Thank you to everyone for sharing their experiences with Todd. Mine were
somewhat different though equally impactful. I knew Todd as a teacher - he
was a world renowned invertebrate biologist and I got to take several field
classes from him including invertebrate biology while at UCSC as well as
several other fantastic courses. I recall him writing in large letters
across the black board in preparation for a visit to the intertidal at
Natural Bridges "ESCHEW VISTAS" He wanted us on our knees with faces up
close to really see the little critters attached to the rocks. But I
realize that this is the same approach he took to birding, that everyone
has shared so eloquently on this listserv - something along the lines of
pay attention and spend time actually seeing what you are seeing. I am a
better, more observant birder because of what he taught me about viewing
the intertidal and will be forever in his debt for how he helped me see our
natural world.
Brad Keitt
On Mon, Feb 16, 2026 at 12:19 PM Shantanu Phukan <phukan...>
wrote:
> My fondest memory of Todd was during a mid-spring day (I forget which
> year) when I attended a walk he was leading at Waddell Creek. Olive Sided
> Flycatchers had just returned for the summer and were singing up a storm on
> the high cliffs above us. It's a pretty distinctive song, and everyone
> could hear it and understand its mnemonic (quick-THREE-beers); but Todd
> stopped the group to tell us about what we were NOT hearing--the urgent
> pip-pip-pip call, and another call that I think I have never heard to this
> day. This, then, served as a springboard for a foray into bird names and
> why seemingly invisible traits (like the olive sides, or the red belly of
> the woodpecker) make it into bird names but other, more visible traits, do
> not. And so on. I was utterly charmed by the asides. It was an illustration
> of how bird identification could (and should) serve as a springboard for a
> whole host of other queries which make our lives richer. It was birding in
> its most expansive--and most human--sense. I have never experienced a bird
> walk like that again--ever.
> Shantanu Phukan
>
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