: 5.0% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 4.3% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 4.8% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 4.1% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 2.9% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 2.7% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 2.8% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 1.8% 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
January4.0%4.1%3.6%3.7%
February3.3%4.2%3.8%4.1%
March3.9%4.1%4.6%4.4%
April3.4%3.4%3.4%2.8%
May2.9%2.6%2.5%2.7%
June3.6%3.6%3.9%4.8%
July4.8%5.5%5.7%6.3%
August6.7%6.2%7.2%6.4%
September6.6%6.6%6.4%7.0%
October6.3%6.8%7.0%6.0%
November5.5%5.1%4.9%4.6%
December4.0%4.6%4.5%4.2%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives mid May, 6 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks early July
  • Colorado: arrives the second week of July, 1 week later than Utah
  • Idaho: arrives early September, 8 weeks later than Utah

Common questions

When do Steller's Jays arrive in Utah?
Steller's Jays are in Utah all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early July, peak in early October (6.7% of checklists), and fall back by mid November. In the quietest week (mid May) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.
When do Steller's Jays leave Utah?
Steller's Jays never fully leave Utah: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid November, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Steller's Jay in Utah?
The Steller's Jay is reported most often in early October, on about 6.7% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Steller's Jays seen most often?
By county, Daggett County, Sanpete County, and Kane County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Steller's Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).