Roger Tory Peterson's Birthday August 28, 1908

Roger Tory Peterson (August 28, 1908 – July 28, 1996), was an American naturalist, ornithologist, artist, and educator, and one of the founding inspirations for the 20th century environmental movement.

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History website explains how Peterson’s seventh grade teacher liked to use nature to inspire her class to learn writing, art and science. While they hiked in the woods, Peterson and a classmate investigated a seemingly lifeless clump of brown feathers.

Peterson once recalled: “I poked it and it burst into color, with the red on the back of its head and the gold on its wing. It was the contrast, you see, between something I thought was dead and something so alive. Like a resurrection. I came to believe birds are the most vivid reflection of life. It made me aware of the world in which we live.”

At the age of 11, Peterson’s up close encounter with a resting Northern Flicker shaped the rest of his life.

Related Articles:

• Northern Flicker Roosts Alone in the Winter http://bit.ly/zouUF6
• Northern Flicker Stops by for a Surprise Visit http://bit.ly/Aouqjf
• Fun Facts about Woodpeckers http://bit.ly/yGoOUc
• Why Flickers Flick Seeds from Feeders? http://bit.ly/Ar0Rin
• How many woodpeckers are in Michigan? http://bit.ly/x5PGT1