M.O.U. - Communique' ----------------------------------------------------------------------
He showed me my first and only Marbled Godwit. On other occasions, he sat completed entranced, doing chirps, whistles, wheezes and chortles,(leaning out the car window) emulating the songs of redwing and yellowheaded blackbirds in a marsh east of the Blue Mound, hoping for a call and response. All of these audible theatrics went on without any regard to the amazed and perplexed passengers in his vehicle. Peter was resolute in creating a perfect rendition of these two species of birds, birds that are known for having the some of the ,most varied songs of any bird on the northern great plains. No one else in Southern Minnesota could come close to his abilities to mimic these birds and many others. We sat amused... and amazed. (it is my recollection-) Peter help document the first (blue grosbeaks? or some other species?) into Southern Minnesota? He had the fortune to work for a while at the Smithsonian and assisted in restoring a national treasure, The John Audubons bird collection. His expertise was in ""museum taxidermy."......not taxidermy. If you had ever walked into the Minnesota Science Museum.....you may well have passed under the flock of Trumpeter Swans in the lobby entrance.....they were his. He didn't stoop to "game hunting" taxidermy ( where the money is) he spent his time with chickadees, hummingbirds,avocets and red shafted flickers and upland sandpipers. The smaller the bird, the harder to create a realistic rendition. I recall his careful preening of these minute feathers, done with the aid of a tooth pick..or even a needle. Peters chickadee (days in the making) was a bird on one foot, hiked high in the air as it prepares to bear all its meager force onto the shell of a sunflower seed.....in hopes of cracking it........ah,..... sustenance. Peters life was birds, his birds can be seen at some of the most prestigious museums, Peter died today.....tomorrow when I walk.....I'll listen for his birds. -- Bill Keitel-404 Lake St. - Sailboard Beach Worthington, Minnesota 56187 507-372-2021 Home 507-372-7175 work www.buffalobillfoldcompany.com United States Windsurfing VP www.worthingtonwindsurfing.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://moumn.org/pipermail/mou-net_moumn.org/attachments/20071205/0fed8614/attachment.html