Jackson Miles Abbott | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 25, 1920[1][2] Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.[1] |
| Died | May 3, 1988(1988-05-03) (aged 68)[3][2] Fairfax, Virginia, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | United States Army officer Birdwatcher[4] Painter |
Jackson Miles Abbott (January 25, 1920 – May 3, 1988) was an American Lieutenant Colonel in theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers, abirdwatcher and painter. He was the son ofwildlife artistJacob Bates Abbott. He is the only artist to ever place both first and second in the same year in theFederal Duck Stamp contest. The Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge atFort Belvoir inFairfax, Virginia was named in his honor.
Jackson Miles Abbott was born inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania in 1920.[1] He was the son ofwildlife painterJacob Bates Abbott.[2] As a youth, Abbott lived inNew England andsouthern California. He came intobirdwatching when he was six years old. He attendedSwarthmore College forzoology. In 1941 he joined theUnited States Army and in 1942 he was stationed in theCaribbean. For two years he designed and engineeredcamouflage for the Army. He graduated from theOfficer Candidate School in August, 1943. During World War II he earned aBronze Star Medal. Post-war, he became anintelligence officer and afield manual writer. In 1949 he became a Technical Intelligence Specialist for theArmy Map Service, working inKorea. In the United States ArmyCorps of Engineers he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.[1]
Upon joining the Army in 1941, Abbott started the Annual Christmas Bird Count at Fort Belvoir. The count has taken place yearly, as part of theAudubon Society. He lived and worked inAlexandria, Virginia, where he studied birds living on thePotomac River and the surrounding area. He focused on theAmerican bald eagle in the upperChesapeake Bay.[2] With the bald eagle, he studied their nesteggs. After observations, if an egg didn't eventually hatch, the egg would be taken to a laboratory and tested forDDT exposure.
Hebird ringed 1,400 birds during a seven-month period as part of a migration study by theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service.[1] In the early 1960s he produced a "bird hazard survey" atReagan National Airport for theCivil Aeronautics Administration. Abbott also ledland conservation efforts in the areas of northern Virginia. He helped conserveHuntley Meadows Park andDyke Marsh. He also fought against the spreading of thehydrilla plant in Potomac watershed.
As a writer on the subject of birds, he wrote a weekly column on birds forThe Washington Star and published works about the birds of Fort Belvoir, bird attraction and the birds ofTrinidad andTobago.
Abbott learned to draw from his father. In 1951 he began publishing his artwork.[5] He won theFederal Duck Stamp award in 1957–59 for his painting ofcommon eider. That same year, he also came in second, for his painting of thepale-bellied brant goose. He is the only person to ever place first and second in the duck stamp contest.[2] The common eider stamp was released on July 1, 1957, sold for $2 and sold over 2.35 million copies. In total, he created over 1,500 works in his lifetime.[5]
He died on May 3, 1988, of cancer inFairfax, Virginia. He was buried atArlington National Cemetery.[6] In 1989, theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers founded and named the Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge atFort Belvoir after him. The refuge is a 150-acre tract.[2] His archives reside in theSmithsonian Institution Archives.[4]