RIP, Peter Matthiessen

The great naturalist and writer, Peter Matthiessen, passed away on Saturday, April 5, 2014. This was sad news, as his writings helped inspire our love for shorebirds and natural history more broadly. Indeed, his elegant quote (from his 1967 book, now called “The Wind Birds: Shorebirds of North America”) helped to inspire our organization’s name:

“The restlessness of shorebirds, their kinship with the distance and swift seasons, the wistful signal of their voices down the long coastlines of the world make them, for me, the most affecting of wild creatures. I think of them as birds of wind, as ‘wind birds.'”

One can find several well-written tributes to Matthiessen from recent weeks. Here is one from a birder’s perspective, and here is one from the New York Times. This piece, published in New York Times Magazine before Matthiessen died, offers an in-depth historical perspective.

Rest in peace, Mr. Matthiessen, and may you continue to enjoy the voices of the wind birds.