The Connecticut Audubon Society has named Patrick Comins as its executive director. Comins will begin his new job on July 17, replacing Nelson North, who is retiring after 10 years of leadership at the Fairfield-based nonprofit.

“It is humbling to walk in the footsteps of Mabel Osgood Wright, one of the giants of the early bird conservation movement,” said Comins, referring to the Connecticut Audubon Society’s co-founder and first president. “I intend to keep her original vision of ‘inspiring people to conserve nature’ as a key tenet as we refine a vision for 21st century conservation at the Connecticut Audubon Society.”

Comins is the director of bird conservation for Audubon Connecticut, the state office of the National Audubon Society; the Connecticut Audubon Society is an independent entity that predates the national organization. He is a past president of the Connecticut Ornithological Association and was the 2007 recipient of its Mabel Osgood Wright Award and 2017 President’s Award. He has written several articles on bird conservation and identification for the COA’s quarterly journal, The Connecticut Warbler, and is a regular contributor to Connecticut Audubon’s annual Connecticut State of the Birds report.