And if you don’t know him, you may find yourself meeting him. Thanks for saying
more about a guy we all like knowing.
Pamela Johnston
From: Jack Williamson
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2016 7:02 PM
To: OBOL Oregon Birders Online ; Central Oregon Birders
Subject: [obol] Off Topic - A Great Thing About Birding
This is a short account of hospitality and a question - Who doesn't know Chuck.
As I was walking Elliott Ln outside Prineville last Friday morning looking for
Tricolored Blackbirds, I was nervous about being an unwelcome outsider taking
photographs of birds feeding on private property.
I finally settled down after the fourth truck stopped and the folks inside,
once again, asked me in a kind interested way, what I was taking pictures of,
and after a few minutes of discussion about the differences between Tricolored
and Red-winged Blackbirds, the son of the father and son duo said "You know,
when I was in school there was a teacher who was always reading about birds".
And, I laughed out loud when he told me the name of that teacher was Chuck
Gates.
After mentioning that it is a small world, I told them that I was standing
where I was because of a report posted about Tricolored Blackbirds in this
exact spot by Chuck Gates. From that moment on - I was golden. At the end of
that conversation, I was invited out to their ranch near Paulina to photograph
recently hatched Sandhill Cranes. Unfortunately, that never came together.
But when I was standing in the general store in Paulina, the store clerk, and
two patrons overheard my (landline) telephone conversation with the son who was
explaining why it wasn't going to work today.
When I hung up, everyone wanted to share a story with me about Chuck. At the
end of the day, let it be well known that Chuck really loves his birds!
On my way to Trout Creek Recreational area, I thought I would stop back by
Elliott Ln to see if I could get a better picture of a Tricolored. It was then
that another truck stopped to ask me what I was doing. It wasn't until the guy
got out of his truck with his dog to show me some of his favorite photos from
sixty years of wildlife photography that were coincidentally sitting on the
passenger seat of his pickup.
The next thing you know, I was standing in their house with him and his wife
overlooking some of their 20-acre parcel groomed to mostly to attract a wide
variety of birds. Both are life-long, professional-level photographers who
have had the good fortunate to be able to travel the continent photographing
birds, landscapes, and other wildlife. A truly remarkable couple.
When they heard my answer to their question about what brought me to the area -
they said simply "That makes sense, he knows everyone."
On my way out to the car, I wondered - Who doesn't know Chuck.
The funny thing is that my stop that day on Elliott Ln was intended to be
nothing more than a brief detour on the way to another destination.
Watch out for the detours - sometimes they bring unexpected joy into your life.
Jack Williamson
West Linn, Oregon
