Print

Watch the Pacific Great Blue Herons live from Stanley Park

What you need to know

The Pacific Great Blue Herons are back for the 20th consecutive year. 

Photos, questions, want to learn more?

Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation  Ask an expert      

Let’s keep talking!  #HeronTalk  

        

Stanley Park Ecology Society

The Pacific Great Blue Herons have returned to the colony at the Park Board office at 2099 Beach Avenue.

Our high-definition Heron Cam takes you inside the nests of one of North America’s largest urban great blue heron colonies from March until the end of the summer breeding season.

Take control of the camera for two minutes at a time and zoom into specific nests. 

Watch their courtship and mating rituals, nest building, egg laying, and fending off eagle attacks

How to use Heron Cam

Hover over the buttons at the bottom-right of the camera to:

  • View the herons at full screen.
  • Control what nests you want to see and at what distance.

What to watch for and how to interpret what you see

Courtship  

Courtship

Nest building

Nest building

Egg laying  

Egg laying

Hatching  

Hatching

Parenting  

Parenting

Fledging  

Fledging

Stanley Park Ecology SocietyHelp support the heron colony

These herons are a species at risk in Canada and the Stanley Park colony is a vital part of the south coast population. One-third of great blue herons worldwide live around the Salish Sea. 

The Park Board, along with our friends at Stanley Park Ecology Society, help sustain the heron population through monitoring, stewardship, and education.

Help Stanley Park Ecology Society protect, monitor, and sustain the Pacific Great Blue Heron colony by adopting a nest.

Adopt a nest

Read SPES’ Stanley Park Heronry Annual Report  (1 MB).

Heron Cam supports the Park Board’s Biodiversity Strategy and the Vancouver Bird Strategy.