Editorial

The City Is Not Just for the Pigeons

by Peter Walton & Helen Dunbeck

Black bird stickers on a four paned window in an office with two work stations

The view into the tree canopy from the fifth floor offices of the MCA.

Photo: Abraham Ritchie, © MCA Chicago

As the weather turns seasonally brisk with the recent arrival of fall, MCA staff—perched in their canopy-level offices—have begun watching as the birds of the midwest start their migration to warmer climes. Here, former staff members Helen Dunbeck and Peter Walton share their passion for ornithology.

A patch of lawn and a few trees surrounded by skyscrapers does not sound like a promising spot for bird-watching. Add a major thoroughfare—Chicago Avenue—and it sounds even less promising. But as bird-watchers know: as long as you have a tree, the birds will come to you; and as long as you have keen eyes, and maybe a pair of binoculars, you will see them.

And so it is, viewed from our fifth-floor aerie perch, that during spring and fall (blessed by our proximity to Lake Michigan) our modest trees are visited by a wide variety of migratory birds: American redstarts, indigo buntings, warblers aplenty, sapsuckers, creepers, chickadees, tanagers, flycatchers, and more. The redstarts are especially appealing, fanning their tails to display patches of orange on the predominantly black male (a true Halloween bird), and patches of yellow on the predominantly gray female. If there is an especially rare sighting (say a golden-winged warbler), our colleagues understand that business may be postponed for a few minutes. Not only are they okay with that, they frequently share our enthusiasm.

For the staff at the MCA, we have come to find that a love of art does indeed cross over to a keen appreciation of the natural world.

American Redstart Photo: Tom Prestby, courtesy of the artist
Bay-breasted Warbler Photo: Tom Prestby, courtesy of the artist
Indigo Bunting Photo: Tom Prestby, courtesy of the artist
Cerulean Warbler Photo: Tom Prestby, courtesy of the artist
Chestnut-sided Warbler Photo: Tom Prestby, courtesy of the artist
Mourning Warbler Photo: Tom Prestby, courtesy of the artist
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Photo: Tom Prestby, courtesy of the artist
Eastern Bluebird Photo: Tom Prestby, courtesy of the artist
White-winged Crossbill Photo: Tom Prestby, courtesy of the artist
Tree Swallow Photo: Tom Prestby, courtesy of the artist
Pileated Woodpecker Photo: Tom Prestby, courtesy of the artist

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About the Authors

Helen Dunbeck dedicated 37 years to the MCA and retired in July 2015 as the Director of Administration. She is also an avid birder.

A native of England, Peter Walton is the former Chief Financial Officer at the MCA, during which he oversaw the financial operations and budget of the museum, as well as the information systems, and worked closely with the Board and financial committees. Prior to becoming CFO, Walton was the museum’s Controller for three years, in addition to serving as a volunteer guide. With over 20 years of experience in public and private accounting and internal and external auditing and treasury at for-profit and not-for-profit entities such as the Quaker Oats Company, American Express, and Control Solutions International, Walton has expertise working with financial statement interpretation and preparation, analysis, modeling with spreadsheets, and control assessments. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, where he graduated with high honors, a BA from Oxford University, and a CPA equivalency from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.