Lee Edwardsen

Lee, "MY friend"! All who knew Lee were familiar with this pronouncement of his when he approached you. His greeting was warm and endearing. We shall miss you, MY FRIEND!

I am the friend he birded with at "the local park" that glorious spring day. We wandered the park looking for the new arrivals from the nights' northbound flight as the birds descended from the morning sky to settle in the treetops and rest and feed. The spring migration was on. We saw Warblers, Tanagers, Orioles, Grosbeaks, Sparrows, Woodpeckers, Bluebirds, Buntings, Cardinals, Blue Jays and so much more. He enjoyed all "the action". We looked up various birds in the Peterson Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern North America. At one point as we were flipping the pages of the book a journalist for the Charlotte Observer Newspaper approached us to inquire about what we were doing and what we'd seen. He asked a few questions and then asked permission to photograph us "in action". We gave our best pose with all seriousness, straining our necks to find that elusive Scarlet Tanager in the top of a flowering Sycamore tree. We had no idea we'd be famous the next day at our Post Office! What a hoot! Another time we birded together was on a trip to the Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge in Anson county. We were hoping to find a colony of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. We didn't find those but we did find a "colony" of Water Moccasins! We steered clear of those rascals. Later we located an interesting bird called a Yellow-breasted Chat. Lee was fascinated to see AND hear the bird. An oddity in the bird world. We ate lunch at a very local grill. Hot dogs. Rest in peace MY FRIEND. I remember the good times. And they were good because of you........Kerry Provance