View a list of upcoming Explorer Days and read our Explorer Day Etiquette below!
In response to COVID-19, NatureKids BC is providing online resources and interactions, such as Virtual Explorer Days, to ensure the safety of our members. Please read our COVID-19 Guidelines and Policy for any potential in-person gatherings this summer.
Single Events
VANCOUVER
- 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Tour of the Pacific Great Blue Heron Colony in Stanley Park
It is one of the largest urban heron colonies in North America. At this stage in the spring brooding process, most of the chicks will have hatched. Although they will be too small for us to see, we should hear the insistent peeping of hungry chicks as the parents fly in and out of the heronry searching for and bringing back food. We can also look for the herons’ beautiful blue eggshells on the ground, which the birds chuck over the side of the nest to keep it clean. May is a great time to visit the heronry as the leaves aren’t out yet on most trees and the visibility is good. Our mentor, Dalyce Epp, has been following the herons at the Stanley Park since 2002.
Where: Stanley Park, close to the tennis courts. Meet at the parking lot on Park Lane just off Beach Ave, behind the Park Board office (map: Park Board Office location).
How to get there:
Driving: From Beach Avenue, turn right immediately after passing the Park Board office, and take the next right at the entrance to the lot behind the office. From Nelson Street, turn left into the parking lot; walk a short distance south to the colony and office parking lot.
Transit: Take either the #5 (Robson) or #6 (Davie) bus, and get off at Pendrell Street. Walk 2 blocks west to the Park Board office parking lot. Alternatively, take the #23 shuttle to its terminal stop on Morton Avenue; walk 1 ½ blocks west to the Park Board office and go to the rear.