Birdcraft Sanctuary

At the first meeting of the Connecticut Audubon Society held in Fairfield, on January 28, 1898, Mabel Osgood Wright (1859-1934), who had been instrumental in calling the meeting, was elected president. The Society's first annual report, issued four months later, reflected the initial program priorities by reporting that informative material on bird identification had been distributed to over 700 schools throughout the state and that the Society's total membership of 300 included 111 junior members, each of whom received a certificate and an Audubon button. Education programs, especially for school children, established as a major priority in the Connecticut Audubon Society's first several months of existence, continue as a major program priority to the present time.

Mrs. Wright published in the field and was influential and well known in wildlife conservation circles. In 1914 she coordinated her interests and capabilities in the establishment of Birdcraft Sanctuary, with the help of a generous patron, Angie Burr Jennings. Land next door to Mrs. Wright's house was available. The land was purchased and the bungalow and museum were built in 1914, with all costs underwritten by Miss Jennings. The name Birdcraft was selected for the Sanctuary because Mrs. Wright had published a book of that title in 1895.

The management of Birdcraft Sanctuary was placed in the hands of Frank J., Novak, who moved into the bungalow when it was built and lived there until 1971.5 Among his many talents was outstanding capability as a taxidermist which was useful in developing the museum displays that he built. Perhaps his greatest contribution was the influence that he had on early visitors who were encouraged by his work and his enthusiasm to pursue careers in wildlife conservation.

In the first decade, additions were made to the bungalow and the museum, and a small piece of land was added to round out the site. Later, the chimney was built in 1935 as a memorial to Mrs. Wright, and in 1939 and 1949 the stone wings of the museum were constructed. The lake increased in size in 1960. None of these alterations made a material change in the Sanctuary, but the advent of the Connecticut Turnpike was a major change in terms of reduction of the acreage and generation of substantial traffic noise. In general, however, the sameness of the appearance and ambiance of the Sanctuary today as compared with conditions in 1914 is far more striking than the changes.

Admittance to the natural area is limited to avoid undue disturbance of the wildlife, but the museum is readily accessible to all visitors. In 1923, 142 species of birds were seen at Birdcraft and 7,000 people visited the site. By the 1930s, visitors numbered 17,500 annually, and in 1980, 97 species and 2500 people were recorded. White-throated sparrows and warblers are the most numerous bird species.