Exhibits, books on the Passenger Pigeon

There are several opportunities to learn more about the life and extinction of the Passenger Pigeon, a bird that ceased to exist 100 years ago as of next week. Here are some options:

Lafayette University in Easton will present "Requiem: Ectopistes migratorius," a multi-media exhibition that starts Monday, September 1, and continues through December 13. Fall artist-in-residence Michael Pestel's evolving exhibition will include a participatory gallery installation, videos and collaborative performances to mark the centennial. The exhibition will present opportunities to discuss such topics as extinction, endangered species, the concept of de-extinction, the history of the environmental movement, the science of ornithology, social history and habitat destruction.

• Location: Williams Center Gallery, 317 Hamilton Street, Easton
• Hours: Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.., and Saturday and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
• Admission: Free

The John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove will present an exhibit commemorating the centennial and encouraging people to work toward conservation of today's species. Local artists will present their works depicting the Passenger Pigeon and its extinction. The exhibit begins on September 13 and continues through November 15.

• Locaion: 1201 Pawlings Road in Audubon, Montgomery County
• Hours: Tuesday through Saturday noon to 4 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
• Admission: $5 for adults, $4 for seniors (ages 60 plus), $3 for children (ages 5 to 17). Children under 5 years old are admitted at no charge.

The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia maintains a Passenger Pigeon diorama on the third floor of the museum. The Academy possesses several specimens, including two from Haddonfield, New Jersey, that were collected between 1877 and 1879. The museum has a new sound composition, "Unfrozen in Time," which presents the voices of many North American birds and mammals.

• Location: 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia
• Hours: Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Admission: $15.95 for adults and teens (ages 13 and older) and $13.95 for children (ages 3-12)

Note: If you know of any additional exhibitions, displays or lectures on the Passenger Pigeon, please send us a note at birdhse@rcn.com. We'll be glad to pass the word along.

Books

A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction, by naturalist Joel Greenberg, is the first major work on the life and demise of the pigeon. A painstaking researcher, Greenberg sifted through tens of thousands of pages of 19th century and early 20th century newspaper clippings, scientific journals, correspondence, diary notations and minutia to present a book aimed at a general audience. Much of the material he collected is available online at Project Passenger Pigeon.

Lost Animals: Extinction and the Photographic Record, by Errol Fuller, is a visual presentation of 28 extinct species, including the Passenger Pigeon, the Carolina Parakeet, the Heath Hen and the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

Also you might wish to examine John C. French's The Passenger Pigeon in Pennsylvania. Published originally in 1919, it is now archived and available at no charge in book format, including illustrations. Click here.