The Neighbourhood

This is a sad story. The image of the herons is from a rookery near a ferry terminal in BC. It’s a busy and noisy spot I’ve been visiting for years. Many people drive right by not knowing about the hundreds of herons nesting on the nearby hillside. I was focussed on this particular tree because it had three nests in it and there was a lot of interaction between the two families you see in this photo. One evening I heard a loud cracking sound coming from the hillside. I thought it rather strange since there was no human access. But nothing more came of it - at first. About 20 minutes later, as I was waiting for the parents to bring food to the chicks, the whole tree collapsed. I was in shock. The tree just disappeared and with it went 17 chicks. It was unbelievable. I looked for an entry point to go and have a look but there were none. The base of the hill was filled with water and thick blackberry bushes. I contacted a local rescue association and told them what happened. They were able to retrieve the 17 chicks. Sadly only two of them made it. The cause of the collapse was deemed to be unstable soil.