The weather was perfect for a tribute to the world’s most famous birder in Blackburn Park in the St. Louis suburb of Webster Groves. The proviso in the WGNSS flyer regarding inclement weather was unneeded.
by Don Corrigan
Admirers of the late champion birder, Phoebe Snetsinger, gathered at the entrance of the Bird Sanctuary at Blackburn Park on Saturday, Feb. 3. An avid naturalist, she turned a humble hobby into a worldwide adventure.
Snetsinger fans were happy to celebrate the unveiling of an informational structure dedicated to her birding accomplishments. They described it as great way to get an introduction to the “Bird Woman of Webster Groves.”
“It’s my privilege to unveil this new sign for the most famous birder of Webster Groves,” said Bill Duncan, who is president of the Webster Groves Nature Study Society. “This new display is dedicated to birding and to Phoebe Snetsinger.
“What was here before was worn out and damaged, as might be expected for something 20 years-old,” said Duncan. “So, Rich Thoma of WGNSS saw that something new was needed and took the initiative to get it replaced.”
A cursory study of the life of Snetsinger reveals a woman obsessed with identifying most of the approximately 10,000 bird species on the planet. She managed to make birding exciting.
She risked all to reach her goal of spotting more than 8,000 bird species. Snetsinger traveled to exotic places in Africa, Asia and Latin America like famous nineteenth-century explorers
“She was a pioneer. Very few females were doing what she was doing when she started fulfilling her passion for birding,” said Peggy Oates of Webster Groves. “It’s amazing that some of her first birding was done right here in Blackburn Park.
“She took a scientific approach,” added Oates. “She was not someone who said, ‘I saw this. And, I saw that.’ She was very serious and methodical in documenting what she saw on her birding trips.”
Snetsinger has been the subject of several biographies. The book, “Life List,” by Olivia Gentile, is rated as great as any adventure novel. But it’s also a psychological portrait, about a woman’s obsession with bird-watching and the horrifying mishaps that she survived.
As Gentile notes, Snetsinger heard the words “terminal cancer” in 1981, at age 50. Those words simply ignited her passion – and her doctors were proven wrong. She did not yield to her medical death sentence.
She spent the next 18 years globetrotting to stake out her quarry. On the way, she contracted malaria in Zambia, nearly fell to her death in Zaire, and was kidnapped and gang raped near Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.
No adversity curbed her enthusiasm. When she died in a vehicle accident while birding in Madagascar in 1999, she had seen more bird species than anyone in history.
“I went out with the WGNSS birding group this morning, so it really made sense for me to just come out for this dedication,” said David French of Fenton. “I’m an Audubon Society member, but I like birding with WGNSS because their birding groups are smaller.
“My dad got me into this hobby,” said French. “He’s a big fan of the story of Phoebe Snetsinger and her taking up birding later in life. So, that’s also why I am here for this dedication.”
Phoebe and David Snetsinger of Webster Groves had four children and at the time of her death in 1999, four of her children were also birders. Her fame as an international birder also brought attention to the Webster Groves Nature Study Society to which she belonged.
The bird sanctuary in the east portion of Blackburn Park is a testament to her memory and achievement. The wooded area continues to provide a space where people can go observe birds.
For more information on Phoebe Snetsinger and the Webster Groves Nature Study Society, check out wgnss.org.
Environmental Echo 