[TN-Bird] Re: sad news
- From: Andrew Core <andrewcore@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: wkjames@xxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 13:41:13 -0700
Thanks Tony for the news, and to all for the remembrances. Many's the
morning I rose dark and early to go out with "Mr. Sharp" (as I called him
then) and spend the day tramping through fields and visiting spots that
only he knew. I'm very grateful for the time I had with him - he was a good
friend, even though he was almost 50 years older than me.
We did the Christmas Bird Count in Hiwassee a few times together in the
early 1990s, and looking back I'm amazed at his stamina. We'd leave
Knoxville at 5:45am and drive in the dark, with him keeping an eye out for
people who'd celebrated a bit too much the night before (the count was 1
Jan). We'd arrive in Gillespie Bend at dawn with temps in the 20s, frost
everywhere and Sandhill Cranes calling from somewhere behind the trees.
We'd then spend every minute (even the lunch break) poking in every thicket
for Hermit Thrushes, pulling over and tramping through random fields for
sparrows, scanning every patch of water for ducks and just generally having
a blast. Then he'd drive all the way back, again in the dark (I was too
young to drive or didn't have a car for many of our expeditions).
I still remember going up to Wind Rock Mountain to look for Golden-winged
Warblers, and having to stop at a little hole-in-the-wall used bookstore in
Oak Ridge on the way back to see if they had any "new" books in.
Here's one of my checklists from a day with him - wish I had better notes:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S2328849
Thanks Boyd, for always asking me to go with you! I didn't spot many of the
birds, and I didn't do much of the driving, and I'm forever in your debt. I
miss you, and the many mornings up on Sharp's Ridge, which I can only
assume was named for you. At least, it should be.
Andrew
--
Andrew Core
Southeast AZ RBA compiler
Tucson, AZ
On Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 6:48 AM, James, Wesley K <wkjames@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> Very sad news indeed. I only birded a few times with Boyd and I enjoyed
> those opportunities greatly.
> I will miss his periodic calls to me at my office, with his classic
> "Booyyd Sharp here" when I answered.
> He was very interested in water birds in general and he closely monitored
> several colonial wading/water bird nesting colonies on several local
> reservoirs. I always appreciated his reports and associated conversations.
> Boyd's passion for birding and bird life should be an inspiration for all
> of us. I know it was/is for me.
> Wes James
> Oak Ridge, TN
>
> Wes James, Senior Specialist
> Natural Resource Management
> Tennessee Valley Authority
> 260 Interchange Park Drive
> Lenoir City, Tennessee 37772
> 865-632-1312 (office)
> 865-207-3455 (mobile)
> wkjames@xxxxxxx
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: tn-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx On Behalf Of kde@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Tuesday, July 30, 2013 5:24 PM
> To: tonyheadrk@xxxxxxx
> Cc: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [TN-Bird] Re: sad news
>
>
>
> Truly another great loss for birding and birders in TN. Though his health
> kept him out of the field in recent years, Boyd was always a mainstay of
> birding around Knoxville in his yellow field jacket (which he had read made
> you visible to people but didn't scare the birds) with
> binoculars-on-a-stick
> and spotting scope on a gunstock. He took great pleasure in sharing his
> knowledge of birds and local birding areas with others.
>
> Like most Knoxville-area birders, I've spent many hours in the field with
> Boyd (though not as much as others have). I'm sure lots of stories will
> be told. Here are a few that come to mind...
>
> No matter how careful I was, he always complained that I slammed his car
> door too hard.
>
> He taught me how to cook Dinty Moore microwaveable meals on your engine
> block.
>
> He always answered the phone with "Boooyyyyyd" somehow making that 3
> sylables.
>
> While birding with the late Holly Overton many years ago, they found a
> Monk Parakeet in Knox Co. Boyd went back to his car for his shotgun to,
> umm, collect the specimen, yeah, that's it. Holly stopped him.
>
> Boyd had the 'Urban Commando' route on the Knoxville CBC and Knox Co
> Spring and Fall counts. It included such areas as Cedar Bluff and Walker
> Springs which, once upon a time, were very birdy, but now.... He knew
> every little wet spot and hidey hole that ever was in that area from the
> time it was all horse farms and which ones were still left, and he always
> came up with some good birds. Did you know Barn Owls used to nest in the
> Cedar Bluff area? Boyd did and could tell you when he last saw one in his
> back yard (late 70s or early 80s if my memory serves).
>
> While on a Knoxville CBC, as we were driving down Kingston Pike in west
> Knoxville, Boyd said, 'You know that pond in the entrance ramp to
> Pellissippi?'
> I said, 'Yeeaaahhh. Why?'
> 'Well, I'm going to pull over, you jump out, run up the entrance ramp, see
> how many Woodies and Ring-necks are there, then meet me back in the
> Calhoun's parking lot.'
> Before I could protest on fear of my life, the car stopped.
> 'And don't slam the car door when you get out.'
> Somehow I survived the traffic but still got yelled at for slamming the
> door. Don't ask me how many ducks were there... I'm pretty sure I just
> made up a number.
>
> On a trip to Rankin Bottoms, Boyd and I were sitting under one of the
> trees scoping shorebirds when a Cicada Killer came in, grabbed a cicada,
> struggled and failed to fly off with it, then dragged it off into the
> grass to her burrow. Boyd was amazed, and that was the highlight of the
> trip. He kept talking about it on the long drive back to Knoxville. A
> few days later he showed up at my house with a copy of an old naturalist
> book which contained a chapter describing Cicada Killer behavior. I still
> have that book. Maybe I'll read that chapter to Daniel tonight at
> bedtime.
>
> God Bless ya, Boyd.
>
>
> Dean Edwards
> Knoxville, TN
>
>
> On Tue, 30 Jul 2013, tonyheadrk@xxxxxxx wrote:
>
> > i am very sad to report the passing of long time KTOS member Boyd
> > Sharp..Boyd was a great friend to many birders around our area and will
> > be greatly missed in the birding community..he died yesterday the 29th
> > after a long illness..on a personal note,Boyd and I spent a lot of time
> > birding and doing Christmas counts,he always wanted to get it right when
> > identifying birds.He was a great mentor to myself and many
> > others..services are pending..check the Knoxville newspaper for
> > details..we now have lost two great birders and personalities with
> > passing recently of Nancy Tanner and now Boyd..Boyd would want those who
> > knew him to"always remember to look up".. as he told me many,many
> > times..goodbye my dear friend
>
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