One of the best things about living in the Twin Cities is the amount of natural beauty that exists in our sprawling metro area. One of the most amazing examples of this is a series of large great blue heron rookeries on islands in the Mississippi River just north of downtown Minneapolis. The park lands along the river offer excellent opportunities to see these majestic birds when they arrive to nest and rear their chicks. In fact, I think Marshall Terrace Park in Minneapolis one of the best places to see great blue herons in Minnesota.
You'll find Marshall Terrace Park on the banks of the Mississippi River, just upstream of downtown Minneapolis.
Marshall Terrace has everything you'd expect in a well-appointed neighborhood park.
There's playground equipment, sports fields, and picnic facilities.
The hiking trails and boardwalks along the Mississippi River are some of my favorite features of the park.
These are the things that draw folks to Marshall Terrace throughout the year.
But, come spring, some other visitors begin to arrive.
And their arrival draws a pretty good crowd to Marshall Terrace Park.
The islands in the river just off the park are a massive rookery for great blue herons.
And every year, the herons return to this spot to nest, lay eggs, and raise their chicks.
The incredible sight, and its raucous sounds, of this annual event are truly things to behold.
You can learn more about the heron rookeries along this stretch of the Mississippi at the Carl W. Kroening Nature Center.
It's located across the river an upstream from Marshall Terrace at North Mississippi Regional Park. A large heron rookery had existed on an island directly across from the nature center, but it was destroyed in the North Minneapolis tornado of 2011. Fortunately, the herons relocated their rookeries downstream to Marshall Terrace and to several islands upstream within the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
It's really an incredible experience to get so close to so many herons in Minnesota at the same time. Although you can see them pretty well from the park, you may want to bring a good pair of binoculars for even better views.
Have you visited this urban heron rookery in Minneapolis? Where are some of your favorite places to see wildlife in Minnesota? Let us know in the comments!
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