By Staff
January 9th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Stand By says the city motto.
The city has a crest with images that links to the agricultural past.
The city has a flag.
It hasn’t chosen a flower nor has it chosen a mascot – the Jefferson Salamander is a cinch for that category.
Soon the city might have decided upon a bird that represents some of what the city stands for.
There are a few days left to nominate a City Bird
The Bird Friendly Hamilton Burlington community team is seeking nominations from the public for a choice of a “City Bird” for Burlington (and one for Hamilton as well).
Is there a species of bird you think has a special connection to Burlington?
Nominations must be submitted by midnight of Friday, January 14th. Nominations will be reviewed by the BFHB team and short-listed to the top 5 to 10 most suitable bird species to represent the city. The final vote to select one City Bird will be put to the public in an online poll to follow, in late January 2022.
The City Bird Nomination Form is HERE:
Bird Friendly Hamilton Burlington is working to get both Burlington and Hamilton certified as Bird Friendly Cities in 2022, under the new Nature Canada program. Selecting a “City Bird” is part of the certification process.
To learn more about Bird Friendly City:
Facebook: Bird Friendly Hamilton Burlington
Twitter: @BFCHamBurl
Instagram: birdfriendly.hamburl
Website: birdfriendlyhamiltonburlington.wordpress.com
Nature Canada’s Bird Friendly City webpage:
Thank you for promoting the Bird Friendly Hamilton Burlington team City Bird poll!!!
How about the Crane? Seems to me that our downtown is full of them!
Burlington’s flower is…… The Rose
March 1919, the Burlington Horticultural Society was formed and among the members was Spencer Smith. “Citizens felt our town would be more attractive if a Horticultural Society was responsible for beautifying street corners and entrances to our town.
At that first meeting, The Rose was adopted as the town flower and after years of urging, town council named The Rose as town flower in 1929.
The Rose Garden by Central Library was started with a $1,000 grant from the society
On the 60th anniversary of the society the annual Burlington Civic Rose Awards began.
In 2014….the City invited representatives from various organization committees to speak about objectives of their groups:
Result :
• Trumpeter Swan Restoration Group
• Scott Stewart on working with City staff
• Civic Rose Awards – The committee continues its Green Garden Award
PS Recommendation: Trumpeter Swan as Burlington’s Official Bird
The largest swan in the world, the Trumpeter Swan is native to North America.
Once hundreds of thousands of pairs of these birds nested in the northern areas of Canada until the last Trumpeter was shot by a hunter in Long Point in 1886.
By 1935, only 69 Trumpeters were counted in all of North America.
It looked like these beautiful birds were hunted to extinction.
Today , thanks to rescue efforts, 200 Trumpeter Swans –a FIFTH of Ontario’s population, make LaSalle Park in Burlington their overwintering grounds, the LARGEST concentration in Ontario.
Thanks for that Alan we always thought it was the Rose but did not have the background. Anne and her mother spent many hours in the Rose Garden where Eva would smell almost every individual Rose. She also spent hours on a park bench at La Salle Marina watching the wild life. Her maiden name was Gosling and we often teased her as to her affinity to birds of all kinds. We cannot see or hear the Canada Geese without seeing her again down at LaSalle. anx the pleasure it gave her.
“The Jefferson Salamander is a cinch for that (mascot) category.” We would have thought the Trumpeter Swan would be a cinch for the bird category given its connection to La Salle, its majestic beauty and its a close relative of the Canada Goose. We will, however, bow to public opinion on that.