WhenToBird

Cyanocitta stelleri · Corvidae

When Do Steller's Jays Arrive in Washington?

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

The Steller's Jay is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 32% of checklists at its peak (late September) and on 15% in its quietest week (mid June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 22-30late September
Quietest weekJun 15-21mid June

Best: late September. Here all year. Peak: on about 32% of Washington checklists.

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

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 18% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 18% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 19% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 17% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 18% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 20% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 21% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 21% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 21% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 22% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 24% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 23% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 22% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 21% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 20% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 19% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 19% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 18% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 18% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 17% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 15% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 16% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 15% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 16% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 17% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 19% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 20% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 21% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 22% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 26% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 28% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 29% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 31% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 33% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 31% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 31% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 28% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 26% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 24% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 23% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 22% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 21% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 20% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 20% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 20% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 19% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Skamania CountyBest late September · 289 checklists that week, 10,140 in all65%
  2. Wahkiakum CountyBest early September · 93 checklists that week, 5,618 in all64%
  3. Mason CountyBest early October · 482 checklists that week, 27,853 in all55%
  4. Lewis CountyBest early October · 214 checklists that week, 12,910 in all51%
  5. Klickitat CountyBest early October · 308 checklists that week, 19,718 in all47%
  6. King CountyBest mid September · 6422 checklists that week, 390,864 in all45%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jennings ParkSnohomish County, best late October · 20 checklists that week, 489 in all98%
  2. Sayres Memorial ParkKing County, best late August · 22 checklists that week, 747 in all97%
  3. Hamilton IslandSkamania County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 794 in all94%
  4. Skagit, Washington Wild and Scenic RiverSkagit County, best the second week of March · 21 checklists that week, 574 in all94%
  5. Canal RoadCowlitz County, best early November · 20 checklists that week, 700 in all93%
  6. Scatter CreekThurston County, best early September · 31 checklists that week, 751 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Steller's Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (30% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 28% of 56744 checklists7 am: 31% of 133294 checklists8 am: 30% of 184196 checklists9 am: 27% of 186303 checklists10 am: 24% of 177063 checklists11 am: 21% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 19% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 17% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 14% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 12% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 12% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 13% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 11% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January18%18%19%17%
February18%20%21%21%
March21%22%24%23%
April22%21%20%19%
May19%18%18%17%
June16%15%16%15%
July15%16%17%19%
August20%21%22%26%
September28%29%31%33%
October31%31%28%26%
November24%23%22%21%
December20%20%20%19%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: year-round, peaks early October
  • Idaho: all year, most in fall, peaks mid October
  • Montana: winter visitor, peaks early November
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks early July

Common questions

When do Steller's Jays arrive in Washington?
The Steller's Jay is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 32% of checklists at its peak (late September) and on 15% in its quietest week (mid June).
When do Steller's Jays leave Washington?
The Steller's Jay does not leave Washington: it is reported all year, from 15% of checklists in mid June to 32% in late September.
When is the best time to see a Steller's Jay in Washington?
The Steller's Jay is reported most often in late September, on about 32% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Steller's Jays seen most often?
By county, Skamania County, Wahkiakum County, and Mason County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Steller's Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).