WhenToBird

Egretta caerulea · Ardeidae

When Do Little Blue Herons Arrive in Ohio?

Adult Little Blue Heron
Photo: Luis G Restrepo, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Little Blue Herons mostly pass through Ohio: they arrive in mid July, peak in the second week of August (1.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 15-21mid July
Common byJul 15-21mid July
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone bySep 1-7early September

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals mid July; most are gone by early September. Peak: on about 1.8% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.0% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.4% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.2% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.8% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.0% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.3% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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.

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Where in Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hocking CountyBest late August · 165 checklists that week, 9,085 in all12%
  2. Mahoning CountyBest the second week of August · 217 checklists that week, 14,421 in all11%
  3. Pickaway CountyBest early July · 89 checklists that week, 6,348 in all9.8%
  4. Champaign CountyBest mid August · 33 checklists that week, 2,549 in all7.9%
  5. Marion CountyBest the second week of August · 288 checklists that week, 14,246 in all6.6%
  6. Sandusky CountyBest the second week of August · 290 checklists that week, 14,537 in all6.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area (Dush Pond)Wayne County, best early August · 24 checklists that week, 983 in all59%
  2. Griggs ParkFranklin County, best early August · 56 checklists that week, 957 in all58%
  3. Lake Logan State ParkHocking County, best late August · 26 checklists that week, 1,055 in all42%
  4. Huffman MetroparkGreene County, best mid August · 38 checklists that week, 1,231 in all42%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Little Blue Heron is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (0.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%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: 0.2% of 43093 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 142017 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 205296 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 196322 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 170882 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 0.2% 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0.1%0%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.2%0.3%0.3%1.0%
August1.4%2.2%1.8%1.0%
September0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives mid July, in the same week than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives mid July, in the same week than Ohio
  • Pennsylvania: arrives mid July, in the same week than Ohio
  • Illinois: arrives mid July, in the same week than Ohio

Common questions

When do Little Blue Herons arrive in Ohio?
Little Blue Herons mostly pass through Ohio: they arrive in mid July, peak in the second week of August (1.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.
When do Little Blue Herons leave Ohio?
Most Little Blue Herons have left Ohio by early September, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Little Blue Heron in Ohio?
The Little Blue Heron is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 1.8% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Little Blue Herons seen most often?
By county, Hocking County, Mahoning County, and Pickaway County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Little Blue Heron (counties with at least 200 checklists).