The Great Blue Heron is another bird that we see commonly on out tours. Like the eagle they are opportunistic feeders and are quite proficient at catching small fish. In the ocean they will often sit on kelp or logs and look for unsuspecting fish. In the rivers they hunt for fry (young salmon) and other small fish such as stickleback. Thanks to Felix for the great picture.
Although the great blue heron is common in the coastal water of British Columbia it does not mean it does not make a good photo opportunity. Most guest somewhere in their hundreds or thousands of photos taken while on tour from the lodge will have at least one photo of a heron. In this case the watercolour is as important as the heron.
These are probably the most photographed pilings in the area of the lodge. They are located in the Glendale River estuary about an hour and fifteen minutes from Grizzly Bear Lodge on Minstrel Island BC. This is also the location of you tour day with the grizzly bears. The pilings are what remain of an old logging camp and next to the float that is used for the day’s base. The base being where we tie the boat to move to a large skiff used for viewing the bear along the shore in the spring or to transport guests to the shore in the fall to drive to the viewing stands up river. The float is also a comfortable place to have the afternoon picnic. The pilings are used as perches for gulls, eagles and in this case a blue heron. Lynn Morris from Great Britain has captured the heron with an excellent “mystic” background.
Bald Eagles are frequently sighted in our area. At times they can be seen in large numbers. This is usually where food supplies are high. For example this could be in areas with high concentrations of baitfish or along the rivers in the fall when the salmon are spawning. They are not migratory, but do move around with the food supply. As mentioned earlier when the salmon are spawning we often see many along the rivers, while there will be fewer along the coastline. With little need for camouflage their white head and tail feathers can be spotted easily. The female is slightly larger and her white head extends down a bit farther onto the body, but it is subtle. It takes these birds 4.5 – 5 years to acquire this unique plumage. As juveniles they are a brown colour. With exceptional eyesight and the ability to view 270 degrees they are understandably often seen in high perches and in trees near points and passageways.
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