WhenToBird

Ardea herodias · Ardeidae

When Do Great Blue Herons Arrive in Idaho?

Adult Great Blue Heron
Photo: mostbittern, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Great Blue Heron is in Idaho all year. It turns up on about 17% of checklists at its peak (early September) and on 12% in its quietest week (the second week of February).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 1-7early September
Quietest weekFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: early September. Here all year. Peak: on about 17% of Idaho checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 15% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 15% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 14% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 15% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 13% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 12% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 12% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 13% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 13% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 13% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 14% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 15% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 15% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 14% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 13% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 12% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 14% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 14% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 13% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 14% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 15% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 17% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 15% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 16% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 17% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 16% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 16% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 15% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 15% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 15% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 16% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 15% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 15% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 14% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 15% of 7792 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 Idaho 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 Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lewis CountyBest late October · 12 checklists that week, 603 in all62%
  2. Gooding CountyBest late November · 53 checklists that week, 3,207 in all47%
  3. Owyhee CountyBest mid September · 116 checklists that week, 7,837 in all43%
  4. Nez Perce CountyBest mid August · 142 checklists that week, 10,708 in all43%
  5. Bingham CountyBest late July · 34 checklists that week, 1,427 in all42%
  6. Payette CountyBest the second week of May · 86 checklists that week, 2,860 in all38%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Blacks Creek ReservoirAda County, best mid July · 92 checklists that week, 3,935 in all95%
  2. Clear LakeGooding County, best early January · 41 checklists that week, 174 in all88%
  3. Market Lake Wildlife Management AreaJefferson County, best late August · 26 checklists that week, 697 in all87%
  4. Mann LakeNez Perce County, best late August · 57 checklists that week, 1,366 in all84%

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

Best time of day

In Idaho, the Great Blue Heron is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (16% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 16% of 9122 checklists7 am: 16% of 22204 checklists8 am: 15% of 38672 checklists9 am: 15% of 38930 checklists10 am: 15% of 37338 checklists11 am: 13% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 14% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 14% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 14% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 14% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 13% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 13% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 12% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 12% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January15%15%14%15%
February13%12%12%13%
March13%12%13%14%
April15%14%15%15%
May14%14%14%13%
June12%12%14%12%
July14%13%14%14%
August15%17%15%16%
September17%16%16%15%
October13%13%15%15%
November15%15%15%16%
December15%15%14%15%

Neighboring states

  • Montana: all year, most in summer, peaks mid August
  • Utah: year-round, peaks early September
  • Oregon: year-round, peaks early September
  • Washington: year-round, peaks early September

Common questions

When do Great Blue Herons arrive in Idaho?
The Great Blue Heron is in Idaho all year. It turns up on about 17% of checklists at its peak (early September) and on 12% in its quietest week (the second week of February).
When do Great Blue Herons leave Idaho?
The Great Blue Heron does not leave Idaho: it is reported all year, from 12% of checklists in the second week of February to 17% in early September.
When is the best time to see a Great Blue Heron in Idaho?
The Great Blue Heron is reported most often in early September, on about 17% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are Great Blue Herons seen most often?
By county, Lewis County, Gooding County, and Owyhee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Great Blue Heron (counties with at least 200 checklists).