Thank You, Fitz! Celebrating 26 Years of Vision and Impact

Photo by Jason Koski.

Lifelong bird lover, gifted speaker, great listener, intrepid explorer, acclaimed scientist, and visionary director. Those are some of the qualities that John W. Fitzpatrick has woven into the fabric of the Cornell Lab over the last quarter-century. Together, they create in Fitz that rare ability to make the impossible possible, and the ordinary, extraordinary.

During Fitz’s storied time at the helm of the Cornell Lab, he’s transformed the institution from a respected regional research outfit into a world-recognized authority in citizen science, evolutionary biology, big-data science, bioacoustics, conservation filmmaking, and public outreach and engagement. Through it all, he’s embodied the Lab’s twin ideals of academic excellence and popular approachability, carrying on Lab founder Arthur Allen’s famous challenge to “throw open the doors to ornithology” so that anyone can participate.

Through each chapter of his career, Fitz has never lost his childhood reverence for the beauty, complexity, and wonder of birds. Those are the same qualities that captivate tens of millions of birdwatchers worldwide, and make birds such a potent force for global conservation—the ultimate goal of all Fitz’s endeavors over the years.

John W. Fitzpatrick in 80s black-and-white photo
Following positions at the Field Museum and Archbold Biological Station, Fitz became director of the Cornell Lab in 1995. Photo courtesy Molly Fitzpatrick.
early photo of John Fitzpatrick with two brothers
He grew up in Minnesota in the 1950s and was a birder from the time he was six years old. Photo courtesy of Phil Fitzpatrick.
John Fitzpatrick on mountaintop in Peru overlooking river valley
Fitz spent much of his early career exploring in Peru. Photo courtesy David Willard.
side by side photos of John Fitzpatrick taken 9 years apart, wearing same red backpack
His expeditions to South America spanned a decade and resulted in the scientific description of several new species. Photos courtesy David Willard.
artwork of large blue-black hummingbird, painted by John Fitzpatrick, next to photo of same species
Fitz is an accomplished artist, and he illustrated several of his scientific papers. At right, Fitz holds one of the first known specimens of the Royal Sunangel; at left is Fitz’s painting of the male and female, which accompanied his 1979 article describing the new species. Painting by John W. Fitzpatrick; photo courtesy Dave Willard.
John Fitzpatrick in 1980s, Florida Scrub-Jay perched on his hand
In the 1980s, Fitz pivoted his focus to the fascinating social structure of the Florida Scrub-Jay, work begun by Glenn Woolfenden, one of Fitz’s early mentors. Photo courtesy Molly Fitzpatrick..
John Fitzpatrick with scrub-jay perched on hand, taken in 2000s
The work has become one of the longest-running studies of any bird species. Except for the year 2020, Fitz has participated in annual fieldwork every year since 1972. Photo by Molly Fitzpatrick.
John and Molly Fitzpatrick survey the Florida scrub, 1980s
Fitz and his wife, Molly Fitzpatrick, survey the Florida scrub in 1985. Photo courtesy Molly Fitzpatrick.
John Fitzpatrick stands at edge of burned scrub, Florida
Fitz has long been a champion of the role of frequent fires in maintaining habitat for Florida Scrub-Jays. Prescribed fire has become a key component of the species’ conservation. Photo by Molly Fitzpatrick.
John Fitzpatrick and artist Charley Harper, in wheelchair, next to his artwork
The renowned artist Charley Harper designed a poster for the occasion of the Lab’s new building dedication, in 2003. Photo: Cornell Lab archives.
John Fitzpatrick wearing camo, sitting in canoe in swamp
A camo-clad Fitz listens for Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in an Arkansas swamp in 2004. Photo: Cornell Lab archives.
full view of the Wall of Birds mural
A staunch believer in the artistic value of birds, Fitz pushed for the Lab to embrace great art, including the massive Wall of Birds, by Jane Kim, which depicts every family of birds across a 3-story-high map of the world in our visitor center. Photo by Karen Rodriguez.
John Fitzpatrick rests in undergrowth after following a bird he'd never seen before
Ever the irrepressible birder, Fitz was intent on adding a “lifer family” to his list during a visit to India. He crawled through the undergrowth to glimpse his first Indian Pitta—and emerged beaming. Photo by Sahas Barve.
John Fitzpatrick speaks to a group of young birdwatchers on a forested road
Combining two of his favorite activities, birding and mentoring, Fitz speaks to Young BIrders Event attendees in 2011. Photo by Chris Wood.
most of the Cornell Lab staff gather on the patio outside the Cornell Lab offices
Over Fitz’s 26 years of leadership, the Lab has grown from a staff of a few dozen to a vibrant group of more than 250 people dedicated to the Lab’s mission to interpret and conserve the earth’s biodiversity. Photo: Cornell Lab archives.

Selected Milestones From a Long Tenure at the Lab

1995 John W. Fitzpatrick arrives as Louis Aggasiz Fuertes director.

1997 Imogene Powers Johnson senior scientist position established; first step in Fitz’s goal to expand the academic impact of the Lab.

1998 First year of the Great Backyard Bird Count, one of the Lab’s signature early citizen science projects.

1999 Robert G. Engel Professor of Ornithology established; Elephant Listening Project founded.

2000 Lab achieves Fitz’s goal of six-member faculty; digitization of sound archive begins in the newly named Macaulay Library.

2002 eBird launches; Arthur A. Allen Director of Citizen Science endowed position established.

2003 Lab’s new, 90,000 square foot building, the Imogene Powers Johnson Center for Birds and Biodiversity, opens.

2004 Birds of North America Online launches; the Handbook of Bird Biology, the Lab’s college-level ornithology textbook, is published.

2005 Rediscovery of Ivory-billed Woodpecker announced in Science article.

2006 Macaulay Library archive goes online with 80,000 sound and video clips.

2007 Bioacoustics program begins issuing real-time warnings for endangered right whales in Massachusetts Bay; Celebrate Urban Birds project onboards 2,500 community groups.

2009 First State of the Birds report published, following request by President Bush.

2010 All About Birds website wins a Webby award. Multimedia program spends months documenting impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. First Young Birders Event held (now an annual event).

2011 The Lab’s capital campaign kicks off, eventually raising more than $100 million in honor of the Lab’s centennial, in 2015.

2013 Merlin Bird ID launches; a free app downloaded by more than 6 million people.

2015 Jane Kim finishes her epic Wall of Birds mural. Fitz paints the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher as a nod to his lifelong interest in both art and flycatchers.

2016 Fitz wins Schreiber Award for extraordinary scientific contributions to conservation of birds.

2019 3 Billion Birds paper published in Science, alerting the world to steep declines in birds and kicking off a 7 Simple Actions campaign to help people take action to bring birds back.

2020 Fitz is elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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Golden-cheeked Warbler by Bryan Calk/Macaulay Library