Submitted by the Tlell Sustainability Institute--Whether flying majestically overhead or standing motionless at the water's edge, the Great Blue Heron is a welcome sight. Haida Gwaii blue herons are a little different from their mainland cousins. They don't migrate and don't nest in colonies along the shore, but use single nests often kilometres inland, hidden beneath the canopy. This makes the nests hard to find. In fact, we currently don't know of a single active heron nest on the islands. And we know little about the health of the population.
We'd like to know how our Great Blue Heron population is doing. We'd like to know how many juveniles and adults birds are present. For this we need your help!
Join us this Labour Day Weekend (Sept 3 - 7) for a Haida Gwaii Great Blue Heron count. Look outside your window, overhead, or check along your favourite beaches and inlets (best at low tide), and let us know how many Great Blue Herons you see. Watch for the insert in next week's Observer for details. For more information contact survey@tlell.org