Posted on November 4, 2019 at 07:34:36 PM by Ken MacDonald
P2220287 (2) by Ken MacDonald, on Flickr
The November meeting of the Midland-Penetanguishene Field Naturalists, to be held on Thurs. Nov. 21, 2019. 7:30 PM at the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre in Midland will feature a presentation on Canada's National Bird, the Canada Jay. The guest speaker will be Dan Strickland.
Dan has been studying Gray Jays since 1967. He obtained a Master's of Science degree from the University of Montreal where his research focused on Gray Jays in Parc de la Verendrye in southwestern Quebec. From 1970 to 2000, Dan was the Chief Park Naturalist in Algonquin Provincial Park. Retirement has allowed him to spend more time on the Park Gray Jay study, now one of the world's longest-running investigations of a population of colour-banded birds.
In 2018 he was instrumental in getting the American Ornithological Society (AOS) to restore the Canada Jay (formerly known as the Gray Jay) to its original name, appropriate for what the Royal Canadian Geographical Society has declared as our National Bird.
The deceptively cute Canada Jay is one of the most intrepid birds in North America, living in northern forests year-round and rearing chicks in the dark of winter. Highly curious and always on the lookout for food, Canada Jays eat just about anything, from berries to small animals. They may even land on your hand to grab a raisin or peanut. During summer they hoard food in trees to sustain themselves through bleak winters. Dan Strickland is one of the world's leading experts on this species and will amaze you with all he has discovered during his years of research.
Admission to the meeting is free for MPFN members. Visitors and guests $5.
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Contact Bob Bowles if you have questions about the Simcoe County Bird and Nature Board
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