Wildlife : Migration Patterns

The Herons nesting in Beacon Hill Park are members of a sub-species of the Great Blue Heron known as Ardrea herodias fannini. This sub-species is somewhat unique in that they do not migrate during the winter season. They spend their time in Victoria year round.

Generally speaking however, the Great Blue Heron has the widest distribution in Canada of all herons: it ranges from the Maritime provinces in the east across southern Canada to the Pacific Ocean, and north along the entire length of the British Columbia Pacific coast to Alaska’s Prince William Sound in the west (see map). While it breeds in all provinces except Newfoundland and Labrador, this bird spends the winter in Canada only on the British Columbia coast and in parts of the Maritime provinces. Most birds move south for the winter, and banded birds from Canada have been found in Mexico, Honduras, and Cuba. Colonies of Great Blue Herons are also found in Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands.

Great Blue Herons migrate alone or in groups of three to 12 and sometimes up to 100. They travel day and night. Spring migrants return to most Canadian locations in April. Some fly north in summer to arctic Alaska, southern Yukon, and northern Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. They migrate south from mid-September to late October.