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Wild Bird Trust of BC, Dollarton Highway, North Vancouver, BC

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Wild Bird Trust of BC, Dollarton Highway, North Vancouver, BC

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Wild Bird Trust of BC, Dollarton Highway, North Vancouver, BC

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At Maplewood Mudflats, there is a family of Cooper’s Hawks that inhabit the area. In the summer, when I was walking through one of the trails, I heard a screeching noise coming from the ground to my left. I looked down and saw a Cooper’s Hawk with a mouse in its talons. The mouse was screaming and struggling and it was very sad to see. I continued to watch the Hawk as it flew to a perch deeper in the woods. I sat on the forest floor watching the Hawk finish its meal. Although it was sad to see the mouse in pain, it was also one of the coolest experiences I encountered at the Mudflats. This encounter between hawk and mouse is an example of predator and prey in our local ecosystem.

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Colony Farm Regional Park, Coquitlam, BC

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Colony Farm Regional Park, Coquitlam, BC

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Colony Farm Regional Park, Coquitlam, BC

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When I volunteer at the Vancouver Avian Research Center at Colony Farms, I tend to see many Brown-headed Cowbirds. At first glance they seem very innocent and cute, but in reality they can do detrimental harm to many other species of birds in the area. Cowbirds don’t raise their young on their own, they lay their eggs in another bird species nest, forcing the parents to take care of young that isn’t their own. This can have detrimental impacts on local bird populations because of the size and growth of cowbird young compared to other species. Cowbird young grow fast and require a lot of food. This can cause the foster parents to only focus on feeding the cowbird hatchling and not their own young. Brown-headed Cowbirds are a common example of a brood parasite.

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Crows have been known for their arbitrary dislike of owls, but is there a reason for competition between the two species? During the day crows will attack and mob an owl sleeping, but the tables are turned at night when the owls come out to hunt. There is not a definitive answer in the scientific community about why crows spend their time mobbing owls outside of breeding seasons when crows are protecting their young. The prevailing theory is that crows have an innate dislike of owls because of stories told from other flock members in the past. Numerous studies have shown that crows have the ability to remember past threats and things that attempted to harm them. They also have an ability to share that knowledge with the rest of the flock. So, if an owl attempted to harm or successfully killed a crow, it is likely that the rest of the flock learned about the attack and are now looking for revenge, even if the attack wasn’t recent. Scientists also believe that these mobbing behaviours reduce likelihood of crows being preyed on by owls if there is a chance. The competition between these two species has been ongoing for decades and can cause a divide in territory and attempts to protect young from attacks from the other species.

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A common example of commensalism is different species of birds building their nests in trees. There are many species of birds that nest in Stanley Park, but a popular example are Great Blue Herons. Every year, many Great Blue Heron couples nest in the trees of Stanley Park. Birds nesting in trees is a perfect example of commensalism because the tree is neither benefited or harmed during this process, but many birds would not be able to raise young without the protection of trees. The birds benefit from this relationship while the trees do not.

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Seycove Secondary School, Caledonia Avenue, North Vancouver, BC

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Seycove Secondary School, Caledonia Avenue, North Vancouver, BC

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Seycove Secondary School, Caledonia Avenue, North Vancouver, BC

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Across B.C., we have a year long species of hummingbird that is a vital contributor to the pollination of flowers and fruits. This pollinating superhero is called the Anna’s Hummingbird. The process of hummingbirds pollinating flowers is an excellent example of mutualism between two organisms. The Anna's Hummingbird relies on the nectar of flowers to provide energy for it to be able to fly at the speed it does, and flowers rely on hummingbirds to be able to pollinate itself and other flowers. As the hummingbird travels from flower to flower collecting nectar, it also carries pollen with it. The hummingbird carries pollen from the male anther and transfers it to the female stigma as it feeds. This results in the fertilization and production in seeds which then results in more flowers and fruits. Both of these organisms benefit and rely on each other during this process.