There is only one place in Idaho where you can see bald eagles perched peacefully beside sage hens, mountain quail, mourning doves and 149 other species of birds. That place is the second floor of Boise State’s Science Building — otherwise known as the humble home of Idaho’s largest and oldest collection of native wild birds (all taxidermied, of course).
The 100 cases that line the second-floor hallways of the Science Building are visually striking: Most of the birds are posed in mating pairs before beautiful hand-painted pastoral backgrounds. Despite their age, the birds are in pristine condition, thanks to a lining of arsenic used to preserve them on the inside and protect from insect damage.
And this month, the priceless collection turns 75 years old.
The collection was commissioned in 1936 by the U.S. Biological Survey (now called the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and Idaho Wildlife Federation with the lofty goal of displaying all of Idaho’s 300 roughly native bird species at the Idaho State Capitol building. The collection, named the Idaho Wild Bird Exhibit, formally debuted at the state capitol in April of 1940 with mating pairs of waterfowl, birds of prey, upland game birds and a few song birds.
Unfortunately, the 75-year-old exhibit fell short of its goal to showcase every species — it only contains half the number, in part because Oscar Jenkins, the main taxidermist commissioned to complete the dioramas, died from arsenic poisoning in 1942 as a result of his work. Missing from the collection are song birds and rare birds that people didn’t know existed in Idaho at the time, like peregrine falcons, explained Boise State raptor biologist Marc Bechard.
The birds were displayed on the fourth floor of the state capitol for 32 years before relocating to Boise State in 1972. For years, the antique dioramas sat on donated Albertson’s store shelves. They were taxonomically arranged, starting with more primitive birds and graduating to more evolved birds (like songbirds and aerial hunters). Bechard recalls art students sitting quietly in the hallways sketching the mounts. About three years ago, the university purchased large new glass cases to house the collection.
The collection also contains a few mistakes. For instance, an adult goshawk is supposed to have red eyes but has yellow eyes instead. But even with its flaws, Bechard notes that the quality and variety of the collection is one of a kind.
“It would be incredibly difficult to recreate most of these exhibits now because most of the birds are federally protected,” Bechard said. The endangered sage hens, for instance. Or bald eagle. Or declining populations of harlequins and arctic squaw, species that may soon no longer call Idaho home.
“You can’t go out and shoot them. You’d have to find them dead, turn them into fish and game, and then find a taxidermist who was skilled enough to handle birds,” Bechard explained. “And since most taxidermists focus on big game, I don’t know if there’s anybody left in the state who could do this work well.”
BY: CIENNA MADRID PUBLISHED 10:16 AM / APRIL 22, 2015