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 | Post Point Heron Colony Adjacent to Marine Park is the Post Point Lagoon, one of seven remaining pocket estuaries in Bellingham Bay. The lagoon is home to three species on the endangered species list (Chinook salmon, bull trout and steelhead). It is also the home of the only Great Blue Heron colony within the city limits of Bellingham. Herons are a "priority species” by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. |
The lagoon has been the focus of city restoration efforts, and the nearby heron colony is closely monitored in order to mitigate any residential disturbance. Its location within the cluster of Douglas firs and red alders offers shelter from buffeting winds, and the nearby lagoon provides sustenance for the birds and foraging training for juvenile and fledging herons.
The following information is from the Post Point sign above. Images were captured by John Koenig on March 18, 2018. |
| GREAT BLUE HERONS LIVE YEAR-ROUND IN THE SALISH SEA. (Puget Sound & Georgia Strait). In the trees along the bluff you can see the only nesting colony in Bellingham, which grew from 6 to 31 nests between 2000 and 2005 and is still growing. (As of 2018, there were 44 active heron nests.) | POST POINT HERONS FORAGE IN THE LAGOON AND ALONG THE MARINE SHORELINE OF BELLINGHAM BAY Favorite forage spots include eelgrass meadows, home to crustaceans and fish. Herons also seek out fresh water, where they prey on amphibians and occasionally reptiles. You may even spot one in a fallow field looking for small mammals. |  | | | |  | HERON BEHAVIORS TO OBSERVE The heron breeding cycle begins with the return of the herons to the colony. Nesting follows courtship and mating, then incubation of the eggs through April. Watch and listen for young in May and June, and fledging juveniles in July and August. | | HERONS ARE VULNERABLE TO HUMAN DISTURBANCE
Please view them from a distance and never enter the buffer area around the colony. Always keep dogs leashed when herons are present. |  |
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| The Post Point Great Blue Heron Reserve Updates from 2022 and 2023
"The long-awaited Post Point Great Blue Heron Reserve has finally conquered the last obstacle in its path: the purchase of a 1.43-acre land parcel along Shorewood Drive.
The lot, known as lot 20, is adjacent to another parcel purchased by the Bellingham City Council and will be purchased following a unanimous council vote Monday night, March 28." Cascadia Daily News, March 29, 2022. "The City of Bellingham’s $768,000, 1.43-acre land purchase preserving the Post Point colony closes Tuesday evening, guaranteeing new protection zones for the city’s last great blue heron nesting site." Cascadia Daily News, March 16, 2023.
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