Chris Appleford, 7 April 1957 - 17 October 2012

It is with great sadness that we tell you the news that our friend Chris Appleford passed away on Wednesday, 17 October 2012, after a long struggle with cancer.

In 1991 Mary and I packed up our wagon and headed west. We drove west from Philadelphia until we reached the point that if we drove any further we would need to find our passport. This stopping point in our journey westward just happened to be the doorstep of Chris Appleford and Marcia Bruno. They took us in for the summer until we could securely set anchor in the Pacific Northwest.

What we learned about Chris that summer was that he was the person upon which the Seattle stereotype was modeled: he was the ultimate dorky nerd (or is it nerdy dork?); he loved coffee; he knew the brewing schedule for every microbrewery within 100 miles; he loved the outdoors; he loved hiking, camping and, most of all, his bike; rarely dressed up; a hopeless optimist; and above all else, he was the nicest person you would ever want to meet.

Chris was the first to introduce me to many of the natural wonders of Washington State. My first visit to Mount Rainier was with Chris. My first view of a genuine Northwest old growth forest was on a hike with Chris to the alpine lakes above Darrington. I remember one of our first camping trips to Eastern Washington was to a spot called Wenas Creek. It was about two hours east of Seattle, up in the ponderosa pines near Ellensburg. I remember like it was yesterday because it was what I imagined the western forest to be. Elk grazed here in winter, big horned sheep roamed the Yakima Valley below. Cowboys chased cows around. What I really like about the place was that in and around the ponderosa pines lived one of my favorite birds – the White-headed Woodpecker. I revisited Wenas Creek many times (something on the order of 5 or 6 times a year). In 1999, I used the site as part of a study that I did on White-headed Woodpeckers when I was working as a wildlife biologist. Each time I visited Wenas Creek, I recalled that first camping trip with Chris. I can still hear him trying to calm and keep that silly dog of his, Spammy, who was still a puppy at that time, from whining, “Shhh Spammy! Your going to keep everyone awake.” Of course, he was unsuccessful at keeping Spammy from whining and we were all wake all night.

When I arrived in the Pacific Northwest, I already had a well-developed environmental ethic. It is not easy for anyone to have any influence over that aspect of my life, most of which is set in stone, yet Chris was able to do just that. My approach to being out doors was to analyze it and know all if its parts. Chris’s approach was to simply be outdoors. Chris showed me how to do that. It wasn’t an easy thing for me to do. This, however, was not Chris’s biggest influence over me. That involved a simple machine with two wheels that would carry me further than I could have ever imagined and has forever changed my life in profound ways.

Back in 2004 in an effort to lose weight I blew the dust of my bike. It had been siting in our garage for way to long. Knowing that Chris liked these things, I’d call him up and ask his advice about this, that and the other and Chris would talk to me at length about it. Looking back I can see now just how dumb most of my questions were. Yet, Chris would address all of them with an unparalleled level of enthusiasm as if he was hearing it for the first tine. Slowly but surely Chris guided me along to becoming a respectable and knowledgeable cyclist of my own. I so happy that I got to ride hundreds and hundreds of miles of Washington’s roads with Chris; the Hood Canal, the Olympic Peninsula, the Carnation Valley, Bainbridge Island’s “Chilly Hilly,” Seattle to Portland to name a few. My only regret is that I wish it could have been thousands of miles instead.

Knowing Chris has left with me a greater appreciation for the good stuff in life, something that I will certainly carry with me for the rest of my days and hopefully be able to pass along to others. He may be physically gone from this earth but he will certainly live on in the hearts and minds of many people for a long time.

Ride lots, stop often,

Russell

For those of you who knew Chris and are in the Seattle area, there will be a memorial service for him on 11 November 2012, starting at 2:00 PM at The Hall at Fauntleroy, 9131 California Ave SW, Seattle Washington.

Chris asked that in lieu of flowers people could make a donation to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Chris also requested that his ashes be spread over a mountaintop somewhere in Washington. Marsha said that this event will take place sometime next summer. When the location and time is set I’ll post the details here. 

I've posted a few of the photos that we have of Chris here. 

The Stroud Preserve, 23 October 2012

The morning walk today was overcast with a little rain! Not quite as was predicted. It was still unseasonably warm. Total numbers were higher, and Robins were definitely on the move.

Stat time: 9:15
End time: 10:45
Temp: 55-58
Wind: none
Skies: overcast, light drizzle for a about 30 minutes
Species Total: 40
 
Great Blue Heron – 1
Black Vulture – 1
Turkey Vulture – approx. 25
Canada Goose – approx. 100
Wood Duck – 1
Bald Eagle – 2, adult and immature
Northern Harrier – 2, Bird of the Day! A female/immature and an adult male, a surprising scarce species at Stroud. You would think with all that open county they would be everywhere.
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 6
Red-tailed Hawk – 3, 2 adults, 1 immature
Rock Dove – 2
Mourning Dove – approx. 35
Belted Kingfisher – 1, heard only
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 3
Downy Woodpecker – 3
Northern Flicker – 2
Blue Jay – approx. 40, seemed to be moving through again
American Crow – approx. 50
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 15
Tufted Titmouse – 4
White-breasted Nuthatch – 3
Carolina Wren – 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet – Heard only
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 5
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 45
American Robin – approx. 600, Constantly flying overhead to the southwest.
Northern Mockingbird – 3
European Starling – approx. 100
Cedar Waxwing – approx. 50
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 1
Palm Warbler – approx. 15
Field Sparrow – 2
Song Sparrow – approx. 50
Lincoln's Sparrow – 1
Swamp Sparrow – approx. 50
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 50
White-crowned Sparrow – 1
Dark-eyed Junco – 5
Northern Cardinal – approx. 15
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 1000
House Finch – approx. 75
Purple Finch – approx. 75
American Goldfinch – approx. 100

The Stroud Preserve, 22 October 2012

Wow. So I thought last week was warm. Things are certainly seem to be going in the wrong direction. Today started out at 48 and it was 55 by the time I left. The high today is going to be around 70, which is predicted to be the lowest high for the rest of the week! As with the nice weather last week, today’s nice weather didn’t bring in a whole lot of species diversity, but it does make for a nice walk.

Stat time: 9:00
End time: 10:45
Temp: 48-55
Wind: none to slight from the southwest.
Skies: cloudless
Species Total: 40
 
Great Blue Heron – 1
Black Vulture – approx. 10
Turkey Vulture – approx. 30
Canada Goose – approx. 100 (the flocks seem to be milling around in every direction)
Mallard – 2
Osprey – 1
Bald Eagle – 2, adult and immature
Sharp-shinned Hawk – approx. 10
Red-shouldered Hawk – Bird of the Day! 2 birds over head. For some reason, I don’t see very many of these at the preserve. This is only my third observation, and first time for more than one individual.
Red-tailed Hawk – 1
Rock Dove – 2
Mourning Dove – approx. 10
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 2
Downy Woodpecker – 2
Northern Flicker – 2
Blue Jay – approx. 20
American Crow – approx. 50
Fish Crow – 2, Heard only, only my 2nd observation for the preserve
Tree Swallow – approx. 30
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 10
Tufted Titmouse – 6
White-breasted Nuthatch – 2
Carolina Wren – 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 1
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 15
American Robin – approx. 30
Northern Mockingbird – 2
European Starling – approx. 35
Cedar Waxwing –  approx.10
Palm Warbler – 6
Field Sparrow – 1
Song Sparrow – approx. 40
Lincoln's Sparrow – 2
Swamp Sparrow – 1
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 15
Northern Cardinal – approx. 10
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 100
House Finch – approx. 15
Purple Finch – approx. 25
American Goldfinch – approx. 50
 

The Stroud Preserve, 18 October 2012

What beautiful day to be outside! And what a slow day for birds! Even though I saw a the average number of species, 43, it seemed as though I only saw 44 individual birds (actually since 9 September my daily average is 44 species). Still getting out for a couple of hours on such a nice day does the sprit good, and today, I needed it. Here is a rundown of what was out there.

Stat time: 8:45
End time: 10:45
Temp: 50-62
Wind: none
Skies: high clouds
Species Total: 43
 
Great Blue Heron – 1
Black Vulture – 1, where have they all gone!
Turkey Vulture – approx. 25
Canada Goose – approx. 50
Mallard – 2
Osprey – 1
Bald Eagle – 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 6, 5 adults and 1 immature.
Cooper's Hawk – 2, adults
Red-tailed Hawk – 3 adults
American Kestrel – 1 male
Rock Dove – approx. 10
Mourning Dove – approx. 25
Belted Kingfisher – 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 3
Downy Woodpecker – 2
Northern Flicker – 1
Eastern Phoebe – 1
Blue-headed Vireo – 1, Bird of the day again! In the exact same spot as yesterday no less.
Blue Jay – approx. 30
American Crow – approx. 75
Tree Swallow – approx. 80
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 10
Tufted Titmouse – approx. 10
White-breasted Nuthatch – 3
Carolina Wren – approx. 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet – approx. 10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – approx. 10
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 30
American Robin – approx. 25
Northern Mockingbird – 3
European Starling – approx. 50
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 5
Palm Warbler – 6
Common Yellowthroat – 1
Field Sparrow – 1
Song Sparrow – approx. 50
Swamp Sparrow – approx. 10
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 25
White-crowned Sparrow – 4
Dark-eyed Junco – 5
Northern Cardinal – approx. 10
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 100
House Finch – approx. 50
Purple Finch – approx. 40
American Goldfinch – approx. 100

The Stroud Preserve, 17 October 2012

Today’s walk around the Stroud Preserve was very calm, but full of birds. The first four birds of the day were an adult Cooper’s Hawk, adult Bald Eagle, male Kestrel, and adult Red-tailed Hawk. Not a bad start. The parking lot was completely empty when I arrived and I saw almost no people despite the nice weather. For the past couple of weeks I’ve been reading about an invasion of Pine Siskins to the Delaware Valley. Flocks of hundreds of them seemed to be everywhere except the Stroud Preserve. Finally today they arrived.

Stat time: 9:00
End time: 11:45
Temp: 42-58
Wind: none to start, later a light breeze from the southwest.
Skies: mostly sunny
Species Total: 48
 
Turkey Vulture – approx.25
Canada Goose – approx. 200
Wood Duck – 4, 3 females, 1 male
Bald Eagle – 2 adults
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 7 appeared to be all juveniles
Cooper's Hawk – 2, 1 adult, 1 juvenile
Red-tailed Hawk – 7, 6 adults and a juvenile
American Kestrel – 2, adult males
Rock Dove – approx. 10
Mourning Dove – approx. 50
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 5
Downy Woodpecker – 3
Northern Flicker – 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1
Blue-headed Vireo – 2, Bird of the Day! Great prolonged views from about 8 feet!
Blue Jay – approx. 30, did not appear to be on the move as in previous weeks.
American Crow – approx. 150
Tree Swallow – approx. 50
Carolina Chickadee – approx.30
Tufted Titmouse – approx.20
White-breasted Nuthatch – 6
Carolina Wren – approx. 10
Golden-crowned Kinglet – approx. 10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – approx.25
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 30
American Robin – approx.20
Gray Catbird – 1
Northern Mockingbird – 3
European Starling – approx. 25
Cedar Waxwing – approx. 30
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 4
Palm Warbler – 3
Common Yellowthroat – 1
Field Sparrow – 5
Savannah Sparrow – 1
Song Sparrow – approx. 150
Lincoln's Sparrow – 4
Swamp Sparrow – approx. 25
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 40
White-crowned Sparrow – approx. 20, mostly immatures
Dark-eyed Junco – 1, first of the season
Northern Cardinal – approx. 10
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 100
Common Grackle – 5
House Finch – approx. 200
Purple Finch – approx. 200
American Goldfinch – approx. 200
Pine Siskin – approx. 50, new species (138) for the preserve list!

The Stroud Preserve, 16 October 2012

After yesterday’s visit to the preserve we had big front move through. In the afternoon it rain buckets! The effect on the bird life this morning was clear. Many of those lingering migrants seem to have packed their bags and headed to other places, hopefully further to the south! Here are the numbers

Stat time: 9:00
End time: 11:00
Temp: 52-58
Wind: slight from the southwest.
Skies: mostly clear, with a few scattered clouds
Species Total: 43
 
Black Vulture – approx. 20
Turkey Vulture – approx. 30
Canada Goose – approx. 25
Wood Duck – 2
Bald Eagle – 2 adults
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 6
Red-tailed Hawk – 2
Mourning Dove – approx. 35
Belted Kingfisher – 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 4
Downy Woodpecker – 3
Northern Flicker – 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 2
Blue Jay – approx. 75, again, migrating through to the southwest
American Crow – approx. 100
Tree Swallow – approx. 10
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 10
Tufted Titmouse – 5
White-breasted Nuthatch – 2
Carolina Wren – 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – approx. 10
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 80
American Robin –approx. 50
Northern Mockingbird – 2
European Starling – approx. 25
Cedar Waxwing – approx. 60
Yellow-rumped Warbler – approx. 10
Palm Warbler – 1
Common Yellowthroat – 1
Eastern Towhee – 2
American Tree Sparrow – 1, Bird of the day! Nice looks from about 10 feet.
Song Sparrow – approx. 50
Lincoln's Sparrow – 2
Swamp Sparrow – approx. 30
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 20
White-crowned Sparrow – 6
Northern Cardinal – approx. 10
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 100
Brown-headed Cowbird – approx. 20
House Finch – approx. 120
Purple Finch – approx. 50
American Goldfinch – approx. 70

The Stroud Preserve, 15 October 2012

As with yesterday, it was fairly slow for birds, but very warm which made for a good walk. It was a good day for sparrows with seven species total. I saw Savannah Sparrow for the first time since the spring. Starting temperature was 63° and it was 68° by the time I got back to the car! It was overcast skies with a 70% plus chance for rain by the afternoon. In fact, by the time I got home it was raining.

Stat time: 9:00
End time: 10:30
Temp: 63-68
Wind: slight from the southwest.
Skies: overcast
Species Total: 48
 
Great Blue Heron – 1
Black Vulture – 3
Turkey Vulture – approx. 30
Canada Goose – approx. 50
Wood Duck – 1
Mallard – 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 6
Cooper's Hawk – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 1
Merlin – 1, Bird of the Day, flying low across a field. Great views.
Rock Dove – 5
Mourning Dove – approx. 30
Chimney Swift – 5
Belted Kingfisher – 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 3
Downy Woodpecker – 1
Hairy Woodpecker – 1, largely absent this fall only the third observation since September 1. They were common in the spring, with at lest one pair nesting on the preserve.
Northern Flicker – 2
Blue Jay – approx. 50, these still appear to be migrating as most birds are flying to the southwest.
American Crow – approx. 50
Tree Swallow – approx. 250!
Carolina Chickadee – 5
Tufted Titmouse – 5
White-breasted Nuthatch – 1
Carolina Wren – 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet – approx. 15
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – approx. 10
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 25
American Robin –approx. 30
Gray Catbird – 1, these appear to be thinning out a little.
Northern Mockingbird – 1
European Starling – approx. 50
Cedar Waxwing – approx. 75
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 5
Common Yellowthroat – 1
Eastern Towhee – 1
Field Sparrow – 3
Savannah Sparrow – 2
Song Sparrow – approx. 75
Lincoln's Sparrow – 2
Swamp Sparrow – approx. 10
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 25
White-crowned Sparrow – 3, 2 imm, and 1 adult.
Northern Cardinal – 5
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 50
House Finch – approx. 50
Purple Finch – approx. 100
American Goldfinch –  approx. 75