Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn An Oasis for Birds and Birders | Page 19

People and Happenings
Staff Profile: Alberto Parker
By Lauren Marsh
If you are a frequent visitor of Mount Auburn,
you probably know one of our security guards, Alberto
Parker, by his cheerful disposition. You might not know
that he also happens to be one of the few staff members to
have taken up birding.
Al has worked at Mount Auburn since 2005, and his
interest in birds began when he started bumping into our
resident wildlife photographers. “John Harrison was the
first–and from there so many others,” he says. Once he
was armed with some binoculars, he couldn’t be stopped.
Whether on one of our early morning bird walks offered
each spring or in the late afternoon when his shift ends
(and the bugs are out), Al loves walking the grounds finding
various species in the landscape.
He has no set route or routine, but he does have his
sweet spots. “Come migration I like the Dell, Laurel Ave,
Palm Ave. My favorite spots seem to change every year,” he
says. Deciding on a favorite bird proved more difficult for
Al. “I like the kingfisher–it has beautiful color, it’s a bird
that never stops. It’s always making noise and it just dive
bombs right in the water. I like them all, but the kingfisher
is one of my favorites.” As far as what to be on the look-
out for, Al’s tastes are also seasonal. “My favorite types of
birds are raptors, but in the springtime I like warblers. I like
anything that has to do with finding something. Warblers
are small and fast.”
Since it is Al’s job to patrol the Cemetery, which requires
him to drive about 40 miles a day, he is privy to many in-
teresting sightings not just limited to birds–flying squirrels,
muskrats, and a host of other woodland creatures abound,
but if he hears a bird in the mix, he’ll take a peek. Yet one
of his most remarkable moments as a birder occurred when
he wasn’t even purposely looking. “Last summer, I was at
the front assisting with a funeral and I had gone into the
office to get Jim Holman, and as we were coming out, we
saw two Bald Eagles fly over the Administration Building.
Grants Awarded
The Roy A. Hunt Foundation awarded
the Friends $7,500 in November towards
the rainwater collection system for the
new greenhouse facility. In December, the
Friends received $20,000 from the
Edwin S. Webster Foundation towards
priority projects. And in January 2012,
the Watertown Cultural Council
gave $500 towards our public programs.
Left to right, Accounting Manager Melinda Moulton with Volunteer
Christina DeLallo
That’s one of my most
memorable experiences
here.”
Concerning his re-
lationship with Mount
Auburn’s birding
community, he says,
“They let me know what
they see, and I let them
know what I see. They
On March 3rd, we had a table at the
email me pictures. I
Mass Audubon Birders Meeting where we
want to let everybody
chatted with members of the birding com-
know when I see some-
munity and gave out information about
thing. I’ll sometimes
Mount Auburn. Pictured above are Visitor
get a phone call from
Services Coordinator Jessica Bussmann
one of them telling me
and Alberto Parker.
where something is, and
I’ll go see it and add it to my list of birds that I keep on my
iPhone. I use a Mass Audubon app where you can pinpoint
where you saw the bird. And I always write on the Bird
Board out front, what I see and where I see it.”
Others appreciate Al’s enthusiasm for sharing as well. Artist,
naturalist, and educator Clare Walker Leslie says, “Although
I have been birding and drawing in Mount Auburn Cemetery
since l974, one of my most memorable moments is my
recent encounter with one of your security guards, Al. Al
loves the wildlife in Mount Auburn with an increasing and
genuine passion. He notices and cares for every moving
creature within your gates. Last week, I saw his truck parked
beside a Weeping Beech. In pure excitement, he pointed out
to me a Merlin eating a chickadee, high up and impossibly
hard to see at the top of the tree. Al is passing on his love
of nature to me, to everyone at Mount Auburn, and to his
family and, in so doing, is passing on a true passion to pro-
tect and honor all wildlife.”
Mount Auburn is an excellent place for novice birders
to start. Visit us some bright May morning for one of our
bird walks or on your own to have a glimpse at some of
our brilliant migrants–you might just spot Al in your travels
doing the very same!
Staff News
Finance Department gets Its First Volunteer
The Finance Department ended 2011 reaching a
milestone–our department’s first volunteer! Christine
DeLallo, who regularly works at the greenhouse,
provided much-needed support on the Department’s
offsite storage project. Over two days, she labeled and
detailed the contents of 97 boxes of financial records
and entered their contents into the Off Site Inventory
database. These boxes will be sent to an offsite storage
facility in the next few weeks. Thank you, Christine, for
a great job! We really appreciate your efforts and hard work!
Spring/Summer 2012 | 17