Happy Canada Day! After being called the Gray Jay for almost sixty years, this bird will soon be known again by its previous name, the Canada Jay. There is also a movement under way to have it officially recognized as Canada’s National Bird. Read more about it and about this photo on Anne Elliott’s Flickr page.
So did I as a kid. “Whisky Jack” is an anglicization of the Cree Wisakedjak and similar variations used by nations in the Algonquian language family [from Canadian Geographic]. It will be hard for me to get used to “Canada Jay” after knowing them as “Gray Jay” for all these years of birding.-Bob
Aalways knew them as Whiskey Jacks
So did I as a kid. “Whisky Jack” is an anglicization of the Cree Wisakedjak and similar variations used by nations in the Algonquian language family [from Canadian Geographic]. It will be hard for me to get used to “Canada Jay” after knowing them as “Gray Jay” for all these years of birding.-Bob