BC photographer captures rare moment of herons raised by eagle

Herons and eagles are natural enemies. In Chilliwack, they evidently put their differences aside.

Photographer Ian McAlpine shared what he called a "once in a lifetime" story after witnessing young herons being raised by an eagle. McAlpine was walking the Vedder Rotary Trail with fellow photographers Mercedes Bustamante and Lynn Kroetch when Bustamante spotted a young heron in an eagle nest on May 21.

"We all took photos, but assumed (rather depressingly) that it was about to become a meal," McAlpine said. Eagles are known to hunt heron eggs, chicks, and adult herons.

Two weeks later, Kroetch walked by the nest again and noticed the heron was still there. "That shouldn't have been possible, yet our eyes and our photos confirmed that it was true," McAlpine said. "The heron must have been fed by the adult eagle all along."

They eventually noticed a second young heron in the nest.

McAlpine posted photos on social media, prompting Camille Coray with the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve Society to chime in. "As far as we know, this is the only known documentation of this particular interspecies relationship. I know there are several instances of eagles raising red-tailed hawks, but herons? It's truly mind blowing and definitely makes one think about the complexity of animal behaviour."

McAlpine contacted biologist David Hancock of Hancock Wildlife Foundation, who has studied eagles since the 1950s. Hancock told McAlpine he had "never heard of this either… Fascinating behaviour," McAlpine said.

The three photographers hadn't seen any sign of the young herons for more than a week. McAlpine asked biologist Myles Lamont to get drone footage on June 17. The nest was empty. "There was no sign of heron remains, so it must have fledged," McAlpine said.

Coray expressed gratitude to the photographers for documenting the rare phenomenon. "Thank you to Mercedes, Ian, and Lynn for documenting this amazing phenomenon!"