If you live or visit Vancouver, sighting a Pacific Blue Heron is as likely as seeing a seagull or a Canada Goose. Usually, it is one large statuesque and graceful bird alone on the golf course or at the beach during low tide. New discovery today. The Great Blue Heron Rookery is part of my Stanley Park bike route. Who knew? They have returned to their address at 2099 Beach Avenue, the trees outside The Parks Board building, and apparently have been doing so for 20 years!
Looking up during a sunny bike ride was not what led to this discovery. I have nearly made it through all 111 Places in Vancouver That You Must Not Miss, the book by Dave Doroghy and Graeme Menzies. This is number 98 and the perfect time to discover it. The Vancouver Parks Board has installed a webcam ( Vancouver.ca/herons ) for viewing their arrival in March; courtship in April; egg laying and incubation in May; chick rearing in June; and fledging in July.
Without the leaves on the trees, you can see SO many nests, seemingly empty. Then an eagle comes cruising by. Instantly the sky is filled with masses of our very closest renditions to prehistoric pterodactyls in flight. Apparently, we are home to the largest urban blue heron colonies in North America. One third of the great blue heron population in the world live around the Salish Sea aka the part of the Pacific Ocean by British Columbia and Washington.
After the big commotion, the herons return to the nests, but this time assume a far more visible stance. Some on branches or on the edges of nests. Some appear to be visiting between the trees. They have diversions from the tennis courts, the lawn bowling club, and the people staring up at them. For me, it is the excitement of a new discovery. How could I have missed this? I’m looking forward to checking out the webcam at regular intervals and letting all my Wild About Vancouver outdoor enthusiasts about it.
Another discovery is that Stanley Park Ecology Society has started an Adopt a Nest Program to sustain the Pacific Great Blue Heron colony. It is $54.00 to adopt one nest for a year. There are over 100 nests in 25 trees in Stanley Park. I’m excited about doing this with the students at Livingstone Elementary School to support learning in all curriculum areas and build interest in our Twitcher group. The kids like the name. Although our sightings are not usually rare, they are equally as exciting when someone can identify the bird 🙂
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