Ray Ekstrom 1932 to 2025

[rrip...@charter.net]

Hello Klamath Basin Bird News subscribers,

 

I recently found out that long time bird watcher  Ray Ekstrom, Montague, California, has passed away.

 

Ray grew up and lived near Montague his whole life, but he knew the most about birds in Siskiyou County, California, of anyone I have every known. He traveled all over Siskiyou County to know and understand all of the species that lived there. That would include the refuges of northern California, Lower Klamath and Tule Lake NWRs. He came over to these refuges about 4-5 times a month starting at least from the mid 1970s  through the late 2010s,  when his vision changed and he just couldn't make the trip anymore. He kept neat checklists for all of his observations each and every time. His records account for most of the older rare birds seen for Siskyou County. He had many stories to tell of his encounters and what he observed. Many of those more rare observations have sketches that he drew himself to document the observations. 

I had the good fortune of knowing him already when I moved to Tulelake in 1989. He looked me up, and from then on, I had someone who was interested in what I had seen. Although he did not have a phone, even at his house, he made it a point to call me if he saw something rare. I was able to let him know of something I saw of interest, but that was not too often. 

He lived a long life. He appreciated it and loved birds. He couldn't stop watching. 

Peace Ray.

 

Kevin Spencer

Klamath Falls, OR