Great Blue Heron stages Stanley Park comeback
Great blue herons are one of British Columbia's most vulnerable species but one colony is thriving in Vancouver.
Scientists say the birds may be at risk because too many people are moving in on their habitat.
A few years ago in Vancouver's Stanley Park, the herons almost disappeared, says Rob Boelens of the Stanley Park Ecology Society which tracks the park's heron populations.
Construction and traffic were blamed for the decline, but the herons have made an unexpected and unexplained comeback.
Boelens is puzzled by the herons' ability to thrive in a city park.
"There is no science at this point," he says. "Could be that the herons have settled and they do have a tendency to return to where they are born."
But Park Board spokesperson Mike MacIntosh notes not everyone is pleased with the heron's rebound.
He says some neighbours have complained about the noise. Great blue herons are noisy when they feed and their droppings give off a strong odour.
- LINK: Stanley Park
But people will have to get used to their new feathered friends. The birds "have chosen to come and live here at the entrance to the park, an area that is a hive of activity," says Macintosh.
Park workers have fenced off the birds nesting area to protect them.