December 16th, 2011

Kids always ask how and from where we get the animals specimens that adorn our Outdoor Centre classrooms. Some birds and mammals are hit by cars, others die as a result of natural causes. Some – that have been donated to us from personal collections – may have been hunted.

Many small birds are the victims of window collisions. In the photo above, you can see the outline of a bird where it struck the glass on my office window at Blair. From the fanned-out tail feathers of unequal length, this would appear to have been a mourning dove. When I went outside to investigate, I found nothing, so this bird may well have survived the crash, stunned no doubt, and later flown away.

Earlier this week, another bird was not so lucky. A teacher called me to say that her husband had been witness to a bird/window collision, and wondered if I could use it at Blair. She believes it may be a falcon, but I won’t know for sure until we are able to make the exchange. Then I’ll make a trip to see John, our wonderful taxidermist, and decide how best to mount and display it in the room.

Our wildlife are protected by various laws, so we must have permits from the Canadian Wildlife Service and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to have them in our possession. Ideally we would prefer to observe these beautiful animals in the wild, but they inspire gasps of awe from students that visit our Outdoor Centres every day.