[Tweeters] Hal Opperman moves on

[tom aversa via Tweeters]

*Hey Tweeters,*


*It has been years since I posted. but I need to join those prasing Hal for
his work.  I met Hal  soon after I migrated to Seattle from Boston in
1996.  He became a major inspiration and mentor throughout the years that
followed.  He is a true giant in the Washington birding community.  His
many achievements were noted by others.  These contributions include but
are not limited to having done so much for Birds Connect Seattle (formerly
Seattle Audubon), authoring the excellent guide to birding Washington,
leading field trips, and serving in countless ways to further birding in
the Pacific Northwest.  Not bad for a guy whose professional expertise is
in Art History!  He mentored me in so many ways that allowed me to speed up
my learning process regarding the avifauna of the state that I can't list
them all.  Co-authoring several Northwest bird guides with Hal was truly
one of the pinnacles of my professional career.  Jane neglected to mention
the one that we are most proud of - Birds of the Pacific Northwest.  Thanks
Hal.  Your retirement from Tweeters is well-deserved!*


*tom aversa*

*Unity, Maine*

On Tue, Oct 8, 2024 at 5:44 PM Jane Hadley via Tweeters <
tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:


> Dear Tweeters: Hal Opperman's contribution to birding in Washington State

> is staggering.

>

> Here's an incomplete list: Member of  the Seattle Audubon Society Board

> for six years 1996-2002; prime mover in creation of Seattle Audubon’s

> Science

> Committee; leader of team that produced the marvelous online BirdWeb (

> https://www.birdweb.org/); major mover and recruiter in the four-county

> Breeding Bird Atlas, its surveys and eventual publication and placement

> online; re-organizer of the Seattle Audubon Christmas Bird Count; field

> trip leader.

>

> ALSO, pre-Internet, the first administrator of the invaluable Bird Box

> for six years from 1995 to 2001 (a phone system for reporting notable

> sightings, available 24/7 to anyone who called); co-owner and manager for

> three decades of the Tweeters mailing list; charter member of the

> Washington Ornithological Society (WOS); WOS treasurer; editor of five

> issues of WOS's scholarly journal Washington Birds.

>

> ALSO, editor of and major contributor to A Birder's Guide to Washington

> (2003), the state's main bird-finding guide (636 pages); key advisor and

> contributor to the second edition of A Birder's Guide to Washington (2015);

> co-author of three small field guides aimed at beginning birders (Birds of

> the Puget Sound Region, Birds of the Willamette Valley Region, and Birds of

> Southwestern British Columbia), all of them best sellers that have had

> several reprintings.

>

> Overall, it is a truly remarkable record of achievement and service. Thank

> you, Hal!

>

> Hal received WOS's Zella M. Schultz Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 and

> was given a standing ovation at the WOS Conference at which it was

> presented.

>

> Jane Hadley and Randy Robinson

>

> Seattle, Washington

>

>

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