We’ll miss you, Jay

Farewell, Sun Herald birding columnist Jay Morris. I will miss you.

I looked forward to reading your column every Sunday. I looked forward to finding those little gems of humor in your educational, informative and entertaining column. It was obvious that you found joy in birds and all of nature. Detailed descriptions that might otherwise be boring were brought to life because of your extraordinary talent as a writer and your obvious love of what you were doing.

You never failed to mention your mentor Judith Toups and thank anyone who had assisted you. I know you appreciated birds not just for their beauty but because of their lifestyle.

These tiny feathered creatures could serve as mentors to us all. They find a mate (sometimes forever), build a nest, raise their young and, when the time comes, they send them out on their own. All this regardless of the weather and environment and with no outside help.

When I feed the birds, I notice they are all colors, shapes and sizes, and they do no harm to one another. Although we may not notice birds, if suddenly they were gone, they would be sorely missed.

Now you are gone — fly to heaven like your feathered friends.

This story was originally published July 8, 2016 at 9:00 AM with the headline "We’ll miss you, Jay."