Sunday, May 04, 2025

Bird Friendly City Kitchener

     I have been very happy to be a member of the committee to have Kitchener officially declared a Bird Friendly City; the Dark-eyed Junco has been voted by the public as the official City Bird.
      As part of this evolution TWB Cooperative Brewing worked with us to develop four beers (three of which are shown here) to commemorate the event, with artwork supplied by the talented artist, Meredith Blunt, co-chair of our committee.


     Miriam has submitted many of her items for sale at the month long celebration at Sq. Peg, next to Kitchener City Hall, along with other vendors of bird related items, all centred around International Migratory Bird Day on 10 May. In addition, walks, lectures, workshops, demonstrations and other events are planned.



     In a couple of weeks my daughter and son-in-law will be visiting, both aficionados of micro breweries, so we have stocked up in anticipation!
     I think we have found the official mascot for the event, presented herewith.


    Both the beer and the babe look good! What do you think?
David M. Gascoigne,
David M. Gascoigne,

I'm a life long birder. My interests are birds, nature, reading, books, outdoors, travel, food and wine.

52 comments:

  1. Hari Om
    Well, if that wasn't a project, I don't know what is! Well done to all concerned in getting it all moving along. Love those collectible cans... and adore the last photo. Rock on Miriam!!! YAM xx

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  2. Agreed! Have some great family time!

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  3. I think the babe look precious!
    what a joy to see Kitchener soaring as a birdfriendly city! 🐦 celebrating events for migratory b. day is perfect.
    Seems a great idea to stock up for the beer tour, the family will get together... spring is in its prime 🍻
    All good & gros bisous

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  4. Yes, both the beer and the babe do look good. I haven't seen bird themed beer before and I love it. Happy new week David. hugs-Erika (ps- no hummingbirds at my house yet, but the feeder is out.)

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  5. Love seeing all the bird 🐦 friendly items.

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  6. I don't drink, but that T-shirt is great. Have a great time with your family!

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  7. You'll have to tell us how those beers taste.

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  8. Wonderful. Not a fan of beer but the babe definitely looks good.

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  9. Miriams patchwork looks very beautiful, David. Nice beer and t-shirt, and Miriam looks great too! Hugs and kisses, Marit

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  10. Lovely photos. A wonderful achievement for Kitchener indeed.

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  11. What beautiful cans these have become, Miriam has made them really beautifully.
    I don't drink beer, no alcohol anyway.
    Have fun with the family.
    Greetings Irma

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    1. And that great tee shirt was designed by Meredith too. She is a talented person and a great organizer too. She has single-handedly put together most of this event. Best of all, she is my friend.

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  12. My town, Ann Arbor, features trees as their thing. You make me wish we would adopt a symbolic bird. We are on a migration path so it would probably have to be a warbler in our Arboretum.
    Congrats to Miriam!
    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. My own preference would have been for a resident species, not a migratory bird, but the public chose and Dark-eyed Junco is now their bird. Right around now they leave us only to return in the fall. I will miss their cheery presence in my backyard.

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    2. How cool is that? I'd love those cans and the artwork.
      Which bird which you have chosen?

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    3. Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis).

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  13. Congratulations on Kitchener being declared a "Bird Friendly City" and Thank You to you for your contribution. Miriam is generous in her contribution and I hope the locals will be generous back by purchasing her lovely home made items. Calgary's official bird is the Black-capped Chickadee and it got my vote back in 2022. We became a Bird Friendly City in 2021.

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  14. Fantastic! Congrats to all involved.

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  15. Micro breweries and mascots, human and avian, for the win.

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  16. A great example of community spirit and collaboration! Declaring Kitchener a Bird Friendly City is such a positive step!

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  17. What an exciting and meaningful initiative to have Kitchener officially declared a Bird Friendly City! The Dark-eyed Junco is a perfect choice for the city’s bird, and I love the collaboration with TWB Cooperative Brewing to celebrate this milestone. The artwork by Meredith Blunt really adds a special touch. It’s also wonderful to see so many bird-related events planned for International Migratory Bird Day. It sounds like an eventful and fun celebration in the making!

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  18. I don't drink beer but I wouldn't mind drinking water from these cans. :D

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  19. That's great! I am tee-total David but have a can for me! I love Miriam's tshirt. Great to have your daughter and her partner visiting :-D

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    1. As far as I know she refers to him as her husband!

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  20. Nice artworks related to such important Kitchener event.

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  21. Birds and Beer..quite the combination..Lovely picture of Miriam..Glad her items are doing well..No surprise..they're beautiful....Enjoy your visit with your family
    Nice that Kitchener was named a bird friendly city..

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  22. Yes, I agree ... have a great time with family.

    All the best Jan

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  23. How cool is that! And I love those can designs, too. Very different and very pretty. I need to get to Kitchener someday. My very distant great grands -- Brickers and Erbs -- were early settlers there, part of something called The German Company. It's a spot I feel I should see. Thanks for sharing this. Made me smile. (And Miriam looks awesome!)

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  24. Applauding here and yes, your babe looks very good. Love the artwork on the cans, love your babe’s shirt design too. Wonderful that your daughter and son-in-law will be visiting soon. A lot to celebrate.

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  25. What a great concept! Juntos are perky little guys, I can see why they were chosen.

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  26. Hello David :)
    I love the idea of a bird friendly city. I also love a cold beer on a hot day, and the cans and shirt are attractively designed by your gifted friend. The event sounds as if it will be a great success. I wish I could be there,
    You never know, there could be some bird miniatures for sale.
    Enjoy your time with your family, but of course you will.:)
    hugs and kisses
    Sonjia.

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  27. Hallo David,

    Leuk initiatief om de junco als stadsvogel op die manier in de schijnwerpers te zetten. Leuk ook dat de kunstenaar daaraan mee wilde werken en zij heeft mooie ontwerpen gemaakt. Het ziet er smakelijk uit, ik krijg er dorst van, een lekker biertje op z'n tijd is nooit weg.

    Groeten,
    Ad

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  28. This is absolutely fantastic.

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  29. Excellent work! Hope you have a great time with your daughter and son-in-law.

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    1. I think that’s just about guaranteed, Shari.

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  30. Great job, David and Miriam. Woot. Woot. Or should I say Chirp. Chirp. ;)

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  31. Miriam looks wonderful!! Enjoy your family time.

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  32. Glad to read about. A fascinating Initiative. Good work indeed.

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  33. An interesting and attractive initiative.

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  34. Hi David and Miriam - congratulations on the acknowledged bird friendly city ... and yes definitely both Babe and Beer look good - love the 'poster'/flyer ... clever design. I do hope the initiative over the month goes well - cheers Hilary

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  35. I really like Miriam's work, David. Maybe she will put more bird related items in her Etsy shop? And I would like to know what the beer was like - I wish I could try it with you. My "beer bar" is pretty high... Hugs -Carola

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    1. By her own admission, Miriam is not a beer connoisseur, Carola. Cold beer on a hot day ranks high! She says that two of the three she has tried are fine.

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  36. Miriam se ve muy guapa, también me gusta la decoración de las latas de cerveza. Deseo que lo pasen muy bien. Abrazos.

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