Best Time to See Great Blue Herons in the US
May, April and June is the best time to see great blue herons in the United States. This is a national picture built from 404,796 verified iNaturalist observations across 50 states, showing when and where great blue herons are most active.
By Tim, founder of Easy Street Markets. I maintain the wildlife database and verify every animal and source myself.
404,796 verified observations of great blue herons in the US, recorded across 12 months of the year on iNaturalist.
When great blue herons are recorded in the US
Peak month
May
45,645 records (11.3% of the year)
| Month | Observations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 27,928 | 6.9% |
| February | 24,047 | 5.9% |
| March | 29,814 | 7.4% |
| Aprilpeak | 44,997 | 11.1% |
| Maypeak | 45,645 | 11.3% |
| Junepeak | 39,708 | 9.8% |
| July | 38,253 | 9.4% |
| August | 35,823 | 8.8% |
| September | 35,442 | 8.8% |
| October | 31,049 | 7.7% |
| November | 26,085 | 6.4% |
| December | 26,005 | 6.4% |
Great Blue Herons you are most likely to see
| Species | Verified observations |
|---|---|
| Great Blue Heron | 343,840 |
Across the country, great blue herons sightings peak in May, when 45,645 of the 404,796 annual observations are logged, about 11.3% of the national total. Nationwide activity stays high through May, April and June.
The best states to see great blue herons by recorded sightings are California (63,332), Canada (60,956), Texas (47,016), Florida (41,376) and Washington (16,195). Each state page below breaks the year down month by month for that state.
The great blue herons you are most likely to encounter nationwide are Great Blue Heron, the most-recorded species across all states combined.
Best states to see great blue herons
- great blue herons in California63,332 sightings, peak January
- great blue herons in Canada60,956 sightings, peak August
- great blue herons in Texas47,016 sightings, peak April
- great blue herons in Florida41,376 sightings, peak March
- great blue herons in Washington16,195 sightings, peak May
- great blue herons in Virginia12,453 sightings, peak April
- great blue herons in Maryland11,994 sightings, peak May
- great blue herons in Ohio11,741 sightings, peak May
- great blue herons in North Carolina9,902 sightings, peak April
- great blue herons in Pennsylvania9,689 sightings, peak September
- great blue herons in New York9,237 sightings, peak September
- great blue herons in Massachusetts9,013 sightings, peak May
- great blue herons in Oregon8,725 sightings, peak May
- great blue herons in Illinois8,611 sightings, peak May
- great blue herons in New Jersey6,025 sightings, peak May
Most-recorded great blue herons species nationwide
- Great Blue Heron343,840 records
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to see great blue herons in the US?+
May is the single best month nationwide, with the broader peak running through May, April and June, based on 404,796 verified observations across 50 states.
Which states are best for seeing great blue herons?+
By recorded sightings, the top states are California, Canada and Texas. California leads with 63,332 verified observations.
How many great blue herons sightings are recorded in the US each year?+
About 404,796 verified great blue herons observations are logged on iNaturalist across 50 states with enough data to chart a seasonal pattern.
What kinds of great blue herons live in the US?+
The most-recorded species nationwide are Great Blue Heron, based on all-time iNaturalist counts.