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Avian friend gets its due
The whiskey jack is nominated to be Canada's national bird

Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Thursday, December 8, 2016

INUVIK
Willy Simon's eyes sparkle as he talks about the gray jay.

NNSL photo/graphic

Gwich'in elder Willy Simon loves the gray jay. Also known as the whiskey jack and Canadian jay, the bird was recently nominated as Canada's national bird by the Royal Canadian Geographic Society. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

"We could have been out in nowhere but we had company, the whiskey jack," said Simon, using another name for the bird, which is also known as the Canadian jay.

The 75-year-old Gwich'in elder, born in Tsiigehtchic, grew up trapping and got very familiar with the bird out on the land.

"Just like the prospectors, the fishermen, the hikers, the trappers, they all had the bird for company at some time or another," he said.

"I know there are famous birds like the raven and the loon and the white owl, but they never come close to your camp. Eventually, if you're good to them and you don't bother them, they'll eat right out of your hand. I think it's a magnificent bird."

The Royal Canadian Geographical Society recently completed a two-year project to identify Canada's national bird.

The Gray jay beat out the Common loon, the snowy owl, the Canada goose and the black-capped chickadee to become the society's official recommendation for Canada's national bird.

In its justification for the nomination, the organization cited the jay's penchant for being a companion of First Nations hunters and trappers, along with European explorers and voyageurs.

Its nickname "whiskey jack" comes from First Nations roots, as well.

"The common moniker 'whiskey jack' has nothing to do with the grain-based alcohols, but is rather an anglicisation of the Cree 'Wisakedjak' and similar variations used by nations in the Algonquian language family, which makes the gray jay Canada's only bird commonly referred to by a traditional Indigenous name," states Nick Walker in Canadian Geographic, the magazine of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society.

Simon, who's spent his life on the land, first came to feel for the bird during an outing at a fishing camp.

"I was about eight years old," he recalled.

"Whiskey jacks were eating dry fish on the stage (the area fish are put to dry) and this guy took a .22 and shot them, and that got me a little bit. I didn't really like that."

Where some other people have seen the bird as a nuisance at campsites, Simon has seen it as a friend.

"Sure they take the food and stuff like that, but fish for instance, you could put something (out) for them and they'll be busy at that," he said.

"If you catch a pike, why not split it in half, put it out for them there. They would be busy with that and wouldn't bother your dry fish."

And to stop them disturbing marten traps, Simon says placing dry branches on top of the bait should deter the whiskey jack.

Simon's glad his old friend has received some national recognition.

"There's nothing come close to a gray jay," he said.

"I can't think of anything that'll come close to that."

The federal government has not committed to abide by the recommendation, although the society has stated it hopes the federal government will follow through with the recommendation in time for Canada's 150-year anniversary in 2017.

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