So where are good places to see green herons?
- Green Herons can be found over *most* of the continental United States during the summer; they are limited in the winter to warm weather climes, like California, Florida, and parts of South Carolina.
- Green herons generally don’t live in the “Rocky Mountain” states; they would be very rare in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. You can check out the E-Bird map to see where green herons live!
- Green herons begin to migrate in late winter and return in the late summer into the fall. In Cleveland, I see green herons fairly reliably through roughly April 15 through September 30.
Green heron habitat.
- Green herons are adaptable birds which can be found in a wide variety of habitats, but they show a definite preference for marshy areas.
- They can be found in coastal wetlands along with inland lakes, ponds, and other wetlands.
- Swamps, marshland, ponds, impoundments, and lakes are good places to spot green herons.
In the Cleveland area, the most reliable place I’ve found to see green herons is the Beaver Marsh in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, but there are populations at Sandy Ridge in Lorain County, Station Road in the CVNP, and in the Rocky River Reservation. I’ve also seen greens fairly regularly at Columbia Reservation.
