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January 8

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Places to Visit and Explore Nature in Stanley Park Ecosystem Guides: Marine Stanley Park Visitor Map: with Park Features, Trails, and Destinations Second Beach

Great Blue Heron High daytime tides through late fall and early winter offer park visitors few opportunities to observe great blue heron along Stanley Park's ocean shores . Early January provides the first real opportunities of the winter season to see great blue herons, plus other wading birds, and shorebirds. Almost every great blue heron encountered along the seawall trail through the winter months is, from my record keeping, an adult bird. Young, herons have to make do with much poorer, freshwater fishing territories. Lakes and ponds tend to provide smaller total catches by weight for the amount of time and effort expended. After the breeding season, only a small fraction of Stanley Park heronry's 360 (2006 estimated population) adult great blue heron remain in the park through the winter months. I suspect that the number of winter resident great blue heron in Stanley Park averages, about 12 adult and 2-3 immature birds. Late winter is the time that Stanley Park'swinter resident great blue herons begin their preparation for the upcoming breeding season. I believe that the winter resident birds lay early claim to, and then defend, prime feeding territories along the park's coastine. When you walk the seawall trail in winter, watch for adult great blue herons. Note how they keep themselves well-spaced along the shore. Are these birds male or female? If the tide happens to be high, check the seawall trail for white droppings. The droppings mark the location of perch trees in which a resident heron can rest and, at the same time, keep an eye on its feeding territory. Adult great blue herons are expert at catching a variety of fish prey in shallow intertidal waters. On sandy bottoms, as at English Bay and Third Beach, starry flounders make up almost the total catch. Along rocky and cobble beaches, herons tend to catch a wider variety of fish, mostly sculpin and blennie species. Stanley Park's shoreline is probably one of the best places in the world to watch and photograph herons at close-range. The birds are used to people (but NOT to dogs, even those on leash). BUT Please be respectful of these magnificent birds. Bring your binoculars and observe them from the seawall. Remember that a heron can only hunt during a relatively short period of time each day when the tides are right. Any disturbance can significantly reduce the heron's daily catch of fish.       Field Guide Entry: Great Blue Heron

Stanley Park Explorer http://www.stanleyparkexplorer.ca Produced by Peter Woods naturalist@stanleyparkexplorer.ca           Revised: May 20, 2011