HaPpY Birthday John James Audubon!

Yellow-breasted Chats by John James Audubon

Today, April 26, 2011, we celebrate the anniversary of John James Audubon’s 226th birthday! Some love Audubon’s artwork, some hate it, but no one can refute the influence his name has had on modern ornithology, birding and conservation.

I have mentioned this in the past, however, I was very blessed to have grown up near JJA’s first home in North America, Mill Grove. The village now known as Audubon, PA was once called Shannonville. The name was changed through petition, in 1899.

JJA spent only a few years at Mill Grove, however, those years helped shape his life. He fell in love with not only Lucy Bakewell, who would become his wife, but also with nature and art. He had come to America as a teenager to oversee the copper and lead mines on the property, but became easily distracted by the birds, plants and other wildlife he discovered. Lucy lived on the adjoining property and a trail, presumably the path John himself may have taken to her home, is now named for her.

Mill Grove has always been special in our family, too. My mother grew up playing on the property and in the house, as her best friend’s parents worked for the owners at that time. She even had Thanksgiving dinner in Audubon’s house while it was owned by the Wetherills. My father proposed to my mother on the back porch of the house before going off to fight for our freedom in WWII. Now a sanctuary and museum, Lisa (now my wife) and I met for the first time while volunteering for events held on the property.

As you can see, John’s influence can be seen and felt at many levels from our family and throughout the world. So HaPpY Birthday John… and here’s to many, many more reasons to celebrate your name!