2025 · National Day Calendar

Bluebird of Happiness Day 2025

Male Bluebird

A bluebird is easy to spot. A male bluebird has a brilliant blue back and flame-orange belly, while a female bluebird has duller colors than the males, much like many other birds. For the longest time, it has been known that the bluebird is a harbinger of happiness. This notion was first held by the Chinese, who saw the bird as immortal, a protector, and a symbol of the sun. Native Americans, too, were in deep awe of the bluebird. Navajos revered it as a spirit in animal form, and the Iroquois believed the bluebird’s song would make the harsh winters bearable. For the Russians, the bluebird represented hope. In 1908, a play named “The Blue Bird” by Maurice Maeterlinck depicted two children in search of the Bluebird of Happiness. This play was adapted into an opera, several films, and a children’s novel, further popularizing the assumption that bluebirds bring happiness.

:https://nationaltoday.com/bluebird-of-happiness-day/

2025 · Wildlife Wednesday

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

The big, black-necked Canada Goose with its signature white chinstrap mark is a familiar and widespread bird of fields and parks. Thousands of “honkers” migrate north and south each year, filling the sky with long V-formations. However, as lawns have proliferated, an increasing number of these grassland-adapted birds are remaining in urban and suburban areas year-round, where some people regard them as pests.

:https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Goose/overview#