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Date: 2/15/26 3:34 pm From: Lois Goldfrank <loisg...> Subject: Re: [MBBIRDS] Todd Newberry
Wally and I arrived at Merrill College in 1968, and Todd and Louise were among our first friends here. We were not birders then, and I don’t know even if Todd was actively birding . But we went on one of our first bird walks with him about 20 years later at the Arboretum and were quickly hooked. He showed us many of his favorite places and patiently answered our questions, often by posing others, as the wonderful teacher he was. My favorite memory took place at the Arboretum years later.Early one morning I was walking down a path, partly hidden by trees. As I came around a corner, there stood Todd - with a strip of red felt on the top of his head. He looked a little surprised to see me, and I was very surprised by the red fabric he was sporting. What was he doing? Imitating a Ruby -crowned Kinglet to see if he could get it to show its crown! Apparently once he’d seen this happen to a redheaded student so, always the scientist, he was conducting his own experiment. Here’s to Todd, an Ardent Birder indeed! > On Feb 15, 2026, at 2:56 PM, Lorrie Klosterman <loklosterman...> wrote: > > About 10 years ago, Todd was leading a bird walk for docents at Año Nuevo State Park. I was delighted at the opportunity to learn from a master, eager to learn which birds we might see while guiding a tour. He was surprisingly (to me at that time) casual about needing to identify everything. "You can always figure that out," he counseled, and instead encouraged us to enjoy the ecosystem and it's greater ecology. I think of that periodically, and sometimes give myself permission to not identify whatever flits by when I'm on a walk (you know how tempting/addictive that is). "It's a bird," I declare, and let it disappear into the landscape. > Thanks for posting, > Lorrie Klosterman > Berkeley and Santa Cruz > > On Sun, Feb 15, 2026, 14:25 'Elizabeth Van Dyke' via mbbirds <mbbirds...> <mailto:<mbbirds...>> wrote: >> If you have not heard yet, Todd Newberry, a legend in the birding and other communities, passed away on Monday, February 9, 2026. >> >> I had the honor of being the Conservation Officer way back when Todd was President of the Santa Cruz Bird Club. He kindly and generously shared his time, knowledge and philosophy with many in the community. As I write this and hear the birdsong in my yard, I thank Todd for opening the doors to understanding each of these voices. >> >> He was a founding faculty member in biology when UC Santa Cruz opened in 1965. >> >> If anyone has a Todd story I’m sure others will appreciate hearing about it. >> >> Here is a link to the UC Santa Cruz Regional History Project titled "Todd Newberry: Professor of Biology”. It is an oral history by Randall Jerrell with contributions by Irene Reti. >> >> escholarship.org >> >> <https://escholarship.org/uc/item/79k9m51b>escholarship.org <https://escholarship.org/uc/item/79k9m51b> <https://escholarship.org/uc/item/79k9m51b> >> >> == >> >> This is a link to one of his books titled "The Ardent Birder". >> >> The Ardent Birder: On the Craft of Birdwatching >> amazon.com >> <https://www.amazon.com/Ardent-Birder-Craft-Birdwatching/dp/1580087159/ref=sr_1_1?crid=OYX0WDER6XEZ&<dib...>&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+ardent+birder&qid=1771191970&sprefix=the+arsent+bird%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-1>The Ardent Birder: On the Craft of Birdwatching <https://www.amazon.com/Ardent-Birder-Craft-Birdwatching/dp/1580087159/ref=sr_1_1?crid=OYX0WDER6XEZ&<dib...>&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+ardent+birder&qid=1771191970&sprefix=the+arsent+bird%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-1> >> amazon.com <https://www.amazon.com/Ardent-Birder-Craft-Birdwatching/dp/1580087159/ref=sr_1_1?crid=OYX0WDER6XEZ&<dib...>&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+ardent+birder&qid=1771191970&sprefix=the+arsent+bird%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-1> >> >> Sincerely, >> >> Elizabeth Van Dyke >> Santa Cruz >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "mbbirds" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to mbbirds+<unsubscribe...> <mailto:mbbirds+<unsubscribe...>. >> To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mbbirds/<E35E2654-61CC-4E22-B83D-FA74B22F3D49...> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mbbirds/<E35E2654-61CC-4E22-B83D-FA74B22F3D49...>?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "mbbirds" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to mbbirds+<unsubscribe...> <mailto:mbbirds+<unsubscribe...>. > To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mbbirds/CA%2BNotQZ6ugXz9NfLi9j0Z%2Bk9oU15TKuEwK8V0tr609%<2BgZTP7xg...> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mbbirds/CA%2BNotQZ6ugXz9NfLi9j0Z%2Bk9oU15TKuEwK8V0tr609%<2BgZTP7xg...>?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. > <61Qyx yEAvL.jpg_BO30,255,255,255_UF750,750_SR1910,1000,0,C_QL100_.jpg><61Qyx yEAvL.jpg_BO30,255,255,255_UF750,750_SR1910,1000,0,C_QL100_.jpg><favicon.ico> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "mbbirds" group. 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