More Than Two Dozen Herons Found Dead

This week’s windstorm had a devastating impact on Vernon’s heronry in the north end.

Wildlife expert Pete Wise says the wind snapped off trees and pushed nests out.

“Unfortunately being that high up, they hit the ground, and they either succumbed from the fall, or because it was raining and a nasty night, the majority of them died of hypothermia,”Wise tells Kiss FM.

Wise walked the site, located off 24th Street,  and found 29 young birds (chicks) dead, along with one  adult bird, about a third of the colony.

He’s hopeful the colony will rebound.

“Mother Nature has a marvelous way of healing itself, so those birds that are in the nests — hopefully we don’t get another big wind event — they will survive and live to produce more babies for next year,” adds Wise.

Wise says he let nature take it’s course with the dead birds, leaving them at the site where they will be consumed by raccoons and other animals.