A Tribute to Judy, Bird Lady of Blogland

I heard the sad news the way we often hear news these days, a private post on Facebook from a friend saying, “Judy passed away”.  Oh no!  Judy had commented on my blog recently, slipping in her pithy statements and always making me smile.  We had missed visiting with her in Desert Hot Springs this past winter, when she said that she wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be able to join us.  Later in the spring she mentioned to me in a private post that she had sold her little motorhome, the one she drove back home to family in 2018.

We said, “Well then, we will see you in February when we come south”. A visit to Jojoba Hills was in order.  It was time to see Judy’s new park model.

Judy and Mo and I weren’t what you would call “close” friends, but we were definitely good friends who laughed a lot in each other’s company.  We were distant enough friends that her family had no clue to let us know that she was gone, or that she was sick.  In her typical style, if she was sick, she didn’t let us know, and we hadn’t heard from her in a bit of time, so the news was a shock.

Thinking of Judy, no longer in this world, made me really sad.  Most of the readers of my blog will remember Judy, and our visits with her over the years. Many readers of my blog were also readers of Judy’s blog, Travels with Emma. Judy was an amazing fountain of bird knowledge, with all her years volunteering in wildlife refuges throughout the country expanding her skills.  She shared that knowledge with an open heart, writing with humor and detail about her refuge experiences, and always willing to show folks around on her refuge of the year if they happened to pass nearby. 

I know most readers have their own memories of Judy’s blog, and their own stories, but I wanted to remember  Judy and repost some of the photos of the times we spent together.  Judy had many photos of birds in her blog, but only rarely had pictures of herself.

The orange highlights are links to the blogposts. 

From Judy’s Blog January 2014  The Oregonians Arrive

January 2014 Judy Finds the Spoonbills

Our first meeting at Judy’s campsite at Anahuac NWR

January 2015 Imperial NWR with Judy

Judy doing what she did best, sharing her knowledge of the wildlife refuge, this time at Imperial NWR

June 2015  Visiting Judy at Harris Beach

Judy met Mattie not long after we got her in 2015, called her a pipsqueak

Visiting Judy at Harris Beach in Brookings, Oregon, where she was in charge of explaining the bird life on Bird Island

August 2015 Bird Lady Visits Rocky Point

Judy stayed in our cabin at Rocky Point and we went birding, kayaking, and exploring in the Klamath Basin

January 2016 Visiting Judy in Jojoba Hills

We drove to Jojoba Hills one year to visit Judy at her new winter digs

February 2018 Hanging with Judy in February 2018

Our last visit with Judy was when she spent a few days with us at Catalina Spa and RV Park, and we went to the movies, went for some hikes, shared some good meals and had a great time.

We will miss you, Judy, your incredible knowledge of birds, your dry and witty sense of humor most of all.