Message:

[

Previous   Next

]

By Topic:

[

Previous   Next

]

Subject:

Paul DuMont

From:

Henry Armistead

Reply-To:

Henry Armistead

Date:

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 15:16:12 -0500

Paul G. DuMont

I knew Paul almost soley through his many years of participation in the
Cape Charles, Virginia, Christmas Bird Count.  Paul along with his father,
Philip A. DuMont, participated many years together, covering the extensive
Ferry sector of that count.  They established that almost all of the
sometimes large (huge, even) numbers of American Pipits and Palm Warblers
on the count were to be found in fields west of Route 13.  

Phil had been a professional biologist with the U. S. Fish & Wildlife
Service, authored the 1933 publication "A revised list of the birds of
Iowa" (University of Iowa Studies in Natural History, vol. 15, no. 5, 171
pages).  He was an urbane person, loved to raise many different varieties
of daylillies.

At Cape Charles Paul took his party area lists very seriously.  Used to
take them home with him and make certain they were what he considerd to be
perfect before he confirmed the preliminary numbers reported at the
compilation.  This was exasperating and eventually, with a deadline
looming, I'd call Paul to verify the numbers.  

Anyone who ever talked with Paul on the phone (or, as I understand it,
listened while he interrogated a hapless waitress in a restaurant on the
exact nature of the entrees) knows that such a conversation was an
investment in time.  I'd finally get his numbers but he would always insist
on reporting all of the reasonably possible species his party did NOT see
in addition to the ones they did, making what already promised to be a
prolonged conversation even longer.  There ARE some characters in this
busines).

Paul's dilatory conversational manner reminded me of a trip to Smith
Island, MD, years ago when I asked Elmer (Dr. Elmer G.) Worthley (husband
of "Miss Jean" of television fame, who was also there) what a certain plant
was that was in view from our boat.  He proceeded to tell me what EVERY
OTHER plant in sight was, along with some annotations, before, minutes
later, he finally identified the one I'd asked him about in the first
place.  Phew! 

Perhaps Paul's most important contribution to regional birding was that,
along with Robert (Bob) L. Ake, he pioneered pelagic birding off of the
North Carolina Outer Banks, establishing that Black-capped Petrels were
almost a certain species to find there each trip.  This was in the days
before Bermuda (the Cahow), Fea's & Herald petrels were confirmed as being
tantamount to regular thereabouts.  

He and Bob were aware of the great potential of these then relatively
unknown waters.  Later such species as Black-bellied and European Storm
Petrels were also seen, and possibly Swinhoe's as well, plus Cape Verde
Shearwater, skuas, and tropic birds.  Notices about these upcoming trips
would always say "BOBS available," as if everyone knew what BOBS were (they
were a pamphlet he'd done: "Birding the Outer Banks").  On one of Paul's
trips to the Banks they found a Vermilion Flycatcher.

One time Paul organized a pelagic trip out from Delaware (August 26, 1972).
 We saw hardly any pelagic birds other than Wilson's Storm Petrels but one
of these was a White-faced Storm Petrel, then only the 4th or 5th North
American record.  Paul called it out instantly, knew what it was right
away, and proceeded to discourse on the species.  Harold Morrin (I think)
secured a very good photograph but I remember receiving a copy as a slide
from Maurice Barnhill.  Since then there are now special sea trips
targeting that species late each summer, many of them successful.

After a while Paul's health problems mandated that he not wander and travel
as much.  Nevertheless at about this point he began to regularly lead trips
up and down the Delmarva Peninusla for the Audubon Naturalist Society (of
the Central Atlantic States).  From what I heard these were very popular
and the participants were very carefully and informatively put onto the
birds.  He was an excellent leader of those trips.

I remember when the Whiskered Tern (which came to be fondly known as
"Whiskers") turned up in Delaware (July 19 - c. August 24, 1993) running
into Paul at the Ted Harvey Wildlife Management Area near Dover.  In spite
of his back problems then he was lugging in his pack the magisterial volume
of "Birds of the Western Palaearctic" (Cramp) that dealt with terns, a
volume with the heft of a big city phone book.  

The last time I saw Paul was at Sting-Ray's (Chez Exxon) near Cape Charles
where he was leading an Audubon Naturalist group.  This was in February
2006.  He was wearing a Moshe Dayan-type eye patch, and, as usual, in his
breast pocket were 6 or 7 pens, and 4 or 5 small notebooks, ready for a
fast draw shold anything unusual need documentation, which he would do in
excruciating detail.  His documentations read like an unbelievably-detailed
museum diagnosis.  

Once in the Peacock Motor Inn, before the Cape Charles count, I listened in
their room to Paul, and Michael O'Brien, who was then a rising star.  They
were talking about the differences between Greater and Lesser Snow Geese,
mentioning a whole galaxy of points, none of which I'd had a clue about
before.  It was stimulating but also humbling because it made me realize I
was in over my head. 

I remember Paul's amusement when, after one of the A.O.U.'s phylogenetic
reshufflings, Green-winged Teal was moved on the list so it came right
after Canada Goose, and Paul laughing and saying it was "because they look
so much alike."

On the Fort Belvoir, VA, Christmas count, back when Jack Abbott was the
compiler, Paul would go to great lengths to try to determine exactly how
many different Bald Eagles were reported.  This involved finding out their
age class, time of day seen, and which direction they were flying - a very
involved post mortem during the period when eagles made their dramatic
recovery.

Paul contacted me every December and carefully recorded any information I
had on the upcoming Christmas counts so he could submit the information to
the "Audubon Naturalist News."

In the period c. 1970-1975 Paul regularly wrote and compiled a column on
"Birds of the season" for the Audubon Naturalist Society's "Atlantic
Naturalist."

Paul was one of the most active North American listers, went to Alaska and
Attu in the days when birding trips to Attu were still novel.  He and Paul
Sykes shared a lot of common big listing experiences back when continental
big listing was still in its formative stages.

Paul often had a flattop hair cut, that in retrospect reminded me some of
H. R. Haldeman.  His face reminded me of Antoine de Saint-Exupery
(1900-1944), the French writer and aviator best known for "Le petit prince"
and "Night flight."  Friendly and expansive, Paul will be missed.

Henry ("Harry") T. Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA
19119-1225.  215-248-4120.