The Bronx is for The Birds
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By Olga Luz Tirado
n the fall of 1924, nine teenagers from various parts of The Bronx came together to form the Bronx County Bird Club (BCBC). It all started in the attic of a house on Woodycrest Avenue in the Highbridge section, when two brothers and seven other boys from various parts of the borough shared their interest in birds. They kept minutes of their meetings and met often to document the birds they were lucky enough to spot. By 1927 they added another member to their group making an exception to the unofficial “bylaws.” Up until that time the criteria for inclusion in the BCBC was two-fold: you had to live in The Bronx, and you had to be good at identifying the birds. The lanky Manhattanite may not have lived in The Bronx, but, at 18 years old he was the best birder, by far, the BCBC members had met. His name was Roger Tory Peterson who went on to become a renowned naturalist and was the father of the environmental
movement of the 20th century. His 1934 book “A Field Guide to The Birds” spurred a global movement, according to the Roger Tory Peterson Institute located in his hometown of Jamestown, New York. The book has been revised and reissued several times throughout the years. In the world of birding Peterson was a superstar. He received just about every major American award for natural science, ornithology and the serious study conservation. He was a of natural U.S. Presidential Medal history is an of Freedom recipient and activity which a Nobel Peace Prize has far-reaching nominee. We’d like to effects in every think that his time in The aspect of a Bronx documenting and person’s life. drawing the variety of birds ~Roger Tory Peterson he came across in Pelham Bay, Van Cortlandt and Bronx Park contributed to his long, prolific career.
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Roger Tory Peterson sketching birds somewhere in The Bronx. It is believed this may have been taken near the Bronx Zoo. Photo courtesy of The Roger Tory Peterson Institute
BRONX FUN GUIDE FALL 2018
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