Passing of Cathy Eastburn

[Elaine Faletra]

Hi All,

It is with heavy heart that we report the unexpected passing of a friend and great Loon activist – Cathy Eastburn of Orford, NH. The Loons and lakes of NH/VT have lost a great advocate. 

We think her message to all of us would be this: be vigilant for loons in distress….those having trouble building nests, those spending too long incubating dead eggs, those trapped in winter ice, those with bobbers attached to their bodies, those with fishing line wrapped around their bills, those with chicks at risk of drowning by wakes of motor boats, etc.  This was Cathy.  She saved many a loon the past few years with the help of her friends and especially the Loon Preservation Committee.  She went on many a trip to rescue/band loons with them.  In the Spring, she would pull on her mud boots and decorate the Upper and Lower Baker Pond loon nesting platforms with weeds & moss. And in the Fall, she would patiently observe and document each chick until they finally set off to the ocean. Armed with her long zoom lens, she would patiently take pictures of leg bands - much to the gratification of LPC. Her last chick of this year departed just days before her passing.  Her devotion to loons was unparalleled.

She was more than a Loonatic – she saw other species that brought the 'cavalry' of Grafton birders by her side and made lasting friendships.  Most recently, she photographed a Leach’s Storm-Petrel on Upper Baker Pond that was blown off course during Hurricane Lee on Sept 16th - a first for the county!  She was out checking on her loons when this unusual bird passed her lens.  Knowing it was something special, she photographed and drove the 15 minutes to cell service to alert us, her bird friends.   This is the stuff Cathy did time and time again. Although she was not a dedicated contributor to eBird, she helped Citizen Science indirectly.  She brought awareness about loon safety to so many people through her advocacy. She was not ‘into’ County lists or competitions.  Instead, she brought her chair, camera, and umbrella and quietly let nature come to her.  Then she would alert us ‘cavalry’ eBirders of anything unusual.  I really enjoyed her approach of Quiet Birding and will continue in her honor.

She took incredible action shots and movies of our local wildlife.  Here are a few highlights of her photography: 

Loon Rescue on Lower Laker Pond with the Loon Preservation Committee - 13 Dec 2021: 

https://www.facebook.com/loonpreservationcommittee/posts/over-the-past-several-weeks-lpc-staff-and-volunteers-have-been-monitoring-a-juve/5101280933218074/

The Goofiest Great Blue Heron Squawking at Lake Morey - 7 October 2023: 

https://ebird.org/checklist/S152644664

Pine Grosbeaks at Upper Baker Pond - 12 Dec 2022: https://ebird.org/checklist/S123886626?_ga=2.137450096.1593280146.1701720454-1146314206.1701720454

Bald Eagles fighting over a deer carcass frozen into Lake Morey- 22 March 2023: 

https://ebird.org/checklist/S132016773

RIP Cathy.  You were a force!!!  We love you and we miss you and all the things you would have contributed going forward.

Please feel free to share any special memories you have with Cathy (either reply here or send to catherine.a...@gmail.com). We will combine and share with her family. 

Elaine Faletra & Catherine Holland

And all her friends

Grafton County, NH