Thank-you for posting this, Andy. Bill would post his sightings to the birding lists almost every time he went birding. Of course, he saw Cormorants a lot but he would never simply say that he saw 500 Double-crested Cormorants. Instead, it was 500 beautiful Double-crested Cormorants. Bill had deeply held beliefs which were usually based on science and he never wavered from advancing his principles.
A great loss, indeed. Willie D’Anna Wilson, NY From: Andy Mason [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2015 1:34 PM To: 'Angus Wilson'; 'NYSBIRDS_L' Cc: [email protected]; 'Willie D'Anna and Betsy Potter' Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Bill Watson - Rest in Peace I will add to Angus’ remembrance that Bill was a fine conservationist also. He loved cormorants—one of a small minority—and worked with NYSOA in our attempts to curtail DEC’s heavy-handed management of these birds in the Niagara region and elsewhere. Bill participated in a meeting with DEC officials a few years ago, and his well-documented observations and records of cormorants on the Niagara River impressed and were respected by all involved. A great loss. Andy Mason, Conservation Chair NY State Ornithological Assoc. Andrew Mason 1039 Peck St. Jefferson, NY 12093 (607) 652-2162 [email protected] From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Angus Wilson Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2015 12:01 PM To: NYSBIRDS_L Cc: [email protected]; Willie D'Anna and Betsy Potter Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] Bill Watson - Rest in Peace Dear Willie, Thank you for sharing the news of Bill's recent illness and sadly of his passing. To echo your fond remembrances I can add that Bill Watson was also a prolific contributor to the New York State Avian Records Committee (NYSARC). Every year we received a stack of carefully written reports from 'WW' describing the reviewable rarities that he had either found himself or had chased. The vast majority of his submissions were of course accepted after Committee review but never once did he grumble to us about the few that weren't. To take just one recent example, his report on the 2014 Jefferson County ptarmigan, which is currently in review, was exemplary in its observation and detail, even down to the 'milky grayish white' toenails. His pleasure in seeing and studying this spectacular rarity is rendered vividly in his description and his thoughtful justification for its identification as a Willow rather than Rock Ptarmigan. Bill will be remembered as a wonderful role model to us all as birders. He was a diligent and enthusiastic observer, clearly a good field companion to many, and a significant contributor to the permanent ornithological record for western and central New York State. We at NYSARC will most definitely miss hearing from him. Angus Wilson Chair, New York State Avian Records Committee (NYSARC) New York State Ornithological Association (NYSOA) -- NYSbirds-L List Info: <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME> Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES> Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html> <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html> Please submit your observations to <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/> eBird! -- -- 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/ --
