The Birdman of Oberlin!

Presented by Diana Steele

Lynds Jones (1865-1951) was a pioneering ornithologist and ecologist from Ohio who is responsible for many of the common practices that today’s recreational birders take for granted as standard in the field. More than a century later we keep bird lists and do Big Days and the Christmas Bird Count. At Oberlin college in 1892, Jones began teaching ornithology, which was the first course of its kind ever offered at an American college or university. Not only was he a professor at Oberlin for nearly 4 decades, Jones also had a tremendous impact on the fields of ornithology and recreational birding. He founded both an ornithological society (The Wilson Ornithological Society, 1880) and a journal (now the Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 1889); both remain active today. Jones was also an early pioneer and mentor in ecology, and founded the first ever Department of Animal Ecology in 1915.

This presentation will be given by Diana Steele, a science writer for more than 30 years. She is an avid birder and has birded in all 50 US states and on six continents. An active volunteer with Black River Audubon Society in Lorain County, Ohio, Diana is a birding guide on the Lake Erie islands, and a former board member of the Ohio Ornithological Society.