The NYC Bird Alliance community is deeply saddened by the loss of longtime member, supporter, and friend Lenore Swenson, who passed away on June 18, 2024.

A devoted birder and naturalist, Lenore was a co-leader of NYC Bird Alliance's field trip committee in the 1990s and 2000s, organizing bird outings or serving as a volunteer guide to popular local sites such as Marine Park, Point Lookout, and Atlantique (Fire Island). Over the past few decades, Lenore was a frequent attender of the Jamaica Bay Shorebird Festival and Sunset Eco Cruises, but might be encountered birding anywhere in the New York City area. She contributed particularly to NYC Bird Alliance's efforts in Central Park: Lenore participated for many years in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, and is well known to many as a friend and fellow birder to the late Starr Saphir on her countless informative outings; she later kept Starr's memory alive by leading annual memorial walks. 

NYC Bird Alliance  remembers Lenore for her kindness, deep birding knowledge, and warm wit. She will be missed. 

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Alice Deutsch, Linnaean Society of New York Past President | September 9, 2024

Lenore Swenson, an active member of New York’s bird-, butterfly-, and dragonfly-watching communities, passed away on June 18, 2024, a few days short of her 78th birthday, after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Lenore grew up on Long Island and attended Valley Stream Central High School. She received an undergraduate degree from SUNY Stony Brook and a master’s from the New School for Social Research. She was a social worker for New York City for many years until she retired.

Lenore first joined the Linnaean Society [of New York] in 1994. She served as council member from 2011–2013 and again from 2014–2016. She was also chairperson of the field trips committee in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. She initiated and then led the Starr Saphir Spring Migration and Fall Migration Memorial Walks, beginning in 2014 up until the present. She was a Fellow of the Linnaean Society New York.

I first met Lenore in 2001, when I began attending Starr Saphir’s walks. She was Starr’s scribe, keeping detailed records about each walk as well as consulting with Starr about what we saw and heard. She was also an avid butterfly and dragonfly student, and freely shared her expertise with others around her. Her other interests included archaeology; before she was a birder, she traveled to Egypt and the Middle East to see ancient ruins. 

Lenore supported many nature organizations. She donated to the Long Island Nature Conservancy, which purchases key properties for conserving habitats, and was a member of New York City Bird Alliance (formerly NYC Audubon), New Jersey Audubon, National Audubon, Massachusetts Audubon, the Northeast Chapter of the American Littoral Society, the NYC Butterfly Club, the Appalachian Club, the American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Bird Club, and the Queens Bird Club.

She also traveled throughout the U.S. to see birds. As Kathleen Howley recalls, “Once she could afford a car, I remember she made a trip to Michigan specifically to see the Kirtland’s Warbler. Later, she laughed about it because the following year or so, a Kirtland’s was found in Central Park.” She also participated for many years in New York City Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count (CBC) as well as the Massachusetts CBC on Cape Cod.

Perhaps I can best describe Lenore from the numerous comments made by her friends and colleagues on social media:

 She was a veteran birder and a dedicated naturalist.

 She was a gentle person and a wonderful birder. 

 She had a passion for ornithology. 

 She was a patient source of bird wisdom. 

 I have good memories of observing nature with her. 

 Her passing is a huge loss for the nature community.

I miss her. Over the years Lenore became one of my closest birding buddies. She shared so much of her knowledge about birds—she was always my authority. I treasure her memory.

— Alice Deutsch, Linnaean Society New York Past President