At 8:30 tonight (Tues) the adult heron returned to the nest, after what we think may have been several days of absence. At 9:00 the adult (as well as other adult herons) began screeching loudly. A few minutes later we found out why. A pair of eagles raided the nest. Upon landing on the nest the 3 chicks, in an attempt to escape predation, jumped from the nest. Two landed on twigs further down the tree and are stuck there now. One fell to the ground.
I (Pouyan) phoned a contact in the neighborhood who went down to the park within minutes. As per the request of the Min of Environment she recovered the fallen chick. It was a bit bloody but seemed ok otherwise. She will take it to the rehab center in the morning. She will also check to see if either of the other 2 chicks made it to the ground overnight.
The eagles tore apart the 4th chick (it was already dead) and ate it. It wasn't a pretty sight. We recorded the whole event on our server at NWCC.
So this may be the end of the broadcast part of this project. We'll give it a few days to see if any chicks make it back to the nest from below.
Pouyan
Blog Archive
About Me
- Dave
- Prince Rupert, British Colmbia, Canada
- I am the CIO at Northwest Community College in Northwestern British Columbia Canada www.nwcc.bc.ca . Follow the Great Blue Herons on our NestCam as they raise their family in a nest high above Prince Rupert BC. We welcome your posts as our students do this important research.
If you can reach the other two babies will they allow you to take them to the rehab place too? Maybe a net can be placed below.
ReplyDeleteIt would be wonderful if you could attempt to rescue the chicks even if they can't make it back to the nest and take them to the rehab place. Please do everything possible to save them!
ReplyDeleteIt is miraculous that all three babies survived! Sometimes miracles happen because people help them along. It would be wonderful if the two babies stuck on those branches could be rescued. Please help these little survivors if you can.
ReplyDeleteI hope that the two chicks remaining will be rescued. It is apparent that the parents of these chicks don't have the maternal/paternal instinct of taking care of them 24/7 - perhaps because of their fear regarding eagles......if the population is in jeopardy, it would be nice to take in those that would otherwise perish and give them a chance through rehab and release........my two cents! Thanks for the updates.....much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteUnless my eyes are deceiving me, I only see movement from one chick.....is there anyway someone can go to that tree and check to see if the second one is still okay....it seems so unkind to let them suffer a slow, painful death if it can be prevented. I know we aren't supposed to interfere but this just seems so sad.....
ReplyDeleteGood to see movement from both chicks now. I guess one must have been napping. I hope these little ones are rescued. I don't know how they would get back to the nest and if they did, I think they would be abandoned.
ReplyDeleteAn adult heron can be heard very near by. Maybe something good will happen here soon.
ReplyDeleteI hope that the regular viewers of the Hornby webcam, who provided a needed alert and the name of your local rehabilitation personnel, were helpful in saving the lives of your blue heron chicks. May blessings be upon those precious baby herons!
ReplyDeletei do hope the cam will continue as long as there is some herons in that nest :) or at least some updates on what goes on with that family of birds
ReplyDeleteplease give us updates on the other 2 babies and how the one who fell all the way down on ground is doing if they made it in the rehab . I voleenter watching baby falcons fly in a city and we had to do 2 rescue attempts the first weeks of their fledging ... praying all the other 3 make it
ReplyDeleteChecked all day on and off and two chicks survived the eagle attact. I noticed that what would be 12 on the nest another kind of bird, it's dark with a white head and tonight there's a small bird with a white head right in the branch above the heron chicks, did anyone else noticed. Maybe it survived an eagle attact also, the adult bird that hovered above the nest all day is about the size of a morning dove.
ReplyDeletewalkswithin:)
something going on right now at nest i still see babys moving underneath and parents or parent is having a Fit.
ReplyDeletePlease contact the Prince Rupert Wildlife Rehabilitation Shelter. The website for the shelter is: http://www@citytel.net/wildlife
ReplyDeleteThe telephone number is 250-624-4143
Sincerely,
Charleen D.
Belle Vernon, PA
amazing
ReplyDeletejust a concerned looker
regards
Is there anything you or your facility can do to help the Heron babies? I don't think you should have a web site that lets people watch animals die.
ReplyDeleteKathy
Several of us have been watching with concern that there is no evidence of mom. Do you know if she has disappeared? If so,would you be intervening to get these chicks to a rehab?
ReplyDeleteCan those two babies be saved if the parent can not feed them? I am a Heron lover in Texas and even named my dog Bleu after the Blue Herons
ReplyDeleteCaroly
Yes! One of the babies is back in the nest. Now, let's hope the other one can make it. But what about food? Did the mother survive the eagle attack?
ReplyDeleteThank you for all of your work monitoring the webcam and putting up with the "advice".
ReplyDeleteMyself, I would not bring up the webcam if I did not want to see how real herons live life. Rather than turn off the webcam I suggest other turn off their URL selection.
Nature is amazing and that includes us.
Peter
Alright, my husband and I have been monitoring the two stranded chicks for the past 48 hours. We've watched as these two creatures have fought their way up the tree toward their nest. They can hear the young being fed in the nest located above their own. When observing from the ground, the most progress is made up the tree by the chicks when they hear feeding sounds above them. WE have not observed adult circling that don't go to other nests...We have not observed adult herons in the nest where the stranded chicks fell from. Their state is now weakened, once feeding sounds cease, they tuck their heads down, perhaps to conserve energy.
ReplyDeleteI have a real problem with what I'm hearing about science...yes, it's nature's way. I have no issue with that. But we have put ourselves in a front row seat, and after enjoying and rejoicing in the hatching of these creatures, the growth of these creatures, their behavior, the behavior of the adults, we are now going to observe their death...and this will serve what scientific purpose? I can tell you that human lives are saved at great cost, after the human has abused its' body to the point of near destruction. We rebuild human bodies...a gift of science, routinely. I find the presumption in this situation, that we know so much more, deserve the benefit of science, while these animals suffer before us, more difficult to stomach than the eagle attack itself. At least the Eagle is forthright in its' purpose. We destroy the habitat of many creatures, including our own. I believe if you see something beyond its' own capability to help itself, you help.
If anyone would like to help please answer to this blog.I am making calls to determine what can be cone and would welcome suggestions to that end.
My neighbour saw some interesting activity on the web cam...there appeared to be the feathers of a larger bird visible moving around the nest.Much noise, Chicks got very excited. perhaps an adult has returned now that the larger chick has made it's way so close to the nest as to be seen from above?? WE could not see the smaller chick on the web cam, and we feared the large bird had been a predator, in which case, so be it.However, They were both visible from the ground, the smaller chick on a lower branch huddled close to the trunk of the tree. Perhaps tomorrow an adult will be clearly visible.
ReplyDeleteIf the little ones only knew they might have a chance to survive by falling from the tree (like the sibling who fell from the nest on Tuesday night), I’m sure they would take a chance—to be rescued and to be sent to rehab--TO LIVE! I have to agree with Holly who said, “I believe if you see something beyond its' own capability to help itself, you help.”
ReplyDeleteAt least consider placing a net (as Randi suggested) around the tree to break their fall like the Hancock group did for the remaining eaglet at the Delta, BC site.
Although the Blue Heron chicks should stay in their nest for two months, the two remaining chicks in the tree are only four weeks old and have survived over 48 hours alone, perched on a limb without being able to sleep or be fed by their parents. Please help this already declining magnificent bird if you possibly can.
FRANinVA
Hi I know the general park where the herons reside. Netting the tree could disturb the other herons in the small colony. Plus the forest floor is heavily covered with litter and quite soft. Probably why the fallen chick survived the big fall.
ReplyDeletewhy, when an animal or bird is in danger, it is NATURE? we, as humans, are supposed to be the superior animal. if that is the case, we should help those other animals in need. remember, noah.? he was sent to save the animals...not people.
ReplyDeleteCan report to all that we discovered the smaller chick on the floor of the forest this morning. It had placed itself as close to the base of that tree as it could. There is alot of bird feces, feathers etc there, perhaps providing a familiar scent. The tree is what it knows. My husband was able to gently gather the chick up in a towel, and my daughter and I delivered it to the wildlife shelter immediately. The chick was very dehydrated, but otherwise in surprisingly good condition...even took a snap at my daughter! Very weakened though. Each effort was draining. We will continue to monitor the remaining chick, and hopefully find that it's being fed through the hole in the nest.
ReplyDelete