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Cornell Lab of Ornithology by Nathalie Strassheim |
Ithaca, N.Y.—Normally I keep these geeky obsessions to myself, but here goes: I love the birds. Totally dig ‘em. So when I found myself swinging through Ithaca, I had to—I mean, I wouldn’t die happy without doing it—see the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. And it was way cooler than I could have imagined! Jesus Mary and Joseph, as Stephen Maturin would say, where do I start? How about the building? It was constructed in 2003 with the needs of visitors and researchers equally in mind. Many floors are red and the walls blue, to echo the New York State bird: bluebird. Visitors may sit for hours and watch birds in the feeder garden and out on the pond area, from the comfort of handmade woods chairs and benches and with the aid of extremely fancy and powerful Zeiss scopes. On nice days, you can walk the trails and hear/see what’s out there in Sapsucker Woods. Then come on in and write up your findings on the Birder’s Wall. A terrific exhibit mimics a sound engineer’s studio. You can listen to and see the sonic “fingerprints” of many bird and other animal species—even record your own imitations and compare the fingerprints. Geek out! And of course there’s tons of information about birds, birding, various citizen-birder projects ongoing, and then the frisson of knowing that you’re at the epicenter of bird acoustics, that being the Lab’s original claim to fame. I could have spent hours—I mean hours—at this place, but I had to leave. Not, however, without raiding the shop. The kids need their Audubon stuffed and singing birds. — Nathalie Strassheim
