Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn An Oasis for Birds and Birders | Page 3

“T he B irding T ribe :”
A Celebration of Mount Auburn’s Birding Community
Edited by Bree D. Harvey, Vice President of External Affairs
and Lauren Marsh, Communications, Grants & Events Coordinator
I
n its 180-year history, Mount Auburn has come to mean
many things to many individuals. From a place of solace
and comfort for the bereaved to an urban oasis where
people come to retreat into nature, there are countless feelings
and memories tied to this national treasure. For many people,
memories of Mount Auburn are associated with its orni-
thol ogical ties, as an important habitat for year-round and
migratory birds that welcomes not only the birds themselves
but also thousands of bird watchers.
The history of birding at Mount Auburn begins before
the Cemetery’s founding in 1831, when early naturalists
visited the woods of “Sweet Auburn.” As a boy growing
up in Cambridge during the 19th century, ornithologist
William Brewster (see page 12) included Mount Auburn
and its vicinity in his regular birding excursions. The credit
for turning Mount Auburn into the popular bird watching
destination it has since become, however, goes to Ludlow
Griscom, “the patron saint of modern birding.” Griscom, who,
like Brewster, is buried at Mount Auburn, began birding
here regularly in the first half of the 20th century and
authored the Cemetery’s first bird list in 1939-1940. He
solidified Mount Auburn’s place of importance in the bird-
ing community, a group as vibrant and diverse as the birds
they come here to find. Though birders do frequent Mount
Auburn throughout the year, the Cemetery’s importance to
the birding community is most obvious during the spring.
An early morning visit to Mount Auburn in late April or
May looks like no other time of year: the Cemetery is buzz-
ing with scores of birders looking for the newest feathered
visitor, capturing images of the smallest and most colorful
specimens, and animatedly discussing their findings.
As Mount Auburn’s importance in the birding community
can really only be told through the birders themselves, we
first spoke with our good friend, Bob Stymeist, to hear his
memories of birding at Mount Auburn for more than fifty
years. We then asked our community of birders to share
with us their favorite memories of this place. Many birders
also shared wonderful photographs taken at the Cemetery
through the years, which now illustrate this entire issue. The
outpouring of quotes, anecdotes, and colorful images that we
received perfectly tell this fascinating part of Mount Auburn’s
story. We are also reminded of another of the many ways that
Mount Auburn remains true to the vision of our founders,
as a place where the beauties of nature inspire the living.
Spring/Summer 2012 | 1