The votes are in and our community has chosen the Great Blue Heron to be Richmond Hill’s ‘Bird Friendly City’ bird!
A total of 1,518 votes were cast with the Heron securing 456 or 30% of the vote.
Here’s how the six-bird race played out:
1. Great Blue Heron – 456 votes
2. American Goldfinch – 347 votes
3. Red-winged Blackbird – 309 votes
4. Cedar Waxwing – 229 votes
5. Bald Eagle – 139 votes
6. Sandhill Crane – 38 votes
Standing almost one metre tall and with a wingspan of up to two metres, the Great Blue Heron is the largest Heron in North America. It has greyish-blue feathers on its body, a white head with a black stripe on each side, a yellow-orange dagger-sharp beak, and a long neck and legs.
Herons can be seen standing perfectly still or slowly wading into wetlands and ponds ready to snatch up a fish at places like Newberry Park, Richmond Green and Rumble Pond to name just a few.
They breed locally in large congregations called ‘rookeries’, but fly south when the cold weather hits and water starts to freeze.
This campaign was part of Richmond Hill’s ‘Bird Friendly City’ certification in support of ongoing efforts to raise awareness about threats to birds and habitat conservation.
