A blue heron landing at Miracle Beach Provincial Park
The blue heron is the largest heron in Canada. They are grey-blue in colour, with distinctive plume feathers on their head and breast.
Herons are a fishing bird, preferring shallow intertidal zones, swamps, lake edges, and occasionally, backyard ponds. Herons hunt by wading slowly through shallow waters, remaining immobile until a fish swims close enough, and then striking quickly with their neck outstretched to pluck the fish out of the water.
Hertons will eat small crustaceans, baby turtles, and even small rodents if there is shortage of fish.
The heron is not considered threatened worldwide, but is considered a species of special concern in British Columbia due to its shrinking habitat and unwillingness to nest near human activity.