Regina wants your help to find its official bird

Regina is on a bird hunt,looking to determine what species should be the city's official bird.

The city is encouraging residents to submit their nominations on the its website.

"I think there's some talk about Canada geese. There's there's some talk about blue jays and robins and red wing, blackbirds and all sorts of things, and everybody's got a take on it," said Russell Eirich, the city's manager of open space services.

Eirich said the initiative,created by Nature Regina,is no bird-brained scheme.It follows up on a decision that came down in March 2022, when Regina wasofficially declared a "bird city" through Nature Canada's Bird Friendly City Program.

The idea is to "try toget communities to increase their bird populations or do things that don't hurt birds in the long run," said Eirich.

The process is sure to spark a heated debate amongbird watchers andbird lovers.

For Regina naturalistTrevor Herriot, there's only one bird that makes sense, even if it may be a controversial choice: the Canada Goose.

The species has made a tremendous comeback after a serious decline in Regina during the mid-20th century, Herriot said. Now, efforts to revitalize the species have seen the population flourish.

"Some people don't like the amount of success they've had because, you know, they show up on golf courses and city parks, and sometimes make make a bit of a mess, and people don't like that," Herriot said.

"But to meit's a a wonderful bird, and who wouldn't love a bird that can nest on a gravel rooftop, in a spruce tree or in some of the wilder natural areas of the city."

Nominations for birds will remain open until Oct. 22.From there, a top five will be decided by a panel of local bird experts, known as the Bird Friendly City Committee,according to Eirich.

Once the shortlist is created residents, will get to weigh in by vote.

The city plans to declare the winner on Jan. 5, 2024, National Bird Day.