Love Is in the Air at Stanley Park as Herons Return to Their Nests

February 23, 2007 (No. 14) - A sure sign of spring is the return of the Great Blue Herons to their seasonal nests in the trees that tower above the Park Board's Administrative Offices in Stanley Park. Several herons were first spotted inspecting last year's nests - most appropriately - last week on February 14, Valentine's Day. Park Board staff have now secured the gates of the fenced areas below the heronry to reduce disturbances to the heron colony and to protect passersby from falling debris.

It was five years ago that several pairs started setting up housekeeping in the trees adjacent to the Park Board's parking lot. Last year the total number of nests had grown to 173 within a grouping of 24 trees. The heronry is one of the largest in Western Canada. Approximately 200-250 young herons successfully fledged over the summer. Surprisingly, only six nests were lost during this past winter's windstorms.

The Great Blue Heron is listed as a vulnerable species in B.C. An average bird stands about 3 feet tall and has a wing span of 70 inches. Reports of herons nesting in Stanley Park were first documented in the mid 1920s. Although the herons have been regular inhabitants of the park, they have tended to migrate from one area of the park to another over the years.

Last year the Park Board approved a plan for the management and stewardship of the Stanley Park heron colony that identified guidelines for protection of the herons and habitat restoration and enhancement.

The Stanley Park Ecology Society (SPES) monitors these threatened birds throughout the nesting season, provides tours of the heronry and has initiated an "Adopt-a-Nest" program. You can find out more about SPES programs on their web site at www.stanleyparkecology.ca .

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For more information contact Mike Mackintosh, Supervisor of Park Maintenance for the Queen Elizabeth District at 604-257-8528 or Robyn Worcester, SPES Urban Wildlife Specialist at 604-257-6908.
www.vancouverparks.ca

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation maintains 200 parks and 40 major facilities throughout the City of Vancouver. The Park Board's mission is to provide, preserve and advocate for parks and recreation services to benefit people, communities and the environment.

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