In 2008, Baton Rouge author Danny Heitman published A Summer of Birds: John James Audubon at Oakley House, an account of the great ornithological artist’s visit in 1821 to the small town of St. Francisville, Louisiana, where he gathered specimens and drew at least 23 of the images later included in Birds of America. Many of the images in Heitman’s book were reproduced from originals in the LSU Libraries’ McIlhenny Natural History Collection, one of the finest collections of bird art in the United States.
Heitman is currently collaborating with Louisiana Public Broadcasting on a TV documentary version of A Summer of Birds. As part of this project, he recently returned to St. Francisville and walked once again in Audubon’s footsteps. In an article published in today’s issue of The Christian Science Monitor, he reflects on this experience and on how much has changed since 1821.
To read Heitman’s article, click on the link below:
