So in my research I happened to find a couple of things that I had forgotten. The common loon is being considered for becoming Canada's national bird. The loon is a fascinating creature with it's captivating call. I have camped by lakes with some resident loons. They start early in the morning and it's hard to ignore them. Many times they call is in the night. However, the call is haunting and well known and remembered by those who hear it.
The loon is also a distinctive shape and does the disappearing act by diving and staying under water and then quietly surfacing in another area. The coloration is as well known as it's call.
Our one dollar coin has a loon on it and we love to call the coin a looney. Have you got a looney? Now I should have remembered that the loon on our one dollar coin and is one of our favorite birds and one of the birds being considered for our national bird.
Loon also stands for some derogatory meaning. Crazy as a loon. Looney.
So I hope that the loon gets chosen for our national bird. We're one of the few countries without a national bird.
Alberta' provincial bird is the great horned owl. I remember the process of making that choice. They wanted children to make the choice so programs were set up in the school for kids to make the choice.
Now our national mammal is well known and has been for a long time.
That is an interesting choice for our national bird. I hadn't heard this! Of course, the beaver is something we're all aware of. And it's a good choice. A beaver is a resourceful, hardworking, unaggressive and highly-skilled engineer :)
ReplyDeleteAs well as having good character, the beaver has had a long history with us.
Deletewow! had no idea canada didn't have a national bird! yes, the loon would be perfect! i know minnesota uses it as their state bird/logo. i love it.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is odd that we don't have a national bird.
DeleteI have no idea whether we have a national bird. It could be a sparrow, you see them quit often here. A loon I had to look for in the dictionary, but that one lives here too.
ReplyDeleteWe are lucky that there's lots of habitat for them. We have lots of native sparrows.
DeleteI think it is fitting, they are across Canada, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteI'm proud of being somewhat loony. It keeps the tourists away!
Yes, they're coast to coast. One of the bloggers we follow refers to himself as a loon.
DeleteI simply love the sound of the loon, and living just a few miles from the Canadian border, I hear the term "looney" all the time regarding Canadian currency. But occasionally I'll even hear the call of the loon and you're right: it's impossible to forget it. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou're one of the few people who get out in the wild and can hear the loon.
DeleteI don't think I've ever seen a loon in the wild. That would be awesome.
ReplyDeleteLoons find a very private part of the lake but you can hear them from a distance.
DeleteI remember being on a clifftop overlooking a lake and hearing the call of a loon from down below. Haunting.
ReplyDeleteI did know we didn't have a national bird, but it makes sense. The next time I'm in the Museum of Nature, the Bird Gallery should be open again. Among the displays in there are a set of the provincial and territorial birds.
Clifftops are great viewpoints. I like the way you call yourself a Canadian loon!
DeleteWe call loons 'divers' and there are many round our shores here but I rarely here them calling.
ReplyDeleteDivers! Now that's a good term. I find the different terms use over there interesting. It took me a long time to figure out what a car park is.
DeleteYes we have the Beaver. No stranger to us or the Loon.
ReplyDeleteOver at Williams blog. Looks like you forgot to close your comment Red.
Go have a look.
Maybe I just forgot to finish it!!!
DeleteLaughing at Jennifer A Jilks comment. Proud Canadian here so I am not going to complain:) B
ReplyDeleteJennifer has a good blog to follow. the first comment I got came from Jennifer.
DeleteRed. It was big game section at Williams. I looked for you.
ReplyDeleteYou will see you need to publish it.
Yes , I see all of William's posts. I also comment on all his posts. There was only one of the large mammals that I hadn't seen.
DeleteI love the sound of the loon. I hear it when we camp in Kananaskis and at Premier Lake B.C. as well as Kootenay lake B.C. Our national bird HAS TO be the loon!
ReplyDeleteI'd vote for the loon!
DeleteI did know the Canadian dollar is a looney, so it definitely makes sense to adopt it as the national bird. I love loons. I remember how excited I was when I first went to upstate New York and heard them. Did you ever watch "On Golden Pond"? Multiple loon references!
ReplyDeleteYes, Golden Pond was a good movie. It was hilarious.
DeleteI have never seen or heard a Loon, but I will look it up. And, that is a beaver, right?
ReplyDeleteYes, a beaver. We have lots of them here.
DeleteRed, I just went to You tube and saw a video on the Loon. Oh my, it is simply beautiful and the sound it makes is unbelievable. Almost like a wolf, except beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYes it's impressive. There's great detail in the feather pattern.
DeleteIn my humble opinion I think the Loon would be a great choice as Canada's National Bird. It is my hope one day to hear these Loons myself one day. There is a lake up north where they are in their hundreds at certain times of the year, and the video I watched was one misty morning as the dawn was rising, and then the Loons started calling. Such a surreal, magical sound. Yes, I would like to hear that for myself one day. Enjoyed this post Red, thank you.
ReplyDeleteHere they are always in pairs as it's the breeding area.
DeleteI like the idea of the loon as your national bird. I remember the first time I heard the term in Canada and didn't know what they were talking about.
ReplyDelete