Robert Ridgway: When Amateur Bird Watching Became a Rigorous Science with Brian “Fox” Ellis

Brian “Fox” Ellis becomes Robert Ridgway, Illinois’ most pre-eminent bird man, to recall the history of the Audubon Society and the evolution of bird watching as it grew from a hobby to a scientific discipline. The Robert Ridgway Grasslands Nature Preserve south of Champaign is named for Ridgway, who grew up in Mount Carmel and retired to Olney, Illinois. He transected the western wilderness when he was still a teenager, did extensive work at the Smithsonian, took birding trips into Central America, and journeyed across Alaska with John Muir. 

Brian “Fox” Ellis is of Cherokee descent and has created more than a dozen one man shows featuring scientists. He is an internationally renowned storyteller, author and naturalist as well as a museum consultant who has worked with The Field Museum and The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. He leapt at the opportunity to portray Ridgway. Fox has not only read much of the canon produced by Ridgway and the scholarship about him, but he has also gone bird watching in many of Ridgway’s favorite places. Find out more about Brian “Fox” Ellis at this link: https://ilhumanities.org/speakers/brian-fox-ellis#bio.

This dynamic program, made possible by a grant from Illinois Humanities Road Scholars, is equal parts storytelling and discussion about birds and preserving habitat. Participants are invited to discuss and plan direct actions to improve the ecological health of their community. They will be given tools to become citizen scientists and encouraged to use art as part of their appreciation of birds and Illinois ecology.

Illinois Humanities is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Illinois General Assembly [through the Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA)], as well as by contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed by speakers, program participants, or audiences do not necessarily reflect those of the NEH, Illinois Humanities, IACA, our partnering organizations, or our funders.