Outdoors TheReview ae oe = Ais |
Guard those panca

Canada Jay, whisky jack, camp
robber, meat bird, grease bird,
meat hawk, moose bird, lumber
Jack, venison hawk, Hudson Bay
bird, grey jay? The bird in our
photo today has many common
nhames, usually related to his
behavior or the conditions which
prompt his appearance.

Though I have never seen an
inebriated Canada jay, I suspect
that he is most widely known over
much of his broad territory as
whisky jack.

The name whisky jack undoubt-

edly came from his Indian name, -

“wiss-ka-cho-n”’ or ‘‘wis-ka-
jon”, corrupted to “whisky john”
and finally, “whisky jack.” The
common names, meat bird, grease
bird, moose bird, venison bird and
meat hawk originated from his
habit of turning up at the kills of
hunters in order to partake of a
welcome bit of their game, while
“camp-robber”’ relates to his habit
of freely helping himself from the
tables, dishes and frying pans of
campers enjoying the outdoors.

“Gray jay” is self explanatory,
while “lumber jack” probably
stems from the fact that the sound
of an axe or saw in the north
woods is almost certain to turn up
a jay or two.

At most seasons of the year, 6 3 3 : : : a
STIs) Meksave Poll, ewhors ane 82% of accidents in B.C. industrial and community promote their own safety of
confiding, with little fear of man. result from driver error or organizations. campaigns.
ee ae ane Teta inattention. So the obvious Our field staff uses Our objective in all this
through forests and a source of | Way to reduce spiralling programs to encourage has been stated very clearly
interest and fun when camping. insurance Costs 1s to improve children from elementary by ICBCs president, Tom

On occasion, trappers find them
a bit of a nuisance when they
remove baits from their sets and
the odd camper begrudges him the
pancake which he lifts from an
unguarded plate.

But our remote woods would not
be at all the same without his

this time of year. I have seen
females incubating when the ther-
mometer stood at -30 E At such
times she is so loath to leave her
eggs exposed that she will allow

you lo stroke her gently on the
nest.
The fledgling young are much

darker than the adults and travel
with them for some time.

WHISKY JACK

our drivers. The 1991 model
should be smarter, safer and
less expensive to insure.

In 1981, ICBC set up
a traffic safety education
program that has become a

schools to “buckle up” and
they in turn educate their
parents. Older students
produce their own videos
on what can happen to teens
who drink and drive; they

hearty visits, without the match- nee :
fe ee Ten. wien ine standard for similar programs . _ also organize CounterAttack
distant howl of a timber wolf. throughout.North America. ~~ Clubs and events. In addition,

‘At most seasons of
the year, whisky jacks
are bold, curious and

confiding, with little

fear of man’

The behavior of the whisky jack
changes abruptly at the time of
nesting when the pairs become
secretive, less visible and rela-
tively silent. This occurs in late
February and early March when
their breeding season is initiated.
The female, always accompanied
by the male, is gathering twigs,
moss, strips of bark, spider nests
and feathers with which to con-
struct her strong, snug nest, most
often in a conifer, a half-dozen feet
or so from the ground.

I have never seen the darker
male assisting in the building
phase but he is always present with
light chirps of encouragement.

Relatively few people have

~ found nests of this species because

_of their secretiveness and the fact

We work with groups from
many fields in every part of
the province — the school
system, police, health care,

WE sponsor regional and
provincial youth leadership
conferences and encourage

youngsters to create and

Ss, call him names

Holmes: *..to eventually
produce a safer generation of
drivers who will not tolerate
the destructive driving habits
of their parents’ generation”

ICBC

Together, we can drive
insurance costs down.

Announcing
the new,
improved

1991 driver.

, that during late winter, when the

2ebirds are so engaged, the woods

“s’are buried deep in snow; you'll
need your snowshoes.

Once again the key to success

». lies in the behavior of the birds.
-~ Should you find a pair travelling
* almost inseparably together at this
 timeof year, follow them at a
distance and you are almost sure to

be rewarded.

The nest is so well lined with
feathers and deer hair and the
incubating females sit so atten-
tively that the eggs beneath her are
able to withstand the very low

-,lemperatures, not uncommon at