See Great Blue Heron at Ballard Locks!

It's nesting season for many Pacific Northwest birds including Great Blue Herons. And in the bluffs near the Ballard Locks in Seattle, the Heron Habitat Helpers keep the space hospitable.

The fledging herons heads are visible over the large nests. The gangly long-necked Great Blue Heron parents sit atop them. One parent heron will fly in and the parent sitting there will fly off to take a break.

"They're beautiful birds...really interesting to watch," said Linda Marsh, a member of the group Heron Habitat Helpers which has been working to keep the Ballard Locks rookery hospitable to the big birds. "It's quite rare to be able to see a nest colony this closely though; usually much more shy,"

The Great Blue Heron are not endangered, but they’re watched closely because they’re a keystone species. Their health is tied to the health of other fauna and flora. And they are subject to predators, says Mike Marsh who has worked as Heron Habitat Helper since it began in 2014.

"Young Eagles were taking eggs and chicks from the from the nests," Marsh said.

There are only three Great Blue Heron nesting sites in Seattle. But the Ballard rookery is the biggest. This year there are 70 nests, the largest number since Heron Habitat Helpers started keeping track seven years ago

The herons will be nesting here until September. If you want to go take a peek at the nesting Great Blue Heron on the south side of the Ballard Locks, just be polite. Don’t yell. And whatever you do, don’t fly a drone up to the nests. That will drive the birds away.