Where to find herons in the Twin Cities metro near the river

If you look closely at FMR's primary logo, you'll see a river formed from two hands on one side of our name and two great blue herons amid a marsh on the other.

We're obviously big fans of the bird. And we know we're not alone! Anyone who spends time by the river in the warmer months will likely see one, still and then striking at the water's edge or winging overhead, long legs trailing behind like a kite tail.

But if you want a few clues about the best spots to marvel at great blues and their cousins near the river, we've got you covered.

Heron hangouts

On the river north of downtown Minneapolis in the spring, dozens of nesting herons perch in the trees on islands north of the Lowry Avenue Bridge near Marshall Terrace Park. Our friends at the National Park Service welcome these herons back with a celebration each March.

The Twin Cities is also home to one of Minnesota's largest heron and egret rookeries, with over 1,600 nesting pairs of herons at Pig's Eye Island Heron Rookery Scientific and Natural Area, south of downtown St. Paul. Just be aware that this area — where great blue heron, great egret, black-crowned night heron, double-crested cormorants and yellow-crowned night heron all nest — is closed to the public during nesting season to keep the birds safe. At this SNA, that's from April 1 through July 15, which is peak egg laying and hatching time, though nest building often begins in March.

Gores Pool Wildlife Management Area also has a large concentration of nesting herons. The WMA is open to the public, but access can be difficult, as the site is mostly Mississippi and Vermillion River floodplain forest and backwater marshes. You can see the site best from the water, accessed via one of the boat launches within the unit. One section of the WMA — the south end of North Lake — is closed to the public and is designated as a Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. Visit the DNR's page to get more information and view maps of the site.

Check out our full map of heron rookeries and hotspots near our 40+ restoration sites near the river across the metro.

Respect for herons and other wildlife

Viewing a heron rookery is something best done from a distance. Herons can be sensitive to disturbance and may abandon a nest. Alarmed young birds may even fall out. This can be especially true if you're recreating with dogs or motorized vehicles. However, it's not necessary to get close to a rookery to appreciate it. The din of a rookery — a mix of snapping branches, beating wings and croaking adults — can be heard for some distance, and that alone is quite an experience.

Before you go, look up the site you're visiting and find out what kinds of activities are allowed in order to protect the habitat and be respectful. 

More ways to care for the places you enjoy.

Our conservation work on the flyway

Within a stone's throw of some of those rookeries, you might find industrial lots, roads, train tracks and even an old dump. And yet the herons still come. So do tens of millions of other birds as they travel to or through the Twin Cities on the Mississippi River flyway, one of the continent's most vital migration routes. 

FMR protects and restores hundreds of acres on that Twin Cities flyway. Quality, connected habitat along our urban river is crucial for all kinds of wildlife.

Our Land Conservation program aims to create that habitat, as well as improve water quality and benefit our communities. Conservation Director Alex Roth explained how this holistic work helps herons:

"We work to support all kinds of wildlife by starting from the ground up. When we restore diverse plant communities, we provide food and resources for more insects. More insects mean we'll see more fish, birds and mammals that depend on those insects. Our riverside habitat restoration project on the south branch of the Vermillion River is a good example — the greater abundance and diversity of insects we've found there feeds young-of-year and smaller fish species that, in turn, feed herons. 

"Second, the floodplain forests where herons nest face real threats — ash trees are dying due to emerald ash borer and cottonwoods aren't regenerating as well because of managed water levels and extended drought and flood seasons. We're planting climate-adapted tree species so that Minnesota's floodplain forests can continue to be home to nesting birds and other wildlife far into the future."

Of course we couldn't do this work without our volunteers and supporters. Thank you for contributing to the health of our metro flyway.