WhenToBird

Ardea herodias · Ardeidae

When Do Great Blue Herons Arrive in Ohio?

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

Great Blue Herons are in Ohio all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late March, peak in mid August (34% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 7.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 22-31late March
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 late March and fall back by mid October. Peak: on about 34% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  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%40%Jan 1-7: 9.5% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.4% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.0% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.9% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.4% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.8% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.4% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.3% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 13% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 18% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 22% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 24% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 25% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 28% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 30% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 33% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 34% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 34% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 31% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 29% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 28% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 27% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 27% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 29% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 30% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 30% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 31% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 32% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 34% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 35% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 34% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 32% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 31% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 29% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 28% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 27% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 24% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 23% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 21% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 18% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 16% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 10% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.4% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Shelby CountyBest the second week of August · 15 checklists that week, 1,659 in all91%
  2. Mercer CountyBest early July · 29 checklists that week, 2,091 in all81%
  3. Wyandot CountyBest mid August · 95 checklists that week, 6,235 in all72%
  4. Erie CountyBest mid August · 390 checklists that week, 30,456 in all60%
  5. Wayne CountyBest mid August · 605 checklists that week, 37,443 in all60%
  6. Muskingum CountyBest early September · 157 checklists that week, 9,849 in all59%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. East Fork State Park (Trimble Run)Clermont County, best mid August · 20 checklists that week, 282 in all100%
  2. Yellow CreekSummit County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 293 in all100%
  3. Deer Creek Reservoir (northeast)Stark County, best early October · 27 checklists that week, 425 in all99%
  4. Campbell Memorial ParkFranklin County, best the second week of April · 35 checklists that week, 990 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Great Blue Heron is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (30% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 34% of 43093 checklists7 am: 29% of 142017 checklists8 am: 25% of 205296 checklists9 am: 23% of 196322 checklists10 am: 21% of 170882 checklists11 am: 21% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 20% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 21% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 21% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 21% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 21% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 24% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 26% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 26% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January9.5%8.4%8.0%8.9%
February8.4%7.8%6.4%9.3%
March11%13%18%22%
April24%25%28%30%
May33%34%34%31%
June29%28%27%27%
July29%30%30%31%
August32%34%35%34%
September32%31%29%28%
October27%24%23%21%
November18%16%15%13%
December11%11%10%9.4%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives mid July, 15 weeks later than Ohio
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks mid August
  • Michigan: arrives mid April, 3 weeks later than Ohio
  • Kentucky: year-round, peaks late August

Common questions

When do Great Blue Herons arrive in Ohio?
Great Blue Herons are in Ohio all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late March, peak in mid August (34% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 7.4% of checklists.
When do Great Blue Herons leave Ohio?
Great Blue Herons never fully leave Ohio: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid October, but some are still reported in every week, about 7.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Great Blue Heron in Ohio?
The Great Blue Heron is reported most often in mid August, on about 34% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Great Blue Herons seen most often?
By county, Shelby County, Mercer County, and Wyandot County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Great Blue Heron (counties with at least 200 checklists).