Ned Brinkley

jcdlm...@aol.com

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Nov 23, 2020, 8:56:03 AM11/23/20

to mdbi...@googlegroups.com

I just heard the terrible news that Virginia birder and world renowned birding expert Ned Brinkley died yesterday on a hike in Ecuador. Posting from the VA-BIRDS below.

Joel Martin

I just got a phone call from former Cornell undergrad and super birder Adam Byrne that our good friend Ned Brinkley died today in Ecuador on a birding trip. No details except he was hiking up a trail, got short of breathe, sat down and died.
>
> For those of you who were around in the 1990s, you will remember that Ned Brinkley was an irresistible force of nature who transformed the birding community here. He was getting his Ph.D. in German, but spent all his daylight hours birding. I think he only slept about 4 hours a night. When he was in charge of the Cayuga Bird Club field trips, and they were trying to decide on whether to have them on Saturdays or Sundays, Ned decided that we would do them on BOTH days, and he would lead them. He taught the Lab's World Series of Birding team, the Sapsuckers, how to win, turning us from a middle-of-the-pack team to champions!
>
> I'm not going to do an obituary tonight. I just wanted to get the word out. I know there are people on this list that knew Ned in the day, and will be saddened to learn of his death.
>
> Kevin
>
> Kevin J. McGowan, Ph.D.
> Senior Course Developer and Instructor
> Bird Academy
> Cornell Lab of Ornithology
> 159 Sapsucker Woods Road
> Ithaca, NY 14850

Marcia Balestri

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Nov 23, 2020, 9:01:57 AM11/23/20

to MD Birding

A great loss to the birding community.

_____________________

Marcia Balestri
Worcester County, Maryland
mebal...@gmail.com

“...ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science." Charles Darwin, 1871

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stan arnold

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Nov 23, 2020, 9:48:53 AM11/23/20

to Joel Martin, Maryland Birding

Thanks for passing this along, Joel. I did dozens of pelagic trips out of Virginia Beach, Manteo, and Hatteras back in the late 90s, and Ned was a trip leader on several of them. He was indeed as good as his reputation, and I was always delighted when he was on board. A big loss for the birding world.

Stan

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Chas Argent

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Nov 23, 2020, 9:57:40 AM11/23/20

to Maryland Birding

I can think of worse ways to go than birding in Ecuador.

~Chas

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/B58450CA-468F-467F-A930-A2DA950ECDFA%40gmail.com.

Gail Mackiernan

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Nov 23, 2020, 12:54:58 PM11/23/20

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Oh what terrible news! Have known Ned for decades, such a great person and wonderful birder. Also a wonderful editor of North American Birds too, for so many years. A complete shock...

Gail Mackiernan

Sent from my iPad

On Nov 23, 2020, at 8:55 AM, jcdlmartin via Maryland & DC Birding <mdbi...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

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Marcia Watson

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Nov 23, 2020, 2:23:12 PM11/23/20

to Gail Mackiernan, MDBi...@googlegroups.com

And a very talented writer and editor as well as birder. Very sad.

Marcia

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Marcia Watson

Patuxent Bird Club

https://patuxentbirdclub.org/

Maryland Ornithological Society

https://mdbirds.org/

Friends of Patuxent

http://www.friendsofpatuxent.org/

Bowie, Maryland

marsh...@comcast.net

On Nov 23, 2020, at 12:55 PM, Gail Mackiernan <katah...@comcast.net> wrote:

Oh what terrible news! Have known Ned for decades, such a great person and wonderful birder. Also a wonderful editor of North American Birds too, for so many years. A complete shock...

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/E6C88AC6-C552-4ED2-9294-0B31978035A0%40comcast.net.

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