Heron Viewing

Pacific Great Blue Herons and an abundance of other wildlife can be seen year-round on the nature reserve. Please respect all wildlife you encounter on the nature reserve by staying on-trail and not approaching the animals. Outside of their breeding season, the Herons are most commonly seen foraging, flying, and perched high up in the trees. Keep an eye open as you explore and you are bound to run into one! 

We encourage our community to tag us in their photography of the Herons or send their pictures to us if they wish to have their work featured on our social media.

Visit our year in nature page for information about viewing wildlife throughout the seasons!

The Colony becomes active in March as adults return to initiate the nesting season. Pairs establish themselves for the season and egg-laying begins several weeks after. In 2022, there were 90 active nests in the colony. 

As the Heron Colony Trail and Discovery Trail near the site are closed at this time, The best place to view the colony is west along the North Dyke Trail, about a 10 minutes walk from the Rotary Interpretive Center. We ask that all visitors please respect the seasonal trail closures as they are essential for the wellbeing and breeding success of the colony!