Friends of our herons can now "invest in a nest."
by Judi Stevenson
Most of the 60 species of the heron family found around the world evolved to live in tropical wetlands. Even the great blue herons that nest east of the Rockies fly south to find the sun in winter. Our friends, the coastal subspecies Ardea herodias fannini, are unique.
They evolved over thousands of years to need exactly what the Pacific Northwest has traditionally provided: tall trees for nesting, eel grass beds teeming with tasty shiner perch and crunchy sculpin, thick floating kelp beds to use as a platform for fishing in deeper waters, and marshes and meadows where frogs and voles supply dinner on days when the fishing is bad. They do not, and cannot, migrate.
They are finding life more and more difficult. Urban sprawl and rural development has consumed much of their habitat. Excess noise and human activity can drive them to abandon nesting sites. Nests exposed by tree cutting are soon decimated by predation by eagles. Egg and tissue samples contain toxins from industrial, agricultural and residential runoff. In BC, Ardea herodias fannini is now blue-listed – considered "vulnerable and at risk" by the Ministry of the Environment.
Calculating the current population of coastal blue herons is a challenge because of the terrain that they inhabit and their wandering ways. Estimates suggest there are now 2,000 breeding pairs in the Strait of Georgia and Fraser Valley, 2,000 more in Puget Sound, and 1,000 along the coast as far north as Alaska, for a total of just 10,000 birds.
Even without competition from humans, they don't have an easy time of it. Eggs may be stolen by corvids and others. Chicks suffer high rates of mortality. Siblings fight for food and may injure or kill one another in the process. Some fall from the nest and starve. Once they leave the nest, they're entirely on their own.
Their future as a species looks equally grim in light of recent and projected population growth in the Georgia Basin. For every 1,000 new people moving into the Fraser Valley, for example, 28 hectares of rural land is drained or mowed or cleared for human use.
So, when a large number of herons began nesting on Salt Spring Island just a few years ago, in a stand of alder, aspen, maple, fir and cottonwood near McFadden Creek, residents and scientists alike were thrilled. Now, there are 124 nests there! Because of abandonments elsewhere, it has become the largest heronry in British Columbia.
Two years ago, the Water Bird Watch on Salt Spring learned that the land where the herons were nesting was going to be sold. The landowner agreed to give the friends of the herons a chance. If they could meet his price in the agreed time, he would sell to them.
Fund-raising has been fast and furious. There have been a number of generous public and private donations, a barn sale, an auction with over 200 items on the block, school campaigns, and the marvelously successful Great Blue Heron Foster Parent Program. The effort has come to within $30,000 of the selling price – but now it seems to be stalled.
The McFadden Creek heronry has just been designated BC's first global "IBA" (important bird area) in a program funded by NAFTA's Commission of Environmental Cooperation.
In early 1997 the Wild Bird Trust launched the Heron Stewardship Program. Public and private landowners with herons living or feeding on their property can join the program, and learn how to avoid disturbing the birds at critical times and how to preserve the conditions they need to survive. Organizers hope that owners of critical habitat will put legal covenants on their land, protecting it for all time. When land being used by significant numbers of herons is put on the market, the Wild Bird Trust may consider buying it.
On Salt Spring, the campaign slogan is "invest in a nest". Don't consult your bank manager – consult your heart.
* To help secure McFadden Creek as a permanently protected nesting site, send a cheque (made out to The Wild Bird Trust) to 272 Beddis Road, Salt Spring Island, V8K 2J1. All contributions over $10 are tax deductible.
* To find out more about the Heron Stewardship Program, contact the Wild Bird Trust in Vancouver at (604)924-2581.
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[From WS February/March 1999]