Hi all,
I was sad to hear about Terry's passing from the post by Bill Tweit that was pitch perfect.
I did not get to spend a lot of time withTerry Wahl, but he was a definite presence in my life as I signed up, beginningin 1977, for trips in the ocean as well as the Salish Sea-;trips that existed solelybecause of him. I tended to join thecrowd around him at the back of the boat. It was evident that his wealth ofknowledge about the Sea, birds and ecosystems was immense, and it was so clearhe cared deeply, and what he said was always interesting. I had also picked up acopy of the book that he wrote with Dennis Paulson, Bird-Finding in WA state, andthat was my weekend guide then-;I ran across my copy the other day.
I remember his response when someone remarked in awe at theexcellent numbers we were seeing of some seabird, I can't remember or deduce which seabird. He said, "But the world is finite-;this habitatzone doesn't go on forever and they are restricted to it." Once Terry was atthe back of the boat and some incident being discussed caused him to say,"People aren't as unique as they think they are." He pointed to me-;for rhetoricalpurposes (I'm sure!)--and said he could predict what I would say or think aboutvarious subjects.The latter quote stuck in my mind. It may have helped topropel me on a course I was already starting on, toward some beliefs and opinions that Terry might not have predicted, and itbrings a tear to my eye to think I'll never get to hear Terry's thoughts on thoseor any other subject-;while keeping one eye out seabirds of course.

Thanks Terry,
Ed Newbold   ednewbold1 at yahoo.com   Beacon Hill