by Nate Lewis

The return of the Great Blue Herons to Stanley Park is a celebrated annual event.

THE RETURN OF THE HERONS

Sixty-four Pacific Great Blue Herons have returned to their nesting grounds, or colony as it’s known, in Stanley Park.

The Pacific Great Blue Heron is a species at risk according to the Vancouver Park Board. The nests near the tennis courts make up one of North America’s largest urban colonies of the distinctive bird. The colony has relocated at least four times within Stanley Park over the past hundred years.

Stanley Park Ecology Society (SPES) has noticed the siege (a group of herons) beginning to show various breeding behaviours.

“Male herons start by bringing fresh sticks to female herons, who carefully weave them into their nests,” SPES said in a Twitter post.

According to SPES most nests are reused year after year, with a handful of new nests being built each year to replace those destroyed by falling branches or high wind.

You can check in on the herons with the Park Board’s heron cam here!

FALLING TREES DAMAGE PARK BOARD BUILDING

A few trees, including two alders, a cedar, and a deciduous tree, fell on a Park Board building north of Brockton Oval in early 2022.

One of the alders slightly shifted the building when it fell, rendering the garage door unusable. A VPB spokesperson said damage assessments to this part of the building are ongoing, while the rest of the building has been reinforced and cleared for continued use.

The deciduous tree that fell didn’t show visible signs that it was at risk of falling, but its roots – inspected by Park Board staff – exhibited internal decay which they say caused the failure.

The falling trees also impacted another alder and a nearby cedar. “The impacted trees were quickly cleared from the building afterwards,” the VPB said in a statement.

A Park Board staff member on site commented that it was lucky no one was walking on the nearby path when the trees fell.

It’s a mess right now, but work is undeway to repair damage to the Railway Cafe Concession.

BELOW DECK AT THE RAILWAY CAFE

A wooden deck overlooking a creek beside the Railway Café concession is under construction. Structural repairs to the deck were necessary due to rot, according to the Park Board.

While the VPB declined to share the estimated time for completion of the repairs, staff said they are “waiting on further wood supply to complete the work, as more rot was discovered in the process of the initial repair.”

When open, the concession stand offers warm drinks and fast food to folks enjoying the miniature train and other attractions off Pipeline Road.

SEAWALL SECTION REOPENS

The Seawall between Second and Third Beaches reopened in mid-March after winter storms slammed the western shore of the Park. The most heavily impacted area – between Third Beach and the Lions Gate Bridge – remains closed. Construction and maintenance in both areas is ongoing.

A FOND FAREWELL

This will be my last edition of the “Stanley Park Notebook”. After a southern sojourn, Jacqui Birchall is following the herons back to Southern B.C. and will be taking up her regular column for Spring and Summer.

You can still catch me most months in TWEJ’s “Talk of the Town” or find me charging up Prospect Point hill on the Stanley Park loop.