Flocking together

On the night of September 19, 2024, an estimated 61,000 migrating birds flew over New Haven County at an altitude ranging from 1,800 to 3,000 feet and an average speed of 40 miles per hour. This news was presented to a group of 21 staff and students at the Yale West Campus (YWC) Conference Center the following morning. They were gathered there before 9 a.m. to participate in a bird-walking excursion to observe and identify wild birds in their natural habitats. Tom Parlapiano, manager of Lifelong Learning, Yale Peabody Museum, delivered this information, adding that “this is a peak migration period for birds. The diversity of habitats at West Campus accounts for the tremendous number of species on our list.”

While Parlapiano handed out binoculars, he noted that the group would most likely see songbirds and coastal migrants because they fly at night to stay cool and use less energy while predators are at a minimum. They spend the day resting and refueling in places like West Campus woods.

The annual bird walk is part of West Campus Administration’s broader Belonging efforts to bring together an array of people from different areas of Yale’s campus. Katie Doucet, assistant director of student affairs at the School of Public Health, brought three first-year graduate students, two of whom were already keen on bird watching. Doucet noted that one of them, Paloma Carcomo, met Kristof Zyskowski, ornithology collections manager at the Peabody Museum, and had a conversation that included his suggestion to visit the collection of birds’ nests at the museum.

“I was so delighted to be there with the students to help them expand their networks and introduce them to spaces outside of the School of Public Health,” said Doucet. “The broader group of people we walked with were bringing their own ideas and knowledge to the event along with the Peabody experts, and then the refreshments at the barn were lovely.”

Taking colleagues under their wing

The walk followed the established West Campus Nature Trail. Joining Parlapiano as trail leaders were Mark Aronson, deputy director and chief conservator, Yale Center for British Art, Lynn Jones, Peabody Museum assistant, and Zyskowski. They imparted their knowledge to the attendees, clearly finding pleasure in teaching what they knew about the hobby.

Mark Aronson (second from the left), deputy director and chief conservator, Yale Center for British Art, is one of the trail leaders.

“The trail runs through the middle of West Campus,” said Parlapiano, “and follows the Oyster River as it courses through a mostly hardwood forest in the river’s floodplain, ending at the West Campus Barn and West Campus Farm. The forested area covers somewhere between 30 and 40 acres and stone walls that mark old property lines crisscross the western portion of the forest.”

Zyskowski pointed out plants as well as birds in the woods, including jewel weed, whose name comes from the way it glistens like gems when submerged in water. Aronson noted that listening to the songs of birds is another way to identify them in their habitats, revealing himself to be a serious birder whose interest began in grade school.

“Birdwatching makes me think of my own work in the museum field,” said Aronson. “Can I tell the difference between the British paintings of Ramsey, Rayburn, Romney, and Reynolds? In the bird world, can I tell the difference between Least, Semipalmated, Baird’s sandpiper, and Western sandpipers? Sometimes I approach birdwatching this way, but mostly I like to share knowledge.”

Off to a flying start

The Peabody was one of the first Museums to utilize Yale West Campus after it was purchased by the university from Bayer in 2007. Jones was part of a group of staff members transferring collections to the 136-acre campus. By 2009, she was there full time along with her colleague Susan Hochgraf, now retired.

The group followed the established West Campus Nature Trail.

Jones had done some birdwatching in college but had fallen out of practice. Hochgraf on the other hand was a seasoned birder. “I asked Sue to help me get better at it, and we began going out with our binoculars,” Jones said. “It also helped that we were moving the vertebrate zoology collection a little bit at a time and were surrounded by bird mounts and skeletons.”

Hochgraf wanted to document what she and Jones were viewing for her colleagues downtown at the Peabody and began a blog. She eventually added a species list that today numbers 137.

“It was something we were putting a decent amount of time in at lunch,” added Jones. “We would even do random events on weekends, Christmas bird counts, and the ‘Lynn’s Birthday Hawk Watch,’ since it coincided with the hawk migration. Lucky for us, Tom started organizing the walks, which brought in more people.”