Alexander Burdo

Alexander Burdo
1996-2023
Alexander Gregory Burdo, 27, passed away on Sunday, October 29, 2023 surrounded by family and close friends. He was the beloved son of Gabrielle (Orrico) and Gerry Burdo, and brother to Isabelle and Olivia, all of Southport, CT. He was a remarkable human being both intellectually and in his purity of soul and intention. He was a true friend to many and left an indelible impression on everyone he met.
"Alex" was born on October 10, 1996 in Norwalk, and shared time between homes in Fairfield, CT and Yarmouth Port, MA. Though he enjoyed a wonderful upbringing in both locations, he found his greatest joy on Cape Cod where he had made his permanent home.
Alex had a deep love and respect for all birds, which he often credited with saving his life and his six years in remission; his favorite was the Florida scrub jay. From the age of ten he wanted to be an ornithologist and could often be seen with binoculars draped around his neck and a bird guide in hand. He traveled the globe to study his favorite creatures.
A 2015 graduate of Hopkins School in New Haven, Alex attended Brown University where he graduated in 2020 with an A.B. in Biology with honors and focus in Evolutionary Biology. Alex wrote for the Brown Political Review; was a member of the Kellner Lab and a teaching assistant. Additionally, Alex served as research assistant for two of his advisors studying a particular bird in Costa Rica, the white-collared manakin, the resulting work being prepared for publication. Alex also had the transformative experience of attending a study abroad program in South Africa through the Organization for Tropical Studies.
At thirteen, he became the youngest recipient of the 2010 L.L. Bean Outdoor Heroes award for his dedication to the Connecticut Audubon Society. He was a founding member and the first President of the Connecticut Young Birders Association and took part in banding at the Birdcraft Sanctuary in Fairfield; he was also a volunteer at the Wing Island Bird Banding Station in Brewster, MA. One of his favorite summer memories was working at the Bird Watcher's General Store in Orleans, MA. For many years he maintained his blog: alphelocoma.com, where he'd write about birds and travels.
Alex was involved with the Connecticut and Massachusetts Audubon Societies and participated regularly in the Christmas Bird Counts in both states. He managed several "big days" in Fairfield and on the Cape over the years and routinely conducted bird surveys, including the Waterfowl Survey in Yarmouth for the Cape Cod Bird Club. In May 2020, he broke the record for the most species seen in a town in Connecticut in one day. More recently, Alex served as an Avian Point-Count Technician at the Intermountain Bird Observatory in Montana, where he fell in love with that state and the people there, who helped broaden his political perspective.
Alex also had a strong passion for photography, politics, geography, history, astronomy, linguistics, music, the Boston Red Sox, the Miami Dolphins and University of Michigan football. Possessing a remarkable and diverse memory. Alex could relay the statistics for any major league player, name the songs and scientific names of thousands of birds, discuss the current sociopolitical conditions of the world and recite the lyrics of songs from the 1970's.
Despite his early diagnosis with osteosarcoma at age twelve, Alex didn't sit back and let life come to him; he sought it out. He filled every conversation with enthusiasm and positivity, never speaking down to another. He freely shared his infectious sense of humor and insights from his infinitely expansive mind, and thoroughly enjoyed his interactions with those close to him and acquaintances. No matter the state of his health, he didn't let the disease limit him, rather he used it to live life fully, casting away any thoughts of mortality. There were too many birds to see, baseball parks to visit, countries to explore, and people to laugh with and hug.
In addition to his parents and sisters, Alex is survived by two grandfathers, James Orrico, of Southport, and Guglielmo Burdo of Fairfield; his girlfriend, Anna Walters, of Cincinnati, OH; his best friend, Luc Langlois of Chicago, IL; the Ghiorzi family of West Palm Beach, FL; the Venezia family of Phoenixville, PA; and extended family and many friends. He was predeceased by his grandmothers, Marion (Brooks) Orrico and Carmela (Venezia) Burdo; as well as uncles, Christopher Orrico and Brian Orrico.
Please join us in celebrating Alex's life Thursday, November 9, 2023 at 11 a.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 661 Old Post Road, Fairfield, CT. The celebration will continue at 2:00 p.m at the Connecticut Audubon Society, 2325 Burr Street in Fairfield.
The family wishes to thank everyone who supported them through the years. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Alex's name to either the Connecticut Audubon Society, https://www.ctaudubon.org or the Massachusetts Audubon Society, https://www.massaudubon.org.
Whenever you see a bird, please think of Alex. To sign his online guestbook, please visit www.shaughnesseybanks.com.