I’m tremendously saddened to hear of the recent – and, to me, sudden – passing of master birder Rich Stallcup. Rich was one of the founders of the Point Reyes Bird Observatory (now PRBO Conservation Science). And he was one of the most insightful naturalists I’ve ever had the opportunity to go birding with (though, unfortunately, not often enough). Rich’s style of leading a outing wasn’t just, or even primarily, about bird identification. He would get you to look at the whole habitat from a bird’s perspective and think about what resources were available and what sort of bird might exploit them and how. I found it to be a very rich and rewarding way of seeing the landscape.
Rich was a very busy guy, but he had promised to write something for Bay Nature some day soon; all I can say, Rich, is that this is a helluva way to get out of that commitment.
Thanks so much for sharing your passion for, and deep knowledge of, birds with us for so many years. You’ll be greatly missed.
David Loeb, Publisher
Bay Nature magazine
Read PRBO’s Homage to Rich Stallcup:
A Champion for Conservation and All Things Wild
Past Bay Nature Articles about Rich:
Reporter’s Notebook Profile by Juliet Grable
2012 Interview by Paul Epstein
