Swedes of Jamestown
This photo from the RTPI archives depicts Roger Tory Peterson and Sir Lorimer Moe (knighted by the Swedish government on behalf of King Carl Gustaf XVI) at Bass Rock in Scotland. Lorimer Moe was a son of Jamestown, New York, who went on to become an outstanding newspaperman and diplomat. In the early days when RTPI was just an idea, Lorimer, Roger’s high school classmate, took the lead in enlisting broad support for the idea of an Institute in Roger’s birthplace, to honor his work and house his collections. In fact, the Institute’s charter was signed in his home, on a dining table that...
Read MoreRTP in Another Place in Another Time
Although his work required extensive travel, it seemed that Roger Tory Peterson needed the world as much as it needed him. His wife, Barbara, wrote to her mother that no matter where Roger was, he always wanted to be somewhere else. He made seven safari trips to Africa during his lifetime, shooting footage for his documentary “Wild Africa”, which contains more rare and exotic birds than any film of its time. His conservation message is powerful, and it pervades the film: “A bird like the whooping crane is more divine than the most inspired work of art. Why? Because it is creation itself;...
Read MoreDowny Woodpecker
The Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) is an industrious little bird that frequents parks and woodlots throughout much of North America. While often spotted at backyard feeders with similarly sized chickadees and nuthatches, this black-and-white woodpecker is also at home on tiny branches where it can be seen acrobatically foraging for insect larvae. Roger Tory Peterson described this bird’s call as “a rapid whinny of notes, descending in pitch.” Keep an eye and an ear out for this charismatic little bird; its striking plumage, shrill song and tree-trunk tapping should...
Read MoreArtist Dale Weiler Creates Snowy Owl Sculpture to Benefit RTPI
We are very excited to announce the release of a new bronze sculpture created by Dale Weiler to support wildlife conservation programs underway at RTPI. The bronze, “Elevated Perspective”, is a 9-inch rendering of a snowy owl, one of Peterson’s favorite species to paint and the icon for RTPI. It is also the first bronze Dale has created in the last ten years. Dale and his wife, Loti, are donating 100% of the profits to RTPI’s ‘Project Wild America’ initiative – a program which promotes experiencing nature in your own backyard. The original for the bronze was sculpted from snowy...
Read MoreArtist Dale Weiler to Produce Bronze Owl Sculptures for RTPI
We are very excited to announce the release of a new bronze sculpture created by Dale Weiler to support wildlife conservation programs underway at The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History (RTPI) in Jamestown, NY. Roger Tory Peterson (1908-1996) was one of the nation’s pre-eminent bird-artists and among our most influential naturalists. He is perhaps best known for the Peterson Field Guide Series on birds and other flora and fauna. RTPI carries on his legacy by connecting people to nature through art, education and conservation. The bronze, “Elevated Perspective”, is a 9-inch...
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