[Tweeters] Brian Bell

[N D]

May he find himself with the spirits of all those birds that are gone from
this world. (If there is such a wonderful animist afterlife.)

As a certifiable Marymoor-on, I felt privileged to walk with Brian (as I
have with Michael, Matt, Mason, Jordan and many others). Anyone who lets me
join their bird group and has the patience to teach me SO much about birds
during my time here jn the US, has really given me a gift that I will
hopefully be able to use for the rest of my life; also to share this joyful
art and science with others. It is not without a great deal of sadness that
i shall miss him and all my birding family as I prepare to leave for the UK
in Spring next year. I have been thinking about it a lot and hearing this
news is the saddest i have had for a while.

Brian used to put me in awe. Not just his birding acumen but his hardcore
approach to birding despite the rigors of being an elder. He will be
greatly missed.

Thank you for that obituary too. It should go in the Seattle Times imho.
Nadine

On Wed, Aug 9, 2023 at 17:52 Mason Flint <masonflint at outlook.com> wrote:


> I’ll miss Brian a lot. Near the end of our walk at Marymoor last week, he

> and I took the first row through the P-patch, walking slowly and enjoying

> the common birds we’ve enjoyed together over nearly 20 years. He was clearly

> tickled to see a young Rufous Hummingbird, telling me it looked like the

> same bird he saw in the at that spot a week earlier. I’m grateful to have

> that time with him.

>

> Mason Flint

> Bellevue

> ------------------------------

> *From:* Tweeters <tweeters-bounces at mailman11.u.washington.edu> on behalf

> of Dennis Paulson <dennispaulson at comcast.net>

> *Sent:* Wednesday, August 9, 2023 10:24:19 AM

> *To:* TWEETERS tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>

> *Subject:* Re: [Tweeters] Brian Bell

>

> I am so sorry to learn this unexpected news. Brian was always a special

> person and indeed has long been a pillar of the local birding community. He

> will be missed.

>

> Dennis Paulson

> Seattle

>

> > On Aug 9, 2023, at 8:43 AM, Michael Hobbs <birdmarymoor at gmail.com>

> wrote:

> >

> > It is with a very heavy heart that I relate that Brian Bell passed away

> last weekend.

> >

> > Brian arrived in the PNW in 1995, already a very serious birder.  He

> came to us from the Sacramento area, where he had been president of

> Sacramento Audubon, led and arranged field trips, helped manage the 400+

> acre Bobelaine Audubon Sanctuary along the Feather River, and was a

> co-author of Areas of Critical Concern, a book which identifies valuable

> natural areas in the greater Sacramento area.

> >

> > Once arriving here, he continued his strong interest in promoting

> birding and teaching others, becoming a board member for Eastside Audubon

> and the Washington Ornithological Society (WOS), serving as Field Trip

> Chair for Seattle Audubon, and leading field trips for Eastside Audubon,

> Seattle Audubon, WOS, the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival, and the Gray's

> Harbor Shorebird Festival.

> >

> > That's not just a few field trips.  He led probably at least 100 trips

> to Whidbey Island alone.  Brian led more field trips than any other birder

> I know, a huge commitment towards teaching people about birds and birding.

> Always, he not only led a field trip, but turned it into a learning

> experience for the participants.

> >

> > Besides leading trips, he also taught many classes for Seattle Audubon

> Society, Eastside Audubon Society, Shoreline Community College, and North

> Seattle Community College. The courses included: Beginning Birding, Birds

> of Puget Sound, Water Birds, Woodpeckers, Birding by Habitat, and Summer

> Birds of the Mountains.

> >

> > He was one of the early Seattle Audubon Master Birders.

> >

> > He ran his own guiding business under the business name of Peregrine

> Northwest, helping out-of-town birders find our local specialties.

> >

> > He authored of Birds of Washington State (from Lone Pine Publishing)

> >

> > In 2019, I was honored to present the Zella M. Schulz Award Brian at the

> WOS conference in Moses Lake.

> >

> > In addition to all of that, Brian was effectively the co-founder of the

> Marymoor Survey.  When we first met, on the boardwalk at Marymoor Park in

> 1995, it wasn’t even a survey yet; just me, a beginning birder, walking

> around and keeping a list once each week.

> >

> > Brian started coming out with me almost every week, and taught me

> everything he could.  Suddenly, “I” was finding more birds.  He taught me

> the concept of birding by ear, and then tirelessly worked to actually teach

> me the bird songs and calls.

> >

> > And this continued for over 1000 surveys from 1995 through our survey

> last week!  He also covered for me on 125 surveys when I was sick, injured,

> or out-of-town.

> >

> > The common theme throughout this list of contributions is that Brian

> made a tremendous commitment to teaching others, an amazing gift that a

> huge number of people have benefited from.

> >

> > I am sure that Brian will be greatly missed by the PNW birding

> community.  And I can’t even fathom the reality that he will no longer be

> birding at my elbow on every Thursday morning.

> >

> > = Michael Hobbs

> > _______________________________________________

> > Tweeters mailing list

> > Tweeters at u.washington.edu

> >

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