Jessica Wilson, NYC Bird Alliance Executive Director | January 31, 2025

NYC Bird Alliance mourns the passing of Peter Rhoades Mott, a longtime board member, dedicated leader, and passionate bird conservation advocate. Peter, who passed away on December 11, 2025 at the age of 92, left an indelible mark on the organization and the wider birding and conservation communities. 

Peter was involved with our organization for nearly four decades. He served on the board of NYC Bird Alliance (then called NYC Audubon) from 1985–2011, including two terms as President (1994–1998 and 2005–2009), and filled in as Interim Executive Director in 2001. After stepping down from the board, he continued as a member of the organization’s Advisory Council until his death.

Peter was born in New Jersey, studied at Yale and Harvard, and spent his early career as a high school science teacher in New England, raising three children with his wife Pat. In 1980 he moved to Orlando, Florida, where he soon became President of the Florida Audubon Society (FAS). Upon moving back north to New York City with his second wife Lenore, Peter returned to teaching high school, at Ethical Culture Fieldston School where he became an advocate for sustainability and a green campus.

“Peter guided NYC Audubon in extraordinary ways,” says Marcia Fowle, who served as executive director 1991–1998, and a board member from 1999–2016, including many years with Peter.  He was instrumental in shaping several of NYC Bird Alliance’s most important initiatives, including the Harbor Herons project, a long-standing initiative—now in its 40th year—focused on surveying and protecting nesting herons and egrets in the New York Harbor. E.J. McAdams, executive director from 2002–2006, notes that Peter was an early voice for creating the program and was always one of the survey’s “biggest champions.”

Under Peter’s leadership, the Harbor Herons program flourished, thanks in part to his ability to rally support and secure funding for the project. Susan Elbin, director of conservation and science from 2007–2019 recalls how Peter was a staunch supporter of vital programs, even stepping in to help raise funds for the Harbor Herons surveys when they were at risk. “The surveys were saved, and we didn’t have to have any holes in the dataset,” she remembers.

Peter’s passion for protecting birds extended beyond the City’s borders. His early work at Boston’s Logan Airport, where he observed bird migration patterns and the dangers posed by artificial lights, laid the groundwork for NYC Bird Alliance’s ongoing efforts to track birds at the 9/11 Tribute in Light Memorial starting in 2002. 

Peter’s influence on the organization extended well beyond his strategic contributions. He was a beloved mentor to many, and his ability to share his knowledge with others, especially those new to birding, made him a cherished figure in the NYC birding community. Glenn Phillips, executive director from 2007–2014 recalls that Peter’s field trips were always a highlight: “He was always willing to lead field trips—and he was great at it, filled with stories about birds and quick to identify most any bird he saw. He always insisted that I send a young staff member with him to ‘be his ears,’ as he hated that he couldn’t hear certain birds anymore.”

Peter’s dedication to teaching others was matched by his humility and sense of humor. Staff member Tod Winston, who worked with Peter when he first joined the NYC Audubon staff in 2010, fondly remembers their birding trips together: “Peter had a deep knowledge of ecology and a wry sense of humor: Once, when the group was disappointed that Snow Buntings had eluded us along a freezing beach, Peter joked that he’d ‘just glimpsed one, riding on the back of a Northern Gannet,’ far out at sea.”

Peter was a friend, a mentor, and a true champion of birds. Marcia Fowle again recalls his contributions to our cause: “Peter’s love of birds, his understanding and delight in their behavior, and his deeply rooted conservation concerns are ever-present in the work of NYC Bird Alliance.”

Peter’s memory will live on in our conservation efforts and in the many people he inspired throughout his decades of service.