NWCC Blue Heron Student Project & NestCam

Survivor Heron Released Into the Wild

2009-08-28T11:29:00.001-07:00

HI Everyone
It has been a relatively quiet time following the hectic events of late June and early July. Today is a particularly exciting and happy one though as our featured survivor Blue Heron(see the picture from our July 9 posting) was released from the Prince Rupert wildlife centre and flew off into the wild. He is a strong and healthy bird and he flies off with our best wishes.

Survivor Update from Holly and Kate

2009-07-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

Hey...thought you would like a photo. This is from today, the bird is a male, as was the one that didn't survive. We watched as she fed him a strip of salmon. He will be moved tomorrow to an indoor/outdoor pen now that he's doing so much better.

Cheers, Holly and Kate

Summary Update

2009-07-07T17:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone

Out of the 5 eggs produced: four hatched, one did not. The last to hatch died at about 3 weeks old. Both the unhatched egg and the dead chick were eaten by eagles. The remaining 3 chicks jumped from the nest during the eagle encounter. One fell to the ground right away, was retrieved, treated by the wildlife shelter and the vet (it's leg was infected and needed to be drained), and was flown (courtesy of Hawk Air) to a larger facility on Salt Spring Island for rehab. That chick is doing well. The second chick stayed on the tree for a day or so and finally fell. This little one was not so lucky and did not make it. The third and last chick (the oldest chick) held on for a full 3 days before it finally fell. It was taken to the wildlife shelter. It is doing well also.

thanks
Pouyan

Update from the Heron Rookery

2009-07-03T15:46:00.000-07:00

Hello Heron Viewers
The second chick fell from its twig this afternoon. I recieved the email earlier from a viewer who has been watching intently (Thank you!). Anyhow, we had someone go down and it was recovered and is now at the wildlife shelter. I haven't heard anything about its condition.
We will post an update when we have more information.
Pouyan

Update on the Baby Who Made it to the Ground

2009-07-03T10:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Bloggers:

I work at the college and am interested in the Blue Heron project. I was concerned about the happenings of the other day and wanted to know what happened to the "chick who fell to earth"

I went to the Wildlife Shelter here in Prince Rupert and spoke to the woman who runs the shelter. She assured me that the chick had arrived at the shelter yesterday morning, was treated and seen by a vet. The chick has been flown to another wildlife shelter down south and is well.

Rhoda

Baby Heron Update from Pouyan

2009-07-03T08:55:00.000-07:00

Dear viewers,

I am the coordinator of this project and I have received all of your many blogs, emails & phone calls this week. There have been many calls for intervention to save the two stranded g.b. heron chicks. We want you all to know that we understand and agree that there are compelling reasons for intervention in this particular situation, and we have been taking steps to explore options.

Before outlining these options, it is important that we bear in mind that, ecologically speaking, if all of the chicks in this rookery survived there would soon occur a population over run that would result in serious secondary problems for the species. And also remember that we knew the average survival rate of g.b.heron chicks is 1 in 4 (1 in 8 in 2008) --so mortality was most expected...

It is, however, also evident that we find ourselves in an unusual situation. Due to our broadcast, these herons have entered our collective lives in a particularly profound and meaningful way. As one viewer commented, "after enjoying and rejoicing in the hatching...we are now going to observe their death." Within this context, it is arguably reasonable to lean on the side of our human nature to nurture and protect, rather than adhere to the scientific principles that govern these ecosystems (albeit heavily impacted ecosystems).

Having said that, we have some serious logistical problems to contend with. The chicks are sitting on a twig over 60 feet up in a very thin tree. The tree has hundreds of small branches from the ground to where the chicks are. Ten feet above the chicks is a second nest with healthy chicks inside. To climb the tree, we would have to cut most of the lower branches, all the way up. There is a high chance that this would lead to the stranded chicks making a fatal jump, or the chicks in the second nest panicking and jumping, or the adult herons in the second nest abandoning the nest (we have observed this in other places). Another point to think about is that one heron chick that was recovered last year and taken to the local wildlife shelter (i.e. it is over a year old now) 'appears' unable to hunt and feed for itself due to being raised in captivity...

We have spoken to the wildlife shelter as well as the conservation officer at the MOE. There is no reasonable solution on the table at the moment. If the chicks make their way to the ground, we have an obvious window to help them. If that does happen please call NWCC at (250) 624-6054 or toll free 1-800-310-5331 -ask for the Prince Rupert switchboard, and let the front desk know immediately. We acted within minutes of the eagle attack to save the first chick, hopefully we can do the same for the other two. If there are any other ideas please blog or email me directly: ace@nwcc.bc.ca

Thanks to all the viewers throughout Canada and the U.S. (specially the Hornby Island crew) for your diligence and care. Keep blogging us with your thoughts.

Sincerely -- Pouyan
Applied Coastal Ecology department
NWCC, Prince Rupert, BC

2009-07-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
I was asked to keep everyone up to date on the goings-on around the heron nest.
Last Wednesday Karen, our science aide heard a loud bang that startled the adult on the nest. Karen and I were afraid that it may have been a gun shot and that some damage might have been done so we went to the rookery to check things out.
The nest being examined is in good shape and the camera is too. The floor of the forest is littered with egg shells, most of which are clean, suggesting a viable hatch. If eggs contained yolk or remnants of embryo we would have been concerned. We also found three dead birds. These birds appeared to be a little bigger than those in our observation nest. They had very immature flight feathers but they showed no sign of being preyed upon. If they had showed signs of predation we would suspect predation by an eagle or fisher or ????. We also found one old, dead immature bird that had been eaten, but it was too far gone to make any real determination about the cause.
We came to the conclusion that the three dead birds "fell out of the nest". What typically happens in these cases is the larger of the nestlings jostle for the best positions in the nest and force the smaller, weaker siblings to the edge of the nest where they fall to the ground. Sometimes, as the nestlings start to fledge they try to fly/bounce from limb to limb away from the nest. they lose footing and fall to the ground. Some birds (robins, jays, crows etc.) will continue to feed birds that have fallen from the nest, but I don't think herons do. It is unlikely that they would fly through the tangle of branches to reach the ground (they need a lot of flying room).
Karen and I also came across a healthy-looking immature heron, who stood motionless for 15 seconds, then marched behind some stumps. We consequently were presented with a moral dilemma. We could try to catch the bird and take it to the wildlife centre, but the effort of chasing the bird might put it into more danger. But more importantly, to pursue and capture/or not, the immature bird would have put into question our role as "observers". Doing science is often difficult !
I would encourage anyone who, like Karen and I, finds immature herons on the ground in a "study area" leave them alone. If you find a bird elsewhere, let your conscience be your guide.
PF

Recent Events and New Blogger Coming Onboard

2009-06-29T14:26:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone
It has been quite a week in the nest - not all good. Sadly this is the way of nature and our Heron family are not an exception.
The Blue Heron Project run by the Applied Coastal Ecology Students is designed to record all of the events in the nest and through analysis, contribute to the knowledge on the state of the Northern Blue Heron population. As sad as it is to see a dead baby Heron in the nest, the research methodology for this project is one of observation and not intervention. I know it is hard to look at these real events of nature and it is so nice to read your kind concern. If it helps, you can take solace in the fact that all of the events recorded, even the sad ones, will be used to further the understanding of the Herons and may help improve their future survival.
We can expect the next seven or eight weeks to continue to be eventful and to that end one of our Faculty has kindly offered to take over this blog. Peter Freeman is very knowledgeable in the field and will be able to provide much more detailed commentary on events in the nest. Thank you so much for doing this Peter and to all of you who have taken time to comment - thank you!
All the best
Dave

Baby Wings Flappin'

2009-06-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

Looks like our babies are beginning to realize they are birds. Just watching the nest and two of the young ones are busily flapping their wings. It will be so cool to watch them grow up and take flight.
I cannot honestly say I have seen the fifth egg recently. If you, dear viewer, can enlighten us we would be grateful.

One to go

2009-06-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hello again from the rocky shores of Newfoundland and thanks to those out here who are giving me access to their internet.
I see that four babies are now running around the nest. Must be quite the time for the parents. I believe I just saw the fifth egg still in the nest but will leave confirmation to those with better eyes than mine. Thanks to all of you for keeping an eye and updating us all through your comments.

And Then There Were Three

2009-06-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

Just after my last update the sitting parent took a stretch break and I saw that there are now three baby's. It is getting to be a very busy nest.
Two eggs to go. Good luck to our wee ones!

Checking in from the Atlantic Coast

2009-06-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

Hi again and thanks to all of the commentors who helped out getting folks connected after our change to the new streaming decoder. I am currently checking on our chicks from Newfoundland. My nine year old niece Rachel is letting me use her computer to keep an eye on the growing family. We should have more baby's soon I hope.

We Are Back

2009-06-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

Well some folks were working late into the night and thanks to their efforts we are back online. The fibre break occurred at a Terrace construction site and disrupted access to the internet for our web server. All is now well.

Looking forward to more babies in the very near future. Keep watching!

Backhoe takes Heron NestCam offline

2009-06-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Bad news for our Heron watchers. Telus called today to tell us that a backhoe had broken the fibre connection to the College. That means we are no longer connected to the internet. Stay tuned here and I will post as soon as we are back online. Bad luck - sorry folks.

FIrst Baby Heron Hatches

2009-06-02T21:33:00.001-07:00

The great day has come. Our first baby Heron broke out of the egg at 10:30 PST this morning. Congratulations to the mom and dad herons. We expect to have a brother or sister for our firstborn in a few days. And thanks to our dedicated faculty and staff we have a new decoder in place so we can cast our video stream meaning we can handle a much larger number of viewers. Great timing guys!

Great info from our NWCC Faculty

2009-05-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our NWCC Faculty contributor and heron supporter Reto for this post.

While we are waiting for the first egg to hatch, let's have a look at the bigger picture. Why are we astonished that there are 5 eggs, more than the BC average? Because this average was established from heron studies done only on the south coast! There's very little known about herons in the north.
Another interesting project is going on in BC right now that is set to improve that. The project, the BC Breeding Bird Atlas, is a volunteer effort to figure out the breeding range of birds in the province, runs for 5 years and started last year. It is both an excellent source of information - even as it contains less than a year worth of observations - and is inspiration to observe a bit more closely, and to add your data to the atlas. For example, a quick check for the Great Blue Heron at http://www.birdatlas.bc.ca/bcdata/maps.jsp shows that up to May 7, there were a grand total of 2 records for the Central and North Coast - the Rupert herons have been added since. If you want an updated list of all sightings, you can get them at
http://www.birdatlas.bc.ca/bcdata/datasummaries.jsp?lang=en where you will find that breeding is now confirmed for the North Coast (region 35). The code NE means nest with eggs, and it will hopefully soon be upgraded to NY - nest with young.
If you are aware of other nests or colonies, sign up and put them on the map! http://www.birdatlas.bc.ca/bcdata/register.jsp?lang=en Registering as a volunteer is easy, and when you receive your password after a few days, you will be able to add your sightings on-line. There's now an additional incentive to become a volunteer - you get access to the bird ID program Dendroica, sponsored by Environment Canada. Alternatively, contact us and we will get the information to the right place.

Eagle Nestcam Tragedy a Sad Reminder

2009-05-24T18:00:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all of our readers / heron watchers for your comments as well as your "eagle" eyes on the status of our nestcam. With all of you keeping us informed we are able to correct problems as quickly as possible.

Speaking of Eagles, we join our sister and brother nest watchers of the Hornby Island Eagle nestcam in sadness at the death of the baby eagle http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/05/21/bc-trapped-eaglet-dies.html The struggle of the mother as she tried desperately to free her baby was heartwrenching. Sure is a sobering reminder that life in all its forms is precarious and precious.

Thanks for all of the comments- lots of good info here

2009-05-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all of you who are taking time to comment on our blog posts. Anyone wanting to learn more about the Herons and their nesting behaviour should read the comments on our May 7 posting. What a great way to share what you know and help others learn more about these amazing creatures!

Herons get one hour in the dark

2009-05-14T06:47:00.000-07:00

Our Great Blue Heron couple and their soon to be hatched five wee ones spent an hour off camera last evening due to a power outage. The outage reset our camera to its "home"position. Thanks again to our viewers who alerted us right away so we could set things back in place.

Three more eggs = total 5 !!!!

2009-05-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

Looks like we picked the Heron family to watch. Our Great couple has produced five eggs, one more than the average and we now await the hatching. One of our viewers, Trudy, is enjoying the watch with her kids. As she says " Hi there. I was on this morning with my kids and the bird stood up and adjusted her 5 eggs! So cool." This is one more example of the unique learning experiences of students in the Applied Coastal Ecology program!

One + one = Two Blues

2009-05-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

Hi Loyal Great blue Heron followers.
Thanks to our Great Blue H expert for the egg# and progeny answer (check the comments). Our research leader, Pouyan, informs me we have :
Egg 1 May 5 -late afternoon
Egg 2 May 6 -late afternoon
Feels like we should be passing out cigars...and for non-smokers ---your choice :-)
I (Pouyan, our camera manager as well!!), zoomed the camera in a bit for better viewing -how does it look?
Once we get the new webcasting system up we can increase the resolution quite a bit more.
Let Pouyan know what you think and what you would like to see from our NestCam

The First Egg!!

2009-05-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hello again Great Blue Heron watchers. Things are moving right along for our Heron family and we have the first egg in the nest!! Keep a close eye for more and in a little while we should have baby blues to peek in on.

Which Heron is the Mom?

2009-04-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

One of our viewers asked how to tell the male from the female Great Blue Heron. Could one of you knowledgeable readers please post an answer?

Updated technical setup and eggs on the way?

2009-04-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

Those of you who have been with us from the beginning will notice that our technical setup has changed a few times. This kind of "broadcast" is a first for us at NWCC and we are learning as we go. Thanks for your patience and a special thank you to our friends at Memorial University of Newfoundland for sharing their experience and technical expertise with us. One last thing - when you are viewing the Herons make sure you have your volume turned up on your computer. We are sending sound as well as video.

From the look of things our couple will have eggs in the nest in the very near future. Come on eggs!!!!!

Video links as promised

2009-04-19T10:13:00.001-07:00

Hi again
We are happy to bring you the first two videos in our Great Blue Heron collection. In the first one you can see the two Great Blue Herons breeding. The second shows them nesting. Please feel free to share these to anyone who may find them of interest. Now we wait for the eggs! Thanks again to our NWCC Faculty and Students who produced these videos for us. What a great way to learn science!

Eggs are on the way

2009-04-19T08:31:00.001-07:00

Hi Heron fans. Anyone watching on Easter Monday was treated to one of nature's wonderful dances as our couple mated and set the stage for the arrival of eggs in the weeks ahead. For those who missed the Monday mating we will post it soon.
Eggs are laid within a day or 2 of each other (average 4 eggs per nest). Our research leader, Pouyan, has sent along a time line to give you an idea what we can expect once the eggs appear. Heron eggs take 26 to 30 days to hatch. Six weeks later chicks are jumping on branches and flapping wings to figure out flying. By 8 weeks they leave home for good. Should be an amazing and informative show. For those of you who would like to know more about the great bird check out
http://www.northwestwildlife.com/articles/the_great_blue_heron.pdf

Hang in There Viewers

2009-04-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

Well thanks to the growing popularity of our Blue Heron couple we are experiencing a challenge enabling everyone to see who wants to. Our technical folks are currently working on this and I will update this blog as they progress.
Thanks for your patience.

Close up day

2009-04-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

Today finds us up close and personal with our Blue Heron couple. Special thanks to our camera crew for this amazing perspective.

Calmer Today

2009-04-12T08:59:00.001-07:00

Well now that's better. The wind has died down and our Blue Heron family are busy getting their home in shape. I will find out from our experts when we can expect the actual nesting, hatching etc to take place and post an update. In the meantime enjoy watching these amazing creatures from the comfort of your own browser.

The Herons have returned

2009-04-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

Another breezy day in Prince Rupert. I just took a peek at our Blue Heron couple - looks like they are off fishing. This exciting and important research project is being run by a group of first year stdents in the Northwest Commnity College School of Coastal and Marine Studies http://www.nwcc.bc.ca/ . Thanks to a number of sponsors (CityWest; Odd Eidsvik -Eidsvik & Associates; Rupert Cleaners & Laundry; Dr. Corbett – Orthodontist; The Electrician; WestBurn Electrical Co. Ltd.; Oldfield Creek Fish Hatchery; Zellers; Hecate Straight Rotary ) the students placed a web camera high in the nesting tree so they (and we) could watch the Herons as they nest and raise their young.

The students are trying to answer a question that has bird experts throughout the province perplexed: Why has the survival rate of the iconic Great Blue Heron suddenly declined by 50 per cent in southern B.C.? While helping the overall search to find answers, NWCC students are also trying to find out whether the same thing is happening to the local Heron population. The Applied Coastal Ecology student group has launched the Great Blue Heron Project this year to collect data on the local herons and have mounted a camera near a heron rookery in Prince Rupert as part of that work. The camera will broadcast live over the internet enabling a close up and personal experience of the nesting and rearing habits of the birds. It will also capture what is happening to the chicks that don’t survive. From late March through to August, the public will be able to see what is happening through the live web cam link up in the tree via the NWCC Web site at: http://www.nwcc.bc.ca/BlueHeron/Index.cfm

NWCC Faculty utilize this kind of applied research based learning in a number of programs and courses. It is a great way to learn, understand and contribute to the community and the world. “I am thrilled to be a part of this process of educating the public and generating interest around this species,” said Lenda Girard, a student involved in the project. “Hopefully, our study will contribute to the knowledge base of both biologists and conservationists and help determine whether these animals are in danger of decline in the Prince Rupert area as they have been in southern B.C.”

In addition to following the Herons on the Nest Cam you can post to this blog and join our Facebook group. The Facebook title of the group is Great Blue Heron Project - A.C.E. Come join us.