Bird Walk | Pinyon Jay Awareness Walk

Expert-led Pinyon Jay Awareness Walk

Join us in Flagstaff for a bird walk looking for Pinyon Jays. Location will be provided closer to date depending on where Pinyon Jays have been spotted.

Date: Saturday October 11, 2025

Time: TBD

Location: Flagstaff area - we will be following the birds

Other Pinyon Jay events

You see a flash of blue. Is it a Stellar Jay? A Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay? No — it’s a Pinyon Jay.

This brilliant blue bird can be found across the West, including northern Arizona, living in pinyon-juniper woodlands. Unfortunately, over the past five decades, the Pinyon Jay has seen its population decline by 83.5%.

This steep decline has led to the Pinyon Jay being listed as Vulnerable and currently under review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for potential protection under the Endangered Species Act.

The reasons for this decline are not fully understood, but it is likely linked to long-term drought, increasing temperatures, and other climatic shifts affecting pinyon trees. Research suggests these changes are causing pinyon pines to produce fewer nuts. Pinyon Jays appear to be ranging further from historic colony sites and may be relying more heavily on alternative food sources, such as juniper berries and insects.