[MDOsprey] Rather sad news

Harriette Phelps (hphelps@hers.com)
Thu, 25 Nov 1999 12:39:31 -0500


I just got this off my Aussie birdline and perhaps someone here knew
Phoebe...It is quite a story.

		Cheers,		Harriette


I just read this on John Wall's Worldtwitch site
http://worldtwitch.virtualave.net/ and thought Birding Aus subscribers may
want to know about it. I could find no date, so apologies if this is old
news:
In Memorium
I was saddened to learn of the death of Phoebe Snetsinger in a bus accident
in Madagascar. After receiving a diagnosis of "terminal" cancer 15 to 20
years ago, Phoebe set out to see as many of the world's birds as she could
in the time remaining. The disease went into remission, but she never
stopped birding, eventually accumulating possibly the largest world list,
in excess of 8,000 species. We enjoyed a pleasant evening with her at the
party for Tom Davis in Howard Beach, NY in 1986, and often heard about her
birding adventures. Phoebe will be missed by her many friends around the
world.

Harriette L. Phelps
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences
University of the District of Columbia
4200 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20008

fax: 301-345-6017
ph: 202-274-5888
home: 301-441-2207
hphelps@hers.com

d it certainly didn't stop Phoebe. More likely it saved her life. She was fortunate, of course, to be independently wealthy enough to pursue her obsession to the ends of the earth until her death, but money ain't everything: she was dead keen, and very sharp in the field. She might have had one of the biggest life lists ever, but I'm pretty sure she was more interested in the birds themselves. It wasn't just a mathematical exercise to her. She was also keen to keep learning. It was a pleasure for me personally to point out to someone with so much more birding (and life) experience why a Black-bellied Storm-Petrel wasn't a White-bellied. Luckily we had a co-operative bird, so although she didn't see an Amsterdam Albatross she was never bored. No hint of seasickness either! She was a trooper. Phoebe was in her 70s. I didn't see any signs of someone in physical decline, much less slowing down. I stress, I only met her once. But she left her mark. Phoebe seemed to me to embody a great deal of what is great about being a birder. If there's a birder's heaven, I hope I meet up with her again there one day. Andrew S Harriette L. Phelps Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of the District of Columbia 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW Washington, DC 20008 fax: 301-345-6017 ph: 202-274-5888 home: 301-441-2207 hphelps@hers.com