Hello!
Since our bird watching picnic, we’ve been thinking about famous bird ladies (or, more respectfully, ornithologists) throughout history. There were many women who made great contributions to the study of birds, and we’ve highlighted a few for your reading enjoyment.
Your friends in picnics (and birds!),
F & T
Margaret Morse Nice (1883-1974) – Her passion for birds began at an early age, when her mother introduced her to various books about birds like Jenny and the Birds (1860) by Lucy Guernsey. Nice’s studies on the life history of the song sparrow, nearly 250 papers on birds, 3,000 book reviews, several books, and her autobiography are part of her notable contributions to ornithology. In other words, Nice was a birding powerhouse.
Rosalie Edge (1877-1962) – A NYC native, Rosalie was a suffragist and environmentalist. Bird watching was an activity she took up so she could bond with her son (the things we do for our children!). Rosalie became a vocal bird proponent when she learned about the slaughter of tens of thousands of bald eagles in the Alaska Territory. This was the beginning of her beef with leading bird protection agencies, a grudge she held until her death. A fierce activist, Rosalie Edge made folks at the National Audubon Society regret crossing her bad side.
Maria Koepecke (1924-1971) – Maria’s story is pretty nuts. She loved animals from a young age, and when she met her animal-loving husband they moved from Germany to Peru where they studied birds and other wildlife. Before her tragic death in an airplane crash at the age of 47, Maria collected more than 1500 specimens, and illustrated many of her discoveries. Several species were named after her. Maria Koepecke accomplished so much in such a short life.
Oh one more! Roxie Laybourne helped start a new criminal investigative science based on the study of feathers. Criminal did a pocast on her recently. https://thisiscriminal.com/episode-206-the-feather-lady-2-3-2023