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Nov 13Liked by Heather Wall

And this was just one speech praising the noble Osprey!

"The osprey is like Oregon,” Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward said. “We are fierce. We are independent. We are ubiquitous across our state. You can find an osprey nesting along any body of water in this entire state whether it’s urban or rural.

You can see osprey. They’re big. They’re obvious. They have a unique flight patterns. They’re fascinating to watch, and they can engage people in a way that a small bird — that’s tough to see — cannot engage people."

That last sentence was a reference to the melodious but small meadowlark, currently our state bird.

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I love to watch osprey at a nearby lake when we go camping. They have enormous wingspans. This is giving me ideas for teaching students -- perhaps they could argue for and against our current state bird (here in Georgia, a Brown Thrasher -- despite the violent name, a very nondescript bird)

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Nov 13Liked by Heather Wall

Thanks Heather for that discussion ! I agree with Ben Franklin+ the bald eagle is of low moral character despite it's impressive mien. I would like the noble Osprey to be our national bird and one our Oregon State legislators in a florid speech proposed just that! If not the noble, hard working osprey then the clever and ubiquitous crow!

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Oh, I like the idea of the crow! They're smart, articulate and as you say, they're everywhere. They have such a wide vocabulary and are great problem-solvers. Something for us to aspire to, for sure!

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