Where have all the heron gone?
The Whalebone area heronry isn’t there anymore, and I think two other heron colonies on Gabriola have failed as well. What’s happening to our heron? The Victoria Times Colonist reports that eagles are threatening heron populations.
Trudy Chatwin, a provincial biologist who specializes in rare and endangered species on (Vancouver) Island, says that only 502 active nests over 30 colonies were counted this year, compared to more than 609 nests last year. That represents a drop in the adult population from 1,218 to 1,004.
What worries Chatwin the most, however, is that the largest colonies at Chemainus Estuary, Gabriola Island and Ladysmith were decimated, and that will likely have a larger impact on population numbers for the future. (…)
Scientists point to eagle predation as the number 1 problem. That works in tandem with habitat loss, says Vennesland. [continue]
Related news
- West Coast Herons face mysterious threat to chicks – CBC, November 25th, 2008
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