Butterfly on Tom's arm, National Butterfly Center, Mission, TX, Dec 2009
Coral Honeysuckle, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 10, 2025
I received some sad news a few days ago when Scott texted me to let me know that Tom Gagnon had died. Tom was a premier birder (and butterflier) that I was glad to call a friend. I cannot remember when I first met Tom after moving to the valley for my job at the fire department but it was quite awhile ago. We spent lots of time exploring the Prescott Peninsula during the five years of the Breeding Bird Atlas. The multiple vines of Coral Honeysuckle that I have in the yard all started off of a couple plantings that were started from a long ago abandoned plant we came across from the peninsula...the hummingbirds love them! I also joined Tom on various Christmas Bird Counts (CBC's) with my favorites being when we hit the Prescott Peninsula...a very desolate place in winter that gave up few birds at times but the quality made up for the lack of quantity at times. One of my fondest memory of a CBC that I still remember in detail to this day occurred when we were on the southern third of the peninsula and we got to see an adult Northern Goshawk that zipped in to check us out and flew a full circle around us at a distance of perhaps 20 feet before it disappeared into the vastness of the forest. Tom and I (joined by Bruce almost every time) use to lead Hampshire Bird Club field trips to Quabbin that were always well attended and allowed us to cover lots of territory inside the gates. I also joined Tom and Bruce down in the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas back in 2009 and I still remember that trip well and inspired me to make further trips there. We didn't see each other nearly as often the last several years but I would still run across Tom from time to time out in the field, especially when a rarity showed up. Tom and Bruce are now both gone and I'm certainly happy to have called both of them friends. I have many great memories of the natural world thanks to Tom.
Wilson as a pup, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 2011
Wilson as a pup, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 2011
Wilson, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 7, 2025
On a happier note we just had the 14th anniversary of Wilson becoming part of the family. It seems so very long ago that we made a trip down to northern Connecticut to see him. After losing Kody we tried a couple dogs from Sherri's work but none were right and we were not ready. Even after deciding to go and see Wilson (then known as Wally with the rescue group that brought him up from West Virginia) we were not sure he would be the right dog. We met him and he was certainly adorable but again we had reservations. After leaving for a bit to think about it we met back up with his foster and we decided to try him. The first several months were rocky as he had not been socialized as a pup so was fearful of most everything. After lots of work and some trying times Wilson became a true part of the family. After a cancer diagnosis a few years ago, a couple operations and some very tough decision making on our part on how to proceed with his treatments I'm truly surprised that we seem to have made the right decisions so far for his quality of life. I honestly didn't think he would still be around at the 14 year mark but certainly glad he is.
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