Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Heron has been placed on B.C.’s Blue List of vulnerable species.

Although the Great Blue Heron is commonly seen in parts around the islands, its numbers are decreasing. It is hard for herons to find undisturbed sites for nesting. The presence of humans as far away as 200 metres from a colony can cause the birds to abandon it. Sometimes, however, they become used to people. Herons have been nesting in Vancouver’s busy Stanley Park for over 75 years.

http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/heron_s.pdf

Other Heron problems include predation by Eagles and high levels of dioxins found in heron eggs. Since 1977, Environment Canada has monitored the level of two persistent organic pollutant groups in Great Blue Heron eggs: organochlorine pesticides and industrial organochlorines. See (http://www.ecoinfo.org/env_ind/region/gbhtoxin/gbhtoxin_e.cfm