Canada’s national holiday was on July 1, and tomorrow, July 4, is America’s Independence Day. How can we say that these two holidays are for the birds?
Let us give you three reasons:
1. the Gray Jay, one of our favourite birds here in the Rockies, has recently been given its old name back: the Canada Jay. This was the name used from the early 1800s all the way through to the 1950s. Even celebrated bird artist John James Audubon used it in his 1840 publication of The Birds of America. In May of this year, the American Ornithological Society officially approved the name change, giving Canadians something to celebrate. So happy Canada Day, Canada Jay!
2. South of the line, today is the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which had originally been enacted by both the U.S. and Canada in 1916. This act made it illegal to hunt migratory birds (except for game birds). It also stopped the killing of birds for feathers, made it illegal to collect their eggs, and even made industries who killed birds accidentally change their ways. The Act is probably responsible for keeping a dozen species from going extinct. Unfortunately, like a lot of cross-border legislation these days, it is under threat, but its accomplishments are definitely worth celebrating.
3. It’s the “Year of the Bird,” as declared by National Geographic. As bird lovers, we can get behind this, and it turns out we all should. Thomas Lovejoy, “the godfather of Biodiveristy” said, “If you take care of birds, you take care of most of the environmental problems in the world.” Amen to that.
Happy holidays, everyone, and happy birding!
