WhenToBird

Ardea herodias · Ardeidae

When Do Great Blue Herons Arrive in Michigan?

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

Great Blue Herons are in Michigan all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid April, peak in mid August (24% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 15-21mid April
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Fall back byOct 15-21mid October
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: mid August. Here all year; numbers build from mid April and fall back by mid October. Peak: on about 24% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 3.8% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.2% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.1% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.2% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.1% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.8% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.1% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.4% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.5% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.4% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.6% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 10% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 12% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 13% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 14% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 16% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 17% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 16% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 16% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 16% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 16% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 16% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 16% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 18% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 19% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 21% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 22% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 23% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 24% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 25% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 25% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 23% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 22% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 22% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 20% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 19% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 17% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 15% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.1% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.4% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.8% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.0% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.7% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.1% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.1% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gratiot CountyBest the second week of August · 155 checklists that week, 5,892 in all76%
  2. Monroe CountyBest mid August · 609 checklists that week, 22,078 in all64%
  3. Bay CountyBest mid August · 267 checklists that week, 16,522 in all54%
  4. Saginaw CountyBest late August · 183 checklists that week, 8,573 in all51%
  5. Arenac CountyBest early September · 88 checklists that week, 4,464 in all50%
  6. Ionia CountyBest late August · 115 checklists that week, 5,509 in all42%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Erie Marsh PreserveMonroe County, best mid July · 58 checklists that week, 2,408 in all99%
  2. Huron National ForestIosco County, best mid August · 36 checklists that week, 2,426 in all98%
  3. Municipal ParkIngham County, best the second week of September · 27 checklists that week, 533 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Great Blue Heron is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (18% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 20% of 39298 checklists7 am: 17% of 120344 checklists8 am: 15% of 180109 checklists9 am: 14% of 171966 checklists10 am: 13% of 156332 checklists11 am: 11% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 11% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 11% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 11% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 11% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 11% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 14% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 16% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 17% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January3.8%3.2%3.1%3.2%
February3.1%2.8%2.1%3.4%
March3.5%4.4%6.6%10%
April12%13%14%16%
May17%16%16%16%
June16%16%16%16%
July18%19%21%22%
August23%24%25%25%
September23%22%22%20%
October19%17%15%13%
November11%9.1%7.4%5.8%
December5.0%4.7%4.1%4.1%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives late March, 3 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks mid August
  • Illinois: arrives early April, 2 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives the second week of March, 5 weeks earlier than Michigan

Common questions

When do Great Blue Herons arrive in Michigan?
Great Blue Herons are in Michigan all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid April, peak in mid August (24% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.
When do Great Blue Herons leave Michigan?
Great Blue Herons never fully leave Michigan: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid October, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Great Blue Heron in Michigan?
The Great Blue Heron is reported most often in mid August, on about 24% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Great Blue Herons seen most often?
By county, Gratiot County, Monroe County, and Bay County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Great Blue Heron (counties with at least 200 checklists).