I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y C L A I R E E M O R Y ' 9 0 ; N O T E B O O K P R O V I D E D B Y T H E H O T C H K I S S S C H O O L A R C H I V E S
The Beeslick Brook Woods, more than 200 acres of primordial woodland thick with hemlock, oak, ash, cedar, and sugar maple trees; and the 280-acre Fairfield Farm, are both abundantly rich in flora and fauna. It was great because here was a faculty member who recognized I had an interest and fostered it.” McDowell is still an avid birder on Martha’s Vineyard, where he photographs birds extensively and occasionally writes about them. Russell Hansen, who taught physics at Hotchkiss between 1968 and 1986, took stunning bird photographs, some of which were published in National Geographic. He shared his expertise with student birders, including Alexander (Alex) Brash ’77, the current president of the Connecticut Audubon Society.
} LIKE MATTHIESSEN, BRASH HAD AN interest in birds from the time he was a child. But his obsession really took hold when as a prep he witnessed a Brown Creeper hit one of the library’s windows and luckily recover from its dazed state. Holding the injured bird and noting its camouflage plumage and unique tree-gripping talons, he became enchanted with the beauty and diversity of birds. Soon after, he connected with Hansen, and their shared fondness for birds ignited a lifelong interest. Another birder, Rhys Bowen ’78, son of Anne and the late Jerry Bowen ’42, who taught English at Hotchkiss for 36 years, grew up on campus; and, as a toddler he caught frogs and salamanders in the Stink Swamp. But it was when he returned to Hotchkiss to teach biology after graduating from Harvard that a professional interest in ornithology blossomed, in part because of the pure abundance of birds
here. After leaving Hotchkiss, Bowen spent 15 years studying the Northern Harrier, which has been listed on the Massachusetts Endangered Species list since 1995. The Hotchkiss community has had even more opportunities to observe wildlife since the School’s acquisition of Fairfield Farm, a process that began in 2004 and was made possible through the generosity of owners Jeanne and John Blum ’47, a former Hotchkiss trustee and former Connecticut commissioner of agriculture. Retired biology instructor Jim Morrill was instrumental in designing a nature trail highlighting the salient aspects of the Farm’s three main ecosystems: forests, grasslands, and wetlands. Early on, Charles Noyes ’78, art instructor, lifelong outdoorsman, and curriculum coordinator for the Fairfield Farm Ecosystems and Adventure Team (FFEAT), developed a birding list to help students identify species found on the Farm and along Long Pond Trail and Beaver Pond Trail. “Having students and adults look for and recognize a few of the myriad bird species that populate our woods, fields, fencerows, and backyards makes a simple trek between dorms or around the barns a vastly richer experience,” Noyes said. The Hotchkiss English department also has a long tradition of appreciating nature, beginning with Richard Gurney, and continuing with Robert Hawkins, Lyle (Blair) Torrey Jr. ’50, and Geoffrey Marchant, and currently with
Christopher Burchfield and Poet-in-Residence Susan Kinsolving. All used nature as inspiration for students’ creative writing. Nature walks or “saunters” were a popular elective under Marchant, who encouraged his students to write about their observations. Some learned to identify birds and their songs. Among them was Charlotte Searle ’13, who described her astonishment on seeing a Baltimore Oriole: “Mr. Marchant suddenly came to a halt, arms open with anticipation. We could see his eyes widening as a sound rang in our ears – a sound which at the time seemed foreign. He stepped a few feet forward, seeking the source of the sound in the trees above. All of a sudden a spot of orange flashed in my peripherals and I pointed up at a branch hovering in a nearby tree with excitement. Within a second, all binoculars were out. The entire group was bug-eyed and searching, trying to detect the orange amongst the endless green. When it was spotted, the entire class became silent.”
Now a sophomore at the University of Virginia, Searle said those experiences gave her a deep appreciation for nature that has persisted even during her busy college years. “I do not necessarily remember the names and habits of all the birds we studied,” Searle said. “But what has really stuck with me is the importance of patient observation. It is hard to remember to take a moment out of our hectic lives to stop and look up – or to simply listen.” S u m m e r
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