Cormorant Greeting Cards

Birds on greeting cards are nothing new (bluebirds, cardinals, chickadees, doves, etc.). But a cormorant? That's really different! The front of this card depicts four cormorants sitting atop a piling, as they are wont to do. A birthday cake sits among the cormorants and one of them is wearing a party hat. Upon opening the card, you are greeted with a message on the inside that says:

Happy Birthday to someone highly esteemed among piers.

A note on the back of the card from the artist, Jennifer Blomgren, reads:

The old ferry dock in Port Townsend is a popular place for cormorants to fish, hang out their wings to dry, rest, and gossip. While sketching this, I felt sure that, given opposable thumbs, they would have been playing poker or bridge. Animals, birds, and all the earth's creatures need habitat, affection, esteem, and respect–from people especially–and especially now.

The card is distributed by Madison Park Greetings of Seattle, Washington; is the product of Twenty-four Carrot, Incorporated, "a creative company made possible by an initial grant from the Washington State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation;" and is copyrighted by Jennifer Blomgren.

This is a real rarity in the world of greeting cards: a trilogy of zany cormorant artwork, clever humor, and a conservation message all rolled into one.

(Thanks to Cyndi Perry for bringing this card to my attention.)