A discussion of Audubon’s “Birds of America” this evening with Patrick Comins and Nelson North

John James Audubon’s Brown Pelican, photographed from the Pequot Library’s Birds of America.

February 9, 2021 — The present meets the past at 6 this evening as Connecticut Audubon Executive Director Patrick Comins joins former Executive Director Nelson North for an online conversation about John James Audubon’s art, conservation, and the naturalists who have shaped current day conservation.

The occasion is a celebration of the return of Audubon’s Birds of America, Bien edition double elephant folio, to the Pequot Library in Southport, where Nelson is now chair of the Board of Directors.

Included in the Zoom program will be a short video of the library’s amazing work of art.

“Audubon’s Double Elephant Folio is an artistic, scientific and historical treasure,” Patrick notes, “and is only one of 49 known extant copies of this magnificent book.  The size and quality of the printing allow for stunning details of each species to emerge. 

“A work comprising nearly 500 species of birds, every turn of the page offers a new artistic wonder and a new perspective on the beautiful and fascinating creatures that are the Birds of North America.”