Archives

Should the Canada Jay be Named our Country’s Official Bird?

Jun17

You can help with this effort to establish the Canada Jay as our official bird!

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

There was a lot of interest locally in the recent voting for Calgary’s Official Bird, which was won by the Black-capped Chickadee. But as of today, Canada does not have an official National Bird. There is a strong movement, spearheaded by Dr. David Bird, to name the Canada Jay as our national avain representative. Dr. Bird and his team make a strong case.

Canada Jay
Canada Jay. Formerly called the Gray Jay, and known by many as Whiskyjack.
Photo by Kent Ladell, SW Alberta.

Here is the press release that details the reasons for supporting this effort.

CANADIAN ORNITHOLOGISTS CALL ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR A NATIONAL BIRD!!

On June 9, 2022, a copy of a promotional book entitled “The Canada Jay as Canada’s National Bird?” has been given to each and every one of Canada’s 338 federal Members of Parliament, including The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, and The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada.  The prime message in the classy-looking colourful book of 80 pages is to encourage the federal government to take steps to adopt a National Bird for Canada, and hopefully to take it a step further — to make that bird the Canada Jay!
 
Why does Canada even need a National Bird, you may well ask? One in five Canadians spends an average a third of their year watching, feeding, and/or photographing birds, representing big bucks for our economy!  Birds also eat pests, pollinate our plants and crops, disperse seeds; their eggs and meat (yes, chickens are birds!) feed us and their feathers keep us warm. Birds save human lives by globally warning us of environmental health hazards such as carcinogenic pesticides and industrial by-products. As for their intrinsic value, how many great writers, artists, film makers, and even aviators and astronauts have been inspired by the beauty, the song and the flight of these amazing unique creatures?! Wikipedia’s List of National Birds indicates that 106 of the world’s 195 countries have official birds. For example, the U.S. takes a lot of national pride in their National Bird — the Bald Eagle. But Canada is not in the list — we do not have one! Yet our country does have national symbols – the beaver, the maple tree, two sports and even a national horse! But alas — no official bird.

For a National Bird for Canada, one could not find a more Canadian bird than the aptly named Canada Jay! This very smart corvid breeds in every province and territory and its range almost mirrors our country’s borders. It is extremely friendly, often landing on an outstretched palm and it is extremely hardy – often incubating eggs at -20 degrees C, resides year-round in our country, and is found in all provinces! Its French name is le mésangeai du Canada and its popular name, whiskyjack, is derived from one of the largest indigenous language groups in Canada. Canada Jays have played a prominent role in both Indigenous culture and our country’s history. Importantly, unlike the Common Loon (Ontario) and the Snowy Owl (Quebec), Canada Jays are not the bird of any province!

___________________________________________________________

The Book Canada Jay, The The National Bird of Canada? can be ordered at Amazon.ca here. It will be published on July 1 (Canada Day!) but you can pre-order it now. All profits from its sales are going to non-profit bird conservation organizations.

More information on this effort can be found on the website CanadaJay.org. There is also a petition on Change.org that you can sign here. They have already surpassed the goal of 15,000 signatures, and now are trying to reach 25,000.

Weaselhead Bridge – Ring Road Petition

Jul8

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Most Calgary birders are aware by now that the ring road construction adjacent to the Weaselhead Nature Area in SW Calgary is well under way. A huge area has been cleared in preparation for building a bridge over the Elbow River.

This project has been discussed for decades, and birders have been very concerned about building a bridge and highway through such an environmentally sensitive area. I think it has long been assumed that when the time came, if it did, the builders would be sure to follow best environmental practices to minimize the impact on this area. In particular, it was hoped that a clear span bridge like the Stoney Trail bridge over the Bow River would be built. Instead, the plan is to build an earthern berm or cut-and-fill bridge, which will fill in the valley up to the road level for most of the span, essentially forming a dam across the floodplain. This design will have many negative consequences for the birds and other wildlife in the valley, and create a great many problems during flood events.

Aerial photograph taken June 3, 2017, Courtesy of the Weaselhead/Glenmore Park Preservation Society and John Mader. The Weaselhead Nature Area is on the right, and the ring road construction showing the diversion of the Elbow River on the left. As you can see, there has already been a stunning amount of disturbance, cutting off the Weaselhead from the ecologically diverse Elbow Valley to the west. Photo from the website http://www.yyccares.ca/recent_pictures.

A concerned group of local citizens is petitioning the Alberta Government to build a better bridge over the Elbow. Please visit their web page YYC Cares. There is a great deal of information on their site, and you can sign the petition there.