WhenToBird

Cyanocitta stelleri · Corvidae

When Do Steller's Jays Arrive in Wyoming?

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

Steller's Jays arrive in Wyoming in mid May, peak in late September (2.7% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 15-21mid May
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: late September. First arrivals mid May; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 2.7% of Wyoming checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 2.0% of 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.4% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.4% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.6% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.5% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.3% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.3% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.9% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.6% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.9% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.2% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.1% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.8% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.6% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.0% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.0% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.5% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.5% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.3% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.2% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.1% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.2% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.1% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.3% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.2% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.7% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.0% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.4% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.5% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.4% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.5% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.8% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.8% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.3% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.9% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.1% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.8% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.8% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.4% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.6% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.6% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.7% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.1% of 2392 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Carbon CountyBest the second week of September · 181 checklists that week, 6,429 in all15%
  2. Lincoln CountyBest late November · 18 checklists that week, 3,169 in all13%
  3. Albany CountyBest late January · 314 checklists that week, 21,857 in all12%
  4. Natrona CountyBest the second week of July · 104 checklists that week, 5,810 in all11%
  5. Platte CountyBest the second week of April · 18 checklists that week, 1,645 in all9.5%
  6. Sublette CountyBest mid October · 81 checklists that week, 6,738 in all7.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Medicine Bow National ForestAlbany County, best mid February · 20 checklists that week, 359 in all79%
  2. Mud VolcanoPark County, best late May · 24 checklists that week, 263 in all40%
  3. Jenny LakeTeton County, best the second week of June · 22 checklists that week, 300 in all25%
  4. Town of Lander ParkFremont County, best early January · 29 checklists that week, 894 in all16%
  5. LeHardys RapidsPark County, best the second week of June · 87 checklists that week, 1,146 in all11%
  6. Grand Teton National Park (Jenny Lake)Teton County, best early June · 25 checklists that week, 424 in all10%

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

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the Steller's Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (1.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (59) to judge1 am: too few checklists (76) to judge2 am: too few checklists (86) to judge3 am: too few checklists (79) to judge4 am: too few checklists (326) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2271) to judge6 am: 1.3% of 8808 checklists7 am: 1.5% of 18458 checklists8 am: 1.8% of 22143 checklists9 am: 1.9% of 21499 checklists10 am: 1.9% of 19425 checklists11 am: 1.9% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 1.8% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 1.9% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 1.5% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 1.4% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 1.2% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 0.4% of 4890 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2323) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (554) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (134) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (59) 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
January2.0%1.5%2.4%2.4%
February2.6%2.5%2.3%2.3%
March1.9%1.6%1.9%1.2%
April1.1%0.8%0.8%1.0%
May0.6%0.6%1.0%1.0%
June1.5%1.5%1.3%1.2%
July1.1%1.2%1.1%1.3%
August1.2%1.7%2.0%2.4%
September2.5%2.4%2.5%2.8%
October2.8%2.3%2.9%2.1%
November1.8%1.8%1.4%1.6%
December1.6%1.7%1.2%2.1%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: arrives the second week of July, 7 weeks later than Wyoming
  • Utah: arrives early July, 6 weeks later than Wyoming
  • Montana: arrives early July, 6 weeks later than Wyoming
  • Idaho: arrives early September, 14 weeks later than Wyoming

Common questions

When do Steller's Jays arrive in Wyoming?
Steller's Jays arrive in Wyoming in mid May, peak in late September (2.7% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Steller's Jays leave Wyoming?
Most Steller's Jays have left Wyoming by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Steller's Jay in Wyoming?
The Steller's Jay is reported most often in late September, on about 2.7% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are Steller's Jays seen most often?
By county, Carbon County, Lincoln County, and Albany County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Steller's Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).