“The Living Bird: 100 Years Of Listening To Nature”

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• Photographer Shares How Birds Are Powerful Indicators Of Environmental Health

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  Gerrit Vyn says that when people hear the term ornithology, “they think of birdwatchers and people crashing through the bushes in bad outfits with binoculars, chasing birds around.”

  But according to Vyn — an award winning photographer, cinematographer and producer for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology — birds are still worth appreciating because of what they mean for the environment.

  “People like to watch them and measure them and count them, so it gives us a great way to look at the underlying ecological fabric of our landscapes,” Vyn said.

  The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has spent 100 years observing the state of the environment through the lens of birds. It dates back to 1915, when Dr. Arthur Allen became the first official professor of ornithology in the United States, Vyn said.

  “He set up an office in the entomology building, posted up a little sign that said ‘Cornell Lab of Ornithology,’ and since that first day of a hundred years ago, the institution has grown into a world class center of biodiversity science and conservation and communication,” said Vyn.

  To celebrate the 100-year milestone, the lab called on leading naturalists and bird enthusiasts to help put together a book of collected essays. “The Living Bird: 100 Years of Listening to Nature” also features 250 avian images taken by Vyn.

  He said projects like the book help the lab continues in its efforts to conserve biological diversity by communicating the positive things birds provide — both the intangible benefits that enthusiasts get from observing them and the role they play as powerful indicators of environmental health.