Bob and I got together for dinners every month or two after he retired. I knew him from some bird events and a program for St Paul Audubon Socy chapter on Eskimo Curlew and another on shorebirds. Everyone who knew him knew that he never gave up on 'extinct' species, whether ESCU, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, or even Carolina Parakeet. He was a happy and optimistic guy. He spent much of his retirement continuing the search for IBWO in FL and LA and AR and even bought a new boat and trailer to access the bayous. He also knew good food and knew where the good food and the daily specials were.
I always looked forward to another dinner with him--- he knew so much about birds, especially shorebirds--- and I learned a lot from him. He also knew all about FWS bird conservation/recovery programs of many listed species--- a field he worked in for many years. When my friend Priscilla Dean died last year she had over 900 books in her house and a lot of bird books. I told the family about the MOU annual booksale and I picked up six boxes of books that I stored in my basement. I mentioned this to Bob and he offered to assess the books' values. He also knew that. So last fall we sat in my basement for hours while he gave a price on every one of the 104 books. I wrote the lists and gave them with the books to Liz Harper, who, with Alex Sundval, conducted the MOU annual mtg book sale (for several years now). Bob was very generous with his time. I was fortunate to attend his memorial service and both family and friends spoke of his generosity, friendliness, and happy character. When I was going to Tucson in March, Bob gave me his copy of Birder's Guide to Southeastern AZ. He said it was old and he would get the newer edition. After I got back we met for coffee and he said there was no 2nd edition. I set the book out to return to him when he got back from Spain and France. We talked on the phone after that trip and planned to have another dinner the next week, after he went to Ellsworth WI to do more volunteer work on the WI Breeding Bird Atlas survey. He said they did see the 'rarest bird in Europe'--- Bonelli's Eagle. The next week I left him a v-msg re. our dinner. Two days later Alyssa sent this message. Bob often said "that's a nice bird" whenever I mentioned Lucy's Warbler or Rufous-winged Sparrow or any other bird, really. I think he loved every bird. Bob was a "very nice birder" in many ways. Gordon Andersson St Paul -----Original Message----- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU] On Behalf Of Alyssa DeRubeis Sent: Wednesday, July 03, 2019 10:12 AM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: [mou-net] Bob Russell On Sunday, June 30, Bob Russell passed away. I didn't get a chance to meet him, but I know he had been an experienced longtime birder in the state of Minnesota and was formerly a US Fish and Wildlife Service biologist. Hopefully those who knew him better can share memories of him on this thread. Bob and I were friends on Facebook, and two days before his death, he commented the following on my post asking folks how they initially got captivated by nature. I thought some would appreciate reading it: Growing up in Chicago 4 blocks from Lake Michigan I encountered a myriad of migrating birds that fascinated me: high school boys rescuing an oiled White-winged Scoter; a Sora that wandered the backyard for several days that I kept the local dogs away from; a colony of Purple Martins in a huge stucco Martin house that was fascinating to watch; a flock of late migrating Golden-winged Warblers that foraged off a pumpkin vine. My father who tirelessly drove me around the Illinois countryside discovering a huge swallow colony in a quarry and my first kingbird showing his red. An ancient third grade nun teacher that had an incredible library of bird books to peruse when your assignments were completed. It takes a village! Rest in peace. Alyssa DeRubeis ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
