Sunday June 2, 2024
from 10am – 1pm
Annual Heron Chick Birthday Celebration!
Photo: Sandy Schneiter
Heron chicks have hatched! Join us Sunday June 2 from 10am – 1pm 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!
P A S T E V E N T S
Saturday April 20 from 9am – 2pm
Bird Lover’s Day
We’re thrilled to be participating in Bird Lover’s Day! Hosted by the Ballard Locks U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the event is a fun way to celebrate and learn about birds and nature.
Great Blue Herons are not only Seattle’s “Official City Bird”, but (in our humble opinion) this iconic bird is truly the star of the Ballard Locks!
From 9am – 2pm (facing the Locks Visitor Center)
Visit our table for activities and information about great blue herons. Come see how you measure up to a heron’s wing span!
From Noon and 2pm (at the colony in Commodore Park)
We’ll have scopes to see the herons up close and our naturalists will be there to answer questions. Hoping one of the newly-hatched chicks will be visible!
Don’t miss other activities from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington Ornithological Society, Secret Garden Books, and the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team.
Share the news and see you there! Free. Everyone welcome!
Saturday June 3 2023
from 10am – 1pm
Annual Heron Chick Birthday Celebration!
Heron chicks have hatched! Join us Saturday June 3rd from 10am – 1pm at Commodore Park. We’ll have our scopes set up, educational displays, our naturalists on hand to answer questions – and of course birthday treats!
This year, the colony is home to over 70 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!
Saturday August 6 from 9am – 2pm
Bird Lovers Day
It’s Bird Lovers Day at the Ballard Locks Visitor Center Promenade!
The event will feature booths and activities from the Coastal Observations and Seabird Survey Team, Seattle Audubon Society, Secret Garden Books, the Washington Ornithological Society, and us, Heron Habitat Helpers.
Come visit our booth during all event hours – AND stop by the colony at Commodore Park between 11am and 1pm when we’ll have spotting scopes set up at the colony so you can see the herons up close.
Share the news and see you there! Free. Everyone welcome!
May 14, 2022 – 11am – 1:00pm
Heron Chick Birthday celebration!!
Heron chicks have hatched! And we are so excited to finally be hosting events again.Join us Saturday May 14 from 11am – 1pm at Commodore Park.We’ll have our scopes set up, educational displays, and of course our naturalists on hand to answer questions.This year, the colony is boasting over 75 nests – many already with chicks. There is a lot of activity and we’re excited to welcome you to celebrate with us.• See the herons through telescopes• Learn from our naturalists and exhibitsFREE – 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!
Photo courtesy of Joyce N Chase.
Heron Chick Birthday Party!
Saturday, June 15 2019 • 10:00am – 1:00pm
Currently there are 42 active nests, approximately 45 great blue heron chicks have already hatched, a few nests have eggs incubating, and new nests are being built! There is a lot of activity and we’re excited to welcome you to celebrate with us.
• See the herons through telescopes
• Learn from our naturalists and exhibits
• Enjoy birthday treats donated by PCC COMMUNITY MARKETS!
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!
THANK YOU PCC Community Markets for your generous support of this event!
Learn about Herons at Pop-Up Events
April 7, 2019 • April 14, 2019 • 11am – 1 pm
We’re partnering with Seattle Urban Nature Guides and Discovery Park to share facts about the great blue heron colony nesting at Commodore Park. We’ll have lots of information on hand, displays, and telescopes for viewing herons pairing up and nest building.
Hope to see you at these free, fun, family-friendly events!
Heron Chick Birthday Celebration
June 9, 2018 • 10am – 1 pm
Join us at Commodore Park (in between the Train Bridge and the Fish Ladder on the Magnolia side of the Locks) for our Annual Heron Chick Birthday Celebration! We’ll be serving cake, and have telescopes set up so you can see the chicks up close. Our naturalists will be on hand to answer questions. Learn about your neighbors – the great blue heron at Seattle’s largest colony. Free – all welcome!
Wildlife in the City Event – April 21, 2018
Join us on Saturday April 21 to learn more about our neighbors – the great blue heron!
We’ll have an information table set up at the Discovery Park Learning Center from 1:00 – 5:00 pm with a craft activity and more…
And, we’ll have telescopes at Commodore Park with our naturalists on hand to answer questions from 2:00 – 4:00 pm!
Learn more about other great events during Wildlife in the City Week April 15-21, 2018
See the heron chicks through our telescopes
Saturday, June 3, 2017 – 10:00 am – Noon
We’ll have telescopes set up at Commodore Park to see the Great Blue Heron chicks up close.
Aren’t they cute?
Share the news, everyone welcome to this free event!
(3330 W Commodore Way, Seattle, WA 98107, near the Ballard Fish Ladder)
Heron Habitat Helpers Hangout
Celebrate our 16th Anniversary on Sunday April 30!
In 2001, what began as an effort by Heidi Carpine and Donna Kostka to protect a few nests in Kiwanis Ravine from building construction has developed into a love and protection of the Great Blue Heron for 16-years and counting.
Heron Habitat Helpers (HHH)’s first restoration site was Kiwanis Ravine, which was designated Seattle’s first Wildlife Sanctuary by Seattle Parks in 2010. We now restore habitat on four sites, develop legislation with the City to protect the colony, monitor colony activities and growth, and share our love and knowledge of herons with the public.
This event is as much a celebration as it is a Volunteer Appreciation for the thousands of volunteers who have weeded and planted, written grants and letters, attended City meetings, served on our 100% all-volunteer board, educated groups, monitored colonies, and shared their time, energy, and enthusiasm to protect precious wildlife in our urban environment. We could not have done it without you!
So, please join us on Sunday April 30 to meet and mingle with HHHers past, present, and future!
12:00 – 1:30 pm at Commodore Park 3330 W Commodore Way
Our telescopes will be set up at Commodore Park where you can observe the colony and yes, noisy chicks will have hatched!
2:00 – 5:00 pm at Urban Family Brewing 4441 26th Ave W.
Urban Family Brewing has graciously donated their space for our Hangout! Come join us to reconnect, reminisce, and celebrate this milestone. Funds raised from a small art sale, native plant sale, and silent auction — including $1 for every beer sold, will be donated to our Web Cam installation effort!
At 3:00 pm we are honored to present speaker Kaeli Swift. Kaeli graduated with a BA from Willamette University in 2009, after which she spent several years doing field projects ranging from sexual selection in Satin bowerbirds, to bat fatality surveys at windfarms, to breeding success of the threatened streaked horned-lark in Oregon. Kaeli has been interested in birds and animal behavior all her life, and is delighted that the emergence of corvids as a model system for questions of animal and social intelligence allows her to marry these two passions. Currently, she is studying the function of crow funeral behaviors as apart of her doctoral research at the University of Washington. You can learn more about her work and all things crows by visiting her blog at corvidresearch.blog. You can also find her on Twitter @corvidresearch where she tweets about crows and plays a weekly game called #CrowOrNo to help people learn how to correctly ID and distinguish different kinds of corvids.
Everyone is welcome at this all ages event!
Free light refreshments, cake, and lemonade will be served.
We are trying to reach as many people as possible, please help us by sharing this event!
Note: There has been a change to our program. Due to a scheduling conflict, UW professor and author John Marzluff will be unable to attend. Signed copies of his books “In the Company of Crows and Ravens” and “Welcome to Subirdia” will still be available for sale.
Volunteer with Heron Habitat Helpers on Green Seattle Day • Saturday November 12
Green Seattle Day is the biggest party of the year – join hundreds of volunteers planting thousands of plants in parks throughout The Emerald City. All community members are welcome!
Volunteer with Heron Habitat Helpers. We’ll be weeding, trail clearing, and planting at Commodore Park and our other restoration sites in Magnolia – and of course, having fun at the same time. Coffee, tea, and light snacks provided.
Sign up today: http://seattle.cedar.greencitypartnerships.org/event/8628/
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Native Plant Sale
10am – 4pm • Kiwanis Ravine Overlook
36th Avenue West & West Ohman Place
(Near Discovery Park, Magnolia)
Help herons and our environment by planting natives in your own garden!
Do you want to attract more birds and butterflies to your yard? Planting a rain garden or looking for drought tolerant plants? Not sure what to plant in a shaded or sloped yard?
Check out the wide variety of plants from Go Natives! Nursery.
Native plant expert Don Norman will be on hand to offer advice and suggestions.
Your purchases also support Heron Habitat Helpers’ restoration and public education efforts.
We can deliver larger plants and trees!
See you there, rain or shine!
Saturday, June 25, 2016
See the herons before they leave the nest
1:00 – 3:00 pm
The heron chicks are growing – almost the same size as their parents. The nests are crowded and noisy, as the “teens” strut their stuff and test their feathers, getting ready to fledge. They’ll fly from the colony at the end of June – July, leaving a stillness in the trees. Herons live independently after that, and can often be seen flying around Seattle, and fishing by shorelines, and ponds.
Join us Saturday, June 25 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm at Commodore Park. We’ll have our telescopes set up and will be ready to answer your questions. The event is free and open to all. Invite your family and friends ad learn about Seattle’s Official City Bird!
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Heron Chick Birthday Party!
1:00 – 3:00 pm
Join us at Commodore Park near the Ballard Locks Fish Ladder on the Magnolia side. We’re celebrating the birth of over 30 heron chicks! We’re serving birthday cake, and will have telescopes set up to observe the chicks and their quirky tufted hairdos. Come hear the cacophony as they chatter for food!
Friday, April 22, 2016
Earth Day Restoration Party
9:00 am – Noon
Show the earth you care! Think big and act local by participating with HHH and other like-minded people who will weed, plant, and mulch at our three restoration sites. No experience is necessary and it is open to all ages. So grab your office mates, school group, friends, or just yourself – and sign up today! We will provide tools and light refreshments. Join us at Commodore Park near the Ballard Locks Fish Ladder on the Magnolia side.
Contact [email protected] for more information
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
HHH Annual Board Meeting
2:00 – 4:00 pm
This year we will be holding our Annual Board meeting at the home of one of our Board Members. We will elect the new Board, discuss the colony, and upcoming events and work parties. The public is invited to attend.
If you have ever wondered what we do, and what opportunities there are to get involved, please join us. Contact us at [email protected] for more information and the meeting location.