In Memoriam

In the fall of 1999, the birding world in Ontario and in particular the people of the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch heard some bad news.

After a brief illness, Gordon Bellerby died at home on January 17, 2006 in his 87th year.

Bruce Duncan – environmentalist, hawkwatcher, raptor bander, and educator passed away in Hamilton, Ontario on November 11, 2006.

Walter Klabunde, Dean of Hawkwatching in the Niagara Peninsula, passed away December 4, 2002 at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware, at the age of 95.

A few days before the 1996 annual meeting and dinner, members of the NPH were shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Steve Oneschuk.

Tom Reavley, an NPH stalwart, who had been counting raptors at Beamer CA since 1992, died on 19 October, 2008, just two days after his 65th birthday.

In April we learned of the sudden passing of our friend, Paul Summerskill, of St. Catharines. In recent years Paul had become an infrequent visitor at the Beamer Hawkwatch, but in the past he had been a staunch supporter. He served several years on the executive, mainly responsible for education in which role he spoke about hawks to students at their schools and met with school groups at the watch site.

The NPH has lost a long-time friend, board member and supporter. At the age of 61, Bruce Harschnitz was struck by a passing vehicle along a roadway in rural Brantford in the early morning of November 8, 2023. His life was celebrated in Brantford, on November 16. Over 200 relatives, friends and co-workers came to show their respects to Bruce.