Everyone is looking for a safer neighbourhood in which to raise their children - including herons.
More than a dozen herons visited a local subdivision along Spruce Street Monday and again on Tuesday.
Fouad Shalaby's parents live in the area and called him when they noticed the birds perched in one of the trees on Atlee Avenue. When he arrived, Shalaby and his parents sat outside watching the large birds squawk and scrap with one another.
"We were the only ones watching them though; no one else seemed to care," he said.
And that seemed to be the case on Wednesday, too.
The birds had moved to another tree, this time on Mahon Avenue, but no one seemed to notice. A couple of joggers ran by without even glancing up and a mailman walked by, only to comment that he barely noticed the birds.
This neglect is a good thing, said Yolanda Brooks, communications coordinator for the Wildlife Rescue Association in Burnaby.
"People should keep their distance and leave them alone," she said.
According to the association, the subspecies of heron that live in the Lower Mainland nest in colonies to better protect their chicks. What's more, it's not unusual to see them move away from wetlands to woodland areas to nest.
"The chicks will be protected from things like the raccoons that will eat them," Brooks said. "As long as they're three to five kilometres from their feeding ground, they're able to feed themselves and feed their chicks."
With Deer Lake in that range, it seems these herons have found a safe home to raise their young.
While Shalaby hadn't seen any herons in the area before, it's likely his new friends will be there until April, when the heron nesting season typically ends.
