Tweeters and Inland Birders,

I was shocked and deeply saddened to hear of Patrick's sudden passing.
Over the years, I met Patrick and Ruth on numerous occasions in various
places around Washington (and Oregon), although I never got to know Patrick
as well as I would have liked to.

Patrick's enthusiasm for birding seemed boundless. However, what
distinguished him from many other birders was his willingness to share his
enthusiasm with others. He led many field trips for WOS and for local
groups. His long and detailed field trip reports to TWEETERS and INLAND NW
BIRDERS became legendary, and will be greatly missed.

If I have one memory of Patrick I would like to share, it would be at North
Cove in Pacific County, where the Black-tailed Gull had been appearing at
intervals for several weeks. When I arrived, there must have been a dozen
birders struggling to pick out the gull among hundreds of other gulls on the
beach, through a curtain of sea-fog. Sure enough, it was Patrick who first
picked out the gull for everyone else. After an hour or so of impaired
viewing, I left for Tokeland, then returned later in the day when the fog
had lifted. Patrick and Ruth were still there, taking pictures of the bird,
and we got much better and closer views of it than we had in the morning.

Ruth, my deepest sympathies go out to you.

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net