Date: 10/19/24 4:55 pm From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] The passing of Davis Finch
Thanks to Steve Mirick for this news.
Barbara Volkle Northborough, MA <barb620...>
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Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2024 19:14:59 -0400 From: Steve Mirick <smirick...> Subject: The passing of Davis Finch
It is with great sadness that I have to share with you the passing of Davis Finch who died last night at the age of 87.
While new birders may not know of him, Davis was a legend to me in my early days of birding in the 1980's and 1990's. He co-founded Wings Bird Tours with Will Russell in 1973 and led the idyllic life of a birder who traveled around the world to see birds and share sightings with birdwatchers from around the world. Although Davis led bird trips all over the world, his specialty was in the tropics where he led more than 90 trips, concentrating on Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and especially Guyana in later years. I only came to know him personally in the 1990's and was proud and fortunate to be able to travel with Davis to Guyana in 1997 toward the end of his tour leading career. His skills as a birder and the breadth of his knowledge were incredible and respected by all.
While Davis spent a good part of his adult life traveling around the world, his home was always in East Kingston, and his contributions to New Hampshire's bird records spanned 7 decades with personal records dating back at least until 1953! Some of his noteworthy discoveries included the State's second record for Blue-winged Warbler in 1955, the third state record for House Finch in Errol (of all places!!) in 1967, the first State record of Fish Crow in Kingston in 1971, an Ash-throated Flycatcher in his yard in 2005, a Black Vulture in his yard in 2009 (back when they were rare in NH!), a Yellow-headed Blackbird in his yard in 2012, and more recently, the first (and only) State record of Eurasian Collared-Dove just down the street from his house in 2016. Many will recall Davis warmly welcoming birders into his yard to see many of the other rare and not so rare birds over the last 20 years. His famous "meat pile" was visited by wintering Bald Eagles, Vultures, and gulls, as well as the many birders and photographers who showed up to witness this spectacle!
His contributions to New Hampshire's bird records and his educational and conservation activities in the State culminated in New Hampshire Audubon awarding him the prestigious Goodhue-Elkins Award in 2016.
At this time, no services are planned; however, Davis would want any donations on his behalf to go to the Macaulay Library where he submitted 1,175 bird sound recordings from Guyana, obtained from 20 expeditions.
