Oh Canada

["calyptorhynchus ." <>]

They couldn't choose the Common Loon as the US had just elected one President, and Canadians are nothing if not polite.

John L

On 9 December 2016 at 20:45, Martin Butterfield <> wrote:

The reason the Loon was not adopted was because it was already the Provincial bird of Ontario. It would like making the Kookaburra the National bird of Australia when it is the State bird for NSW.

The suggestion about choosing something endemic was mine.

Martin Butterfield

http://franmart.blogspot.com.au/

On 9 December 2016 at 19:22, David Rees <> wrote:

And also Iceland, if one is talking about the Common loon. Several similar species also breed in northern Europe inc Scotland and turn up further south in winter.  I've seen a Black throated Loon several times in early spring on one of the big reservoirs near London Heathrow Airport!

David

On Fri, Dec 9, 2016 at 6:14 PM, Virginia Abernathy <> wrote:

But Loons also breed in the northern US. I studied them one year in Wisconsin. :)

---

From: Kevin and Gwenyth Bray <>
Sent: 09 December 2016 18:07
To: Martin Butterfield; m("canberrabirds.org.au","canberrabirds");" target="_blank"> g.au

Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Oh Canada

 

Hi Martin

 

I’m a bit puzzled by the purported rationale for Canada choosing the beaver as opposed to a  bird, since the beaver is also to be found in the USA!

 

If it were up to me – having lived in Canada for 4 years in the 1960s and 70s – I’d have chosen the Loon, a beautiful bird with a haunting call which we saw and heard on many trips into the Canadian wilderness.

 

Cheers.

 

Kevin

 

Kevin and Gwenyth Bray

02 6251 2087
0406 376 878 (Mob, Kevin)
0409 584 342 (Mob, Gwenyth)

 

From:

Sent: Thursday, December 8, 2016 5:16 PM

To:

Cc:

Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Oh Canada

 

An interesting read, especially about naming conventions! 

I was also interested to see the comment

“We have an animal symbol, which is the beaver,” he said by way of analogy. “I would say that most Canadians don’t see a beaver in a given year. " 

Presumably that's because the people in Toronto don't see them.   We lived in Ottawa for a year, and beavers were common there, to the extent that City workers used dynamite to clear beaver dams built across suburban creeks so that they didn't cause floods in the Spring thaw.

I wondered why they didn't select an endemic bird, to which the simple answer is they don't really have one.  Dr Google offered a list of three species:

• Labrador Duck (extinct)
  
• Ross's Goose (overwinters in US so IMHO not really endemic); and
  
• Harris's Sparrow(ibid).
  

Martin

 

Martin Butterfield

http://franmart.blogspot.com.au/

 

On 8 December 2016 at 16:12, Bill Hall <> wrote:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/world/canada/canada-national-bird-gray-jay.html?_r=0

 

 

--

John Leonard
Canberra
Australia
www.jleonard.net

I want to be with the 9,999 other things.