Once they were studiously ignored, but now that they are known to be both well-off and prepared to pay whatever it takes to spot a rare bird they are wooed by cash-strapped ranchers and dilapidated Gulf coast towns.
But the contraction carries a more chilling message for other parts of the country, which may be less well-off than Ottawa but just as reliant on the American market: 86% of Canada's exports one-third of all production goes to the United States.