The Nova Scotia House of Assembly adopted the Western Osprey in local Statute, via the “Provincial Bird Act 1994”, which is described as “An Act to Declare the Osprey to be the Bird Emblem of Nova Scotia”. The Act simply has one clause, to declare the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) as the bird emblem of the Province.

The Canadian Government website which describes the Provincial Emblems, has this to say about the Osprey:

“This bird of prey is larger than a hawk and smaller than an eagle. Its main source of food is fish, and it can often be seen flying over oceans, rivers and lakes. Ospreys migrate south in the winter. Older birds return north to mate, while younger birds stay south until they mature.”

The Osprey is also plentiful on bird stamps. Unfortunately, there are not many Canadian issues that feature the Nova Scotia bird emblem, but here are the two where the Osprey is the main object:

2000 Birds of Canada

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Bird Symbols of Canada

19/03/2021 Steven Ardron Leave a comment

Part Two – Québec

Provincial Bird: Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca/Bubo scandiacus)

Québec adopted the Snowy Owl as its provincial bird in 1987. One of the reasons for this choice was to show support for the province’s wildlife protection. This is understandable given that the Snowy Owl’s conservation status is “Vulnerable”. About the Snowy Owl, the Canada Government website which describes the provincial emblems states that:

“Unlike other owls, the snowy owl is not exclusively nocturnal. It hunts both day and night, surviving mainly on lemmings.”

Globally, the Snowy Owl has appeared on plenty of bird stamps, but only on one issue from Canada Post. This stamp is part of the “Birds of Canada” mini-sheet series that ran from 2016-18. The Snowy Owl came with the last sheet:

2018 Birds of Canada

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Bird Symbols of Canada

16/02/2021 Steven Ardron

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Part Three – Nova Scotia

Part Two – Québec

Bringing Bird Stamp Collectors Together