Vancouver great blue heron colony returns to Stanley Park
Posted March 21, 2023 9:36 am.
Last Updated March 21, 2023 11:57 am.
In another sign that spring has arrived, the colony of great blue herons has returned to Vancouver’s Stanley Park.
According to the Vancouver Park Board, the colony of at least 64 members has come back to nest among the trees of Park Lane, near the board’s office, for the 23rd straight year.
Spring is in the air! So too are the flap of giant wings and prehistoric screeches from high in the treetops…which can only mean one thing: Stanley Park’s Great Blue Heron colony is back for the 23rd year in a row! https://t.co/sLynK0KBY7
Photo cred: Frank Lin pic.twitter.com/EgkEjubb63
— Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (@ParkBoard) March 20, 2023
With their return comes the hopes of growth for the colony. The Vancouver Park Board says last year, there were about 90 new chicks born that had to deal with “persistent eagle raids” as well as a late nesting season due to severe winter weather. The nesting season for the birds typically runs from mid-March to mid-July.
If you want to track the progress of the young birds throughout the spring, the Park Board has also brought back its “Heron Cam” for the eighth straight year. The live webcam is fixated on some 40 nests throughout the park, with users able to access multiple angles and zoom in on certain nests.
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Pacific great blue herons have been documented in Stanley Park since 1921 and have been nesting in their current location since 2001, according to the Park Board.
It adds the species is federally protected and has a “special concern” classification in B.C., as populations have steadily declined since the 1980s. Vancouver is home to one of North America’s largest urban heron colonies.
