Dr. Corey Scobie
The Lucrative Wild Bird Egg Shell trade in Early Alberta

Corey Scobie (Assistant Curator of Ornithology, Royal Alberta Museum) will show the diversity of bird egg shell colors, shapes and textures and how the desire to possess these beautiful objects resulted in the creation of a popular hobby in the 1800’s. Wild bird egg shell collecting and trading was a popular hobby and quickly growing business in Canada until the Migratory Bird Convention Act was passed in 1917. Corey and Volunteers at the Royal Alberta Museum are cataloging a collection of over 3,500 clutches of wild bird egg shells collected from all around the world spanning the period from 1860 to 1960. This collection originally belonged to Donald Wilby, who started collecting and trading bird eggs in the 1880’s near Toronto, Ontario and continued after he settled near Onoway, Alberta in 1904.

A Zoom link for the session will be sent to members ahead of time.