Yesterday I learned that Paul Gillen of Southold, Long Island, died last week. Many of you will remember Paul as the fellow who found the Black-tailed Godwit in Eastport many years ago. Before that Paul was one of the the first birders in the modern era to find a bona fide Franklin's Gull, a first-year bird that spent several weeks cadging handouts in the parking lot of the Riverhead McDonald's. For many of us, that was the first Franklin's Gull we had seen in New York. Paul was a regular contributor throughout the years that I compiled East End Birds. Even as his abilities diminished in recent years, he remained active in the field and was often the first to report the rare waterfowl of Lake Marratooka. I, for one, am very saddened to learn of his demise even though I did not know him well.
-- Hugh McGuinness Washington, D.C. -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
