Blue Herons in Beacon Hill Park

Oh no, Birdzilla! Herons might be gone for good.
Experts say voracious eagle may have doomed abandoned heron rookery at Beacon Hill Park.

BY CAROLYN HEIMAN
Times Colonist staff

They call her Birdzilla. During the weekend, she bullied more than a hundred nesting herons in Beacon Hill Park from their rookery.

Bird experts fear the large and rare urban nesting area, which has mesmerized tourists and residents alike, might be abandoned for good.

"I feel such a sense of desolation," said Rhiannon Hamdi, who lives near the area and has been a volunteer heron counter for the provincial Environment Ministry since 2002.

"To me it is like looking at a graveyard," said Hamdi, who photographed what she believes is an elderly female bald eagle aggressively raiding eggs and chicks from 71 nests high up in trees near Douglas Street.

"The predation by the eagle was so overwhelming. The birds could not re-lay their eggs. They will re-lay a couple of times if they think they can make a go of it. But they were being attacked day and night. ... The first wave of abandonment started early last week. Then, on the weekend, another group decided they had enough. Once it starts, it tends to snowball."

Hamdi conservatively estimates that the eagle ate 39 chicks and at least 187 eggs.

Eagle attacks on the eggs and chicks aren't new. But this time, bird lovers and a provincial biologist fear the herons won't return next year to the spot that had been one of the largest urban heron rookeries.

"I don't know what will happen next year," said Trudie Chatwin, a provincial endangered-species biologist. "But they tend to sustain predation one year and maybe the next year, but then they abandon the area completely.

"It was so sad for me to see that," said Chatwin, who was in Victoria watching as the herons left, turning their backs on nests the males and females had been sitting on in turns. "That's a flagship colony because it offers such as great opportunity for people to see them."

Chatwin said she'll propose that an osprey nesting pad be built in one of the park trees or erected on a telephone pole. The fish-eating birds tend to deter eagles.

In the meantime, Chatwin and Hamdi are asking people to report any signs that the Beacon Hill Park herons are relocating to other areas. What they're looking for is evidence of herons building nests. While it would be later than usual -- herons typically build their nests in March -- it's possible they might rebuild and successfully hatch eggs elsewhere.

While Hamdi admits feeling anger toward the eagle, "we have to remember it has a right to live. ... I'm obviously upset by what has happened, but we've never seen a full complement of bald eagles in the area. Maybe we are seeing what nature is intending."

Hamdi adds that the eagle's habit of feeding on heron eggs and chicks might "be indicative that we have interfered too much with nature. Is this what she would do if there were enough fish and game? At the end of the day, is it her fault or ours, and I kind of say it is ours."

The heron colony at Beacon Hill Park had enjoyed steady growth since the late 1980s, when some of the herons were first observed to be nesting in the area by Goodacre Lake. By 2002 there were around 100 nests, but numbers slipped to 97 in 2006 and 71 this year. The only bright light this year is that the birds picked new trees to nest in after winter storms ruined their favourites. It was seen as a sign that the prehistoric-looking creatures still favoured the nesting area.

Other smaller colonies are in Saanichton, near the Super 8 motel, and near Mystic Pond in Cadboro Bay. The Beacon Hill birds might join those colonies, Chatwin said.

Development on the Island puts pressure on the endangered bird, particularly on the east coast south of Campbell River. "The birds need to nest within five kilometers of a proper marine feeding ground," said Chatwin, adding those types of areas are getting increasingly scarce.

Hamdi said a heron named Henry did return to the Beacon Hill Park on Monday although he and his mate gave up on their nest three weeks ago. Henry has become accustomed to being fed each day by Hamdi, who believes his habit started years ago after the bird fell from his nest and was hand-raised. However, another Victoria resident, Arthur Sager, wrote the Times Colonist to say he believes the bird that accepts food from Hamdi is actually a son of Henry, who died several years ago.

Anyone seeing herons starting a new nesting area or joining another colony is asked to call Chatwin at 250-751-3100.

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Urban herons look for new homes

BY CAROLYN HEIMAN
Times Colonist staff

Victorians are on the lookout for more than 100 herons terrorized into leaving their Beacon Hill Park nests by a marauding bald eagle.

Callers to the Times Colonist said yesterday they got glimpses of the forlorn-looking birds on a chestnut tree on the 500-block of Michigan Street. One woman said the birds were spotted lifting twigs into the trees in what was believed to be efforts to re-establish nests. Others said they were in the 200block Government Street area.
But in later checks, the birds could not be seen in those areas.

Rhiannon Hamdi, who volunteers to count the birds each year for the provincial Ministry of Environment, was thrilled to hear news the birds might still be in the area.

"Wow. They really are urban birds," said Hamdi, who has been passionate about the creatures since moving into an apartment on Douglas Street that has given her a rare bird's-eye glimpse into their world and nests. "Before we know it, they'll be lining up at Starbucks," she quipped.

However her joy was quickly dampened when the later checks in the area found the birds had left.
Provincial biologists are calling on the public to report any sightings of the birds. They fear they may not return to the rare urban rookery after several years of attacks from a bald eagle also living in the park. They would like to determine where the birds, on the endangered species list, will relocate.
Bird experts reported earlier this week that 71 heron nests in the park were abandoned over the weekend after a female bald eagle persistently ate at least 39 chicks and 187 eggs from the nests.
According to the book Birds of North America, bald eagles have ravenous appetites. Depending on their food source, one eagle will devour at least 13 salmon or 32 mallard ducks over a 90-day period in winter months.

The urban rookery has been at the site near Goodacre Lake since the late 1980s. At its peak, there were more than 100 nests, but in more recent years the number had been declining.
Biologists are particularly interested in learning about herons that are involved in nest-building activities this time of year, which is later than their usual habit. Herons are solitary birds through most of the year but tend to nest in colonies. The males and females take turns sitting on the nests.

To report sightings of herons call 250751-3100.