The Audubon Bird Mural Project, sponsored in part by the National Audubon Society, is an impressive effort to create murals of over 300 North American birds. Most of the murals are in the Harlem neighborhoods of Hamilton Heights and Washington Heights, where John James Audubon lived the last ten years of his life. All of the birds painted are threatened by climate change. So the project is designed not only to display the birds’ beauty, but also to make us aware of the challenges that they face. The artworks range from lovely panels that fill in a former window to spectacular murals covering the entire side of a building. We will see over 40 murals, plus Audubon’s grave site, in a 50-minute slide presentation with live commentary. There will be time afterwards for Q&A.  

Leigh is a licensed NYC tour guide who specializes in the Audubon Mural Project. She is passionate about exploring all five boroughs and beyond on foot, mostly through organized walking tours. Leigh is retired from a 36-year career as a non-profit librarian in New York City. She loves doing research about the neighborhoods in which she gives tours and sharing the information about them with attendees. Leigh is a feminist, collector, genealogist, and lover of arts, culture, and travel. After growing up in Westchester County, NY, and then living in Northern New Jersey for 35 years, Leigh moved to the Upper West Side of Manhattan in 2011.