WhenToBird

Ardea herodias · Ardeidae

When Do Great Blue Herons Arrive in Virginia?

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

The Great Blue Heron is in Virginia all year. It turns up on about 24% of checklists at its peak (the second week of August) and on 14% in its quietest week (mid February).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekAug 8-14the second week of August
Quietest weekFeb 15-21mid February

Best: the second week of August. Here all year. Peak: on about 24% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  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%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 19% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 18% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 18% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 19% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 19% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 15% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 12% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 16% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 15% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 16% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 17% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 19% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 18% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 18% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 18% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 17% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 16% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 16% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 17% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 17% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 17% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 16% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 17% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 19% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 20% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 21% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 22% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 23% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 24% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 24% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 24% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 24% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 23% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 23% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 22% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 22% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 22% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 21% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 22% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 22% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 22% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 23% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 22% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 24% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 22% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 21% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 20% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 22% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Surry CountyBest the second week of August · 46 checklists that week, 2,669 in all70%
  2. Hopewell CountyBest mid July · 50 checklists that week, 3,116 in all67%
  3. Poquoson CountyBest the second week of June · 41 checklists that week, 2,669 in all66%
  4. Mathews CountyBest mid October · 44 checklists that week, 3,594 in all60%
  5. Charlotte CountyBest mid September · 21 checklists that week, 1,313 in all59%
  6. Northumberland CountyBest mid September · 50 checklists that week, 4,172 in all57%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rippon Landing ParkPrince William County, best late January · 25 checklists that week, 959 in all100%
  2. Huntley Meadows County Park (Hybla Valley)Fairfax County, best late August · 25 checklists that week, 955 in all98%
  3. Staunton View Public Use AreaMecklenburg County, best early August · 20 checklists that week, 444 in all98%
  4. Stumpy Lake Natural AreaVirginia Beach County, best the second week of December · 73 checklists that week, 4,109 in all98%
  5. Huntley Meadows County ParkFairfax County, best the second week of July · 265 checklists that week, 13,839 in all98%
  6. Hog Island Wildlife Management AreaSurry County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 849 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Great Blue Heron is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (26% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 29% of 64788 checklists7 am: 25% of 169128 checklists8 am: 21% of 180748 checklists9 am: 19% of 153462 checklists10 am: 18% of 128966 checklists11 am: 17% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 16% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 17% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 17% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 17% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 17% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 17% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 16% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January19%18%18%19%
February19%15%12%16%
March15%16%17%19%
April18%18%18%17%
May16%16%17%17%
June17%16%17%19%
July20%21%22%23%
August24%24%24%24%
September23%23%22%22%
October22%21%22%22%
November22%23%22%24%
December22%21%20%22%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Great Blue Herons arrive in Virginia?
The Great Blue Heron is in Virginia all year. It turns up on about 24% of checklists at its peak (the second week of August) and on 14% in its quietest week (mid February).
When do Great Blue Herons leave Virginia?
The Great Blue Heron does not leave Virginia: it is reported all year, from 14% of checklists in mid February to 24% in the second week of August.
When is the best time to see a Great Blue Heron in Virginia?
The Great Blue Heron is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 24% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Great Blue Herons seen most often?
By county, Surry County, Hopewell County, and Poquoson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Great Blue Heron (counties with at least 200 checklists).