Heron Habitat Helpers

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Sun. June 2, 2024 – 10am – 1pm Annual Heron Chick Birthday Celebration!

May 16, 2024 By Marla Master

Annual Heron Chick Birthday Celebration! Join us Sunday June 2 from 10:00am – 1:00pm at Commodore Park.

We’ll have our telescopes set up so you can see the heron chicks up close, educational displays, our naturalists on hand to answer questions – and of course birthday treats!

This year, the colony is home to over 66 nests. There is a lot of activity and we’re excited to welcome you to celebrate with us.

FREE – EVERYONE WELCOME!

Commodore Park
3330 W Commodore Way, Seattle, WA 98107
Adjacent the Ballard Locks on the Magnolia side.
Look for the trees between the fish ladder and the train bridge!

Share the news and see you there!

Filed Under: BLOG, Colonies, Events, Heron Nests, Herons, Nesting, News

Heron Chicks Hatched!!

May 1, 2024 By Marla Master

First heron chicks hatched April 7, 2024
Here’s the news from Carol Tofle who heads up the HHH Monitoring Team:
I heard faint chick sounds for a few minutes while at the colony this morning! In a few short weeks, the sounds will get louder and more frequent and the chicks’ heads will appear above the nest rims. The parents brood the chicks for 2-3 weeks of life because the chicks can’t regulate their own body temperatures. The begging call of the chicks is a very rhythmic kind of clickety-clackety sound, and it will get very loud in the weeks to come.
Stay tuned for details about our Annual Heron Chick Birthday Celebration on June 2, 2024!

Filed Under: BLOG, News

Volunteer Open House Sunday, March 5, 2023 11:00 am – 12:30 pm at Commodore Park

February 16, 2023 By Marla Master

Drop by the colony to learn about what Heron Habitat Helpers (HHH) does to support Seattle’s largest colony of nesting great blue herons and how you can get involved.


BECOME A HERON MONITOR
Each season, our monitoring team observes the colony and notes what the herons are doing in each nest. Are they courting? Incubating eggs? Feeding chicks? By noting the date of these events we can learn how long it takes for an egg to hatch, the duration of nesting season, how many chicks hatch, how many fledged, and yes, how many may have been taken by predators. The more we understand, the more we can help protect the colony. This volunteer opportunity runs March until August, and takes 2-3 hours, once per week. We will train and work with you as needed. No experience necessary.

CARE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE? HELP A FOREST GROW
We’re looking for enthusiastic people to adopt a habitat area to do weeding and maintenance on your own schedule, once a week, once a month, or whatever works best for you. There are 5 restoration sites in Magnolia. We will train, and can coordinate other volunteers to work with you as needed. No experience necessary. You’ll have ongoing support from our native plant and habitat restoration team.

BE PART OF OUR TEAM
Work with us to create and post social media content, update our website, assist at public events, work on fundraising etc…
Got skills or other ideas? Let’s chat!

HHH is and always has been a 100% volunteer organization!
Help keep our forested parks healthy and make a difference to our local wildlife and our planet! No experience necessary. 

If you’re interested but cannot attend this event
please email us at membership@heronhelpers.org

Filed Under: BLOG, News

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Volunteer Opportunities

It's not all digging in the dirt!

Let us know what piques your interest and skill set. We're open to your ideas so don't hesitate to contact us to chat. Some current needs are:

• Monitor the colony - We’re looking for enthusiastic citizen scientists who will volunteer to observe and record data on a large colony of great blue herons next to the Ballard Locks in Seattle. Volunteer hours will be a minimum of once/week, three hours/day during heron breeding season – March to early August. No previous experience necessary. We will train.

• Content creation - We'd love to post your articles and photos on our website and social media pages. We're open to subjects about birds - especially herons, native plants, your nature volunteer experiences, etc. Submit your ideas or contact us for more info!

• Reaching out - Help us increase our presence in the community. We plan on having a table at a few farmers markets over the summer and hosting special events. We could use a hand!

• WordPress Website expertise - Help us update content, improve navigation, and make it easier for visitors to connect with our mission.

• Get on Board - HHH is looking for passionate people who want to be on the Board. Work with us to promote our mission and grow HHH into the future.

Subscribe to our Newsletter!

Collaboration

HHH works with Seattle Parks and Recreation Department (Parks), www.seattle.gov/PARKS, to restore, maintain, and monitor Kiwanis Memorial Preserve Park. We interface and share projects with Parks in the Habitat Advisory Panel (HAP) committee. Also, we are a member of the Green Seattle Partnership (GSP),www.greenseattle.org, a partnership between the City of Seattle and the Cascade Land Conservancy. The City of Seattle is represented by the Department of Parks and Recreation, Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment, and Seattle Public Utilities. The partnership goal is to restore all of Seattle's forested park lands by 2025. We are one of the many non-profit organizations supporting this effort.

In addition, HHH is part of the Great Blue Heron Working Group, a consortium of citizens and scientists organized by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, WDFW. The group has participation from scientists as far north as Protection Island, B.C. (near Nanaimo, B.C.) and as far south as Olympia, WA. One of the scientists from that Heron Working Group is Ann Eissinger, and she has formulated a protocol for studying heron colonies. In that protocol is an in depth study about the life cycle of the great blue heron. To read the study, please click HERE. HHH is working to establish a sense of community throughout this region, called the Salish Sea, focused on appreciation and support for the Great Blue Heron.

Heron Watching

Great Blue Herons can be seen courting and nesting between February and August. We encourage you to visit Commodore Park to see the nesting birds during these months. Kindly watch quietly and carefully during this very sensitive time so as not to disturb these lovely creatures. Remember, this is their home. In addition to the newly expanded great blue heron colony in Commodore Park, other colonies in the greater Seattle area are located on the University of Washington campus, at Marymoor Park in Redmond, and in the City of Kenmore.

Heron Habitat Helpers is attempting to learn about new nesting locations and will provide periodic reports. Residents who spot herons flying with twigs and small branches in their bills, a sign of nest building, are encouraged to report these sightings to info@heronhelpers.org.

Heron Facts

  • The Great Blue Heron’s long legs allow it to hunt in deeper water than most other herons and egrets.
  • Herons can swallow a fish many times wider than its narrow neck.
  • Herons look for food anytime there is enough light. Studies suggest that cloudy weather is ideal for the birds to look for fish.
  • Adult herons stand around three feet tall, but can stretch to about four feet.
  • Their wingspan is about six feet, yet these birds weigh only about 5 to 6 pounds.
  • In flight Great Blue Herons average about 25 mph, their maximum flight speed can approach 35 mph.
  • Herons often reuse a nest, adding sticks to it each year.
  • The male brings sticks and the female works them into the nest.
  • Herons lay from three to seven eggs, but the usual number is four.
  • Heron chicks are often aggressive toward each other, and some are pushed from the nest.

Kiwanis Ravine Support

Kiwanis Ravine is a natural area that sits close to the eastern edge of Seattle's Discovery Park. The ravine was formed by two drainages coming from the east and west forks of Wolfe Creek. Very little is left of those drainages today, but what remains does channel water down through Kiwanis Ravine toward the Lake Washington Ship Canal, where it is intercepted and piped to West Point, a nearby wastewater treatment plant. The ravine is home to many species of birds, plants, and animals, particularly the Great Blue Heron. In 2010 the ravine hosted approximately 80 successful heron nests. Supporting the herons through restoration of their native habitat is paramount to our mission. However, Kiwanis Ravine is so steeply sloped, the City of Seattle cannot allow the general citizenry, or HHH volunteers, to do restoration work on the steep slopes of the ravine, so specialized contractors, like EarthCorps, are hired to work these areas. Three areas with no significant slope allow volunteer access; Kiwanis Ravine Overlook (KRO), Kiwanis Ravine Stevens (KRS), and Kiwanis Wildlife Corridor (KWC). Please click here to see those areas identified on the map.

Recent Posts

  • April 11, 2026 – 9am – 1pm – Second Saturday Habitat Restoration at Kiwanis Ravine Corridor in Magnolia March 12, 2026
  • Be Part of a Forest’s Future! September 3, 2025
  • What’s Up at the Colony April 3, 2025
  • Sun. June 2, 2024 – 10am – 1pm Annual Heron Chick Birthday Celebration! May 16, 2024
  • Heron Chicks Hatched!! May 1, 2024

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Nonprofit Status

Heron Habitat Helpers is an IRS 501(c)(3) organization under the umbrella of the Associated Recreational Council (ARC), IRS #51-0170717. Visit ARC at www.arcseattle.org.

Associated Recreational Council
100 Dexter Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109-5102

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Membership

By becomming a Member and supporting HHH, you are directly contributing to conservation initiatives, habitat restoration efforts, and educational programs. Join now!

Volunteer

There are many ways to get involved with HHH! Please email us for a list of current opportunities. 
volunteer@heronhelpers.org

Contact Us

Heron Habitat Helpers
4574 36th Avenue West
Seattle, WA  98199-1146
info@heronhelpers.org

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