Passenger Pigeons and Bird Fest 2014
One hundred years ago this year, Martha – the last of the Passenger Pigeons – died at the Cincinnati Zoo. This may once have been the most abundant bird in North America but was effectively extinct in the wild around the turn of the 20th century with only few sad survivors remaining in captivity. Roger Tory Peterson never saw one in the wild but did illustrate the species for his first guide in 1934. As was the case with most of his illustrations he used museum specimens as models. Twan took the following photos of the Passenger Pigeon mount and study skins, Meet Your Neighbours...
Read More80 years of field guides
Roger Tory Peterson’s A Field Guide to the Birds was released on April 27, 1934. This past Thursday Twan posted this photo on our Facebook page to commemorate passing the date on “Throwback Thursday”. The original guide was a catalyst that started miraculous things on many levels – from sparking a passion for bird watching in millions to providing the conservation movement a tool to support environmental awareness, understanding and stewardship. I made sure to follow that up with a personal story… Those are my grandfather’s, father’s and my own field...
Read MoreJanuary speaker – Paul J. Baicich
We hope you will be joining us at RTPI on January 21 at 7:00PM EST for Paul J. Baicich presenting “Bird Feeding in America: A Story of Wild Birds, Innovation, and Conservation”. This is the first of our 2014 Speaker Series. Paul has been an active birder since his early teens in New York City. A former employee of the American Birding Association, he edited 14 of their “ABA Birdfinding Guides,” edited Birding, ABA’s bi-monthly magazine, and served as ABA’s Director of Conservation and Public Policy. His concerns include an abiding interest in bird conservation and studies in the breeding...
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