Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, New York

I was invited to speak at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, New York, on 25 April 2012. Built in 1994, the main building is impressive in a beautiful setting. With friends Larry and Laurette Roth from Toronto, we drove to Jamestown.

Roger Tory Peterson was famous for his bird illustrations and he excelled as a photographer.

Jim Berry, president, took us on a tour of the collection of original illustrations for Peterson's field guides.

We noticed the amount of detail in these original plates.

Annelie Rose, our host in Jamestown, and I examined the tray of extinct birds including an Ivory-billed Woodpecker and Passenger Pigeons that were in Peterson's own collection.

The Carolina Parakeet (Paroquet is the old name used in the 1947 Peterson Guide) has been extinct since 1920. Its label reads 21 March 1874, Bluewater, Florida.

Roger Tory Peterson (1908 - 1996). Larry (left) and Laurette Roth from Toronto and Annelie Rose of Jamestown NY.