Peak Season For Trumpeter Swans
Trumpeters in Flight
I’ve recently introduced my toddler to the story of the “Ugly Duckling” by Danish poet Hans Christian Anderson. He loves the way the ugly duckling (actually a misfit swan living with a family of ducks), eventually turns into a beautiful swan. It is a story of personal transformation that still inspires today.
Swans are age-old symbols of grace, beauty and fidelity (they mate for life). The three largest swan species of the northern hemisphere are the Mute Swan, Trumpeter Swan and Whooper Swan. The Whooper Swan is the national symbol of Finland, and five flying swans symbolize the Nordic countries. Continue reading »
‘Tis the Season for Christmas Bird Counts
Birders Bundle up for the Christmas Bird Count
For birders, the Christmas season isn’t about staying warm by the fire. Every year, thousands of birders across Canada get up at dawn to brave the elements for a full day of birding on a freezing winter day. This tradition is known as the Christmas Bird Count.
The requirements are simple: warm, water proof clothing, binoculars, a spotting scope, bird book, field check-list, lunch, a thermos of tea and good supply of cookies. At the end of the day, the birders gather for a potluck dinner, to tally up the numbers and species of birds seen, and share stories about the day’s adventures.
Christmas bird counts have been going on for more than a century. American ornithologist Frank Chapman of the Audubon Society organized the first bird census on Christmas day, 1900. At this time, conservation was a new concept, and scientists were just beginning to be concerned about declining bird populations. Chapman changed history when he proposed that rather than shooting birds, they be watched and counted. Continue reading »