The Connecticut Audubon Society Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary, also known as Birdcraft Museum & Sanctuary or simply Birdcraft Sanctuary, in

Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. Located within the New York metropolitan area ...

is the oldest private songbird

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was established in 1914 by

Mabel Osgood Wright Mabel Osgood Wright (January 26, 1859 – July 16, 1934) was an American author. She was an early leader in the Audubon movement who wrote extensively about nature and birds. Early years and education Mabel Osgood was the daughter of Samuel and ...

. The site was originally planted as a refuge to attract, harbor and feed migratory and resident birds. The

Connecticut Audubon Society The Connecticut Audubon Society, founded in 1898 and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "conserving Connecticut’s environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on the state’s bir ...

has documented sightings of more than 120 species of birds at this site, and the organization has operated a

bird banding Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight ...

station here since 1979. The natural history museum contains mounted preserved animals displayed in

dioramas A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle mode ...

depicting Connecticut's wildlife as it existed at the end of the 20th century, as well as the Frederick T. Bedford Collection of African Animals. Structures at the sanctuary include a frame bungalow and a museum building, the former built as a caretaker's residence. Significant man-made or man-sculpted features of the sanctuary include a pond, gardens, and meadows, as well as a

chimney A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typic ...

constructed as a nesting spot for

chimney swift The chimney swift (''Chaetura pelagica'') is a bird belonging to the swift family Apodidae. A member of the genus ''Chaetura'', it is closely related to both the Vaux's swift and the Chapman's swift; in the past, the three were sometimes conside ...

s. Most of these structures were built in 1914, although the museum and bungalow have both been enlarged (substantially in the case of the museum) since then. The Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1982, and was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1993. Its establishment marked the revival of a bird conservation movement which had begun in the 1880s but languished and declined since then. and The property is one of five nature centers and 19 wildlife sanctuaries operated by Connecticut Audubon, which is not affiliated with the

National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organ ...

Connecticut Audubon Birdcraft Museum Shore Bird Diorama

Connecticut Audubon Birdcraft Museum African animal heads

References

External links

Connecticut Audubon Society Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary website
(official site) {{DEFAULTSORT:Connecticut Audubon Society Birdcraft Museum And Sanctuary National Historic Landmarks in Connecticut Buildings and structures in Fairfield, Connecticut Museums in Fairfield County, Connecticut Connecticut Audubon Society 1914 establishments in Connecticut Natural history museums in Connecticut Museums on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Fairfield County, Connecticut Nature centers in Connecticut

See also

References

External links