Richard Koeppel, holder of one of the world’s most extensive life lists and protagonist of To See Every Bird on Earth (my review here), passed away in August. I just found out from Richard’s son Dan, who happens to be the author of that poignant book. Anyone who chases birds can learn much from the successes and failures of one of the biggest of the Big Listers.
Mike is a leading authority in the field of standardized test preparation, but he's also a traveler who fully expects to see every bird in the world. Besides founding 10,000 Birds in 2003, Mike has also created a number of other entertaining but now extirpated nature blog resources, particularly the Nature Blog Network and I and the Bird.
Sad to hear of his passing. I really enjoyed Every Bird On Earth.
Sad news. Here’s an obituary of Dr. Koeppel from the East Hampton Star: http://www.easthamptonstar.com/?q=Obituaries/2012815/Richard-J-Koeppel
I thought To See Every Bird on Earth was a thoughtful book about how extreme birding can affect personal relationships, and that Dan Koeppel had a lot of courage and insight to write about this. Also, I really liked that the beginning was set in Queens.
Sorry to hear of his passing. The book about him was fascinating and very influential on me when I first started birding.