By Terri Gorney
My brother, Don Gorney, did a wonderful tribute to Jim Haw that expresses the way many feel about him. I would just like to add what he meant to Limberlost where he was a frequent visitor.
You knew it was going to be a good day when Jim came into the Limberlost Visitor Center and was excited to share what birds he had seen around Geneva. Jim would bring his lunch and talk with (now retired) Limberlost Site Manager Randy Lehman and Naturalist Curt Burnette. He was always eager to share his information on the birds that he had seen and the location that he saw them. With the wetland restoration, Jim was anxious to explore “new territory” close to home.
Because of his excellent record keeping, he had information on all the rare birds that had been seen with the date and the place. He was always ready to share information and was humble about his own accomplishments.
Jim was the first to discover King Rails at the Limberlost Swamp Wetland Preserve in 2014 and again on June 9, 2015.
When Barb Gorney and I saw Black-necked Stilts on May 3, 2013, both Jim and Don told me that was an Adams County record. When Randy Lehman and I saw them on April 25, 2015, Jim told me that was the first northeast Indiana record for April.
When Ben Hess found a Glossy Ibis on June 10, 2015, Jim told me that was only the second record of that species for northeast Indiana. Thankfully, the Ibis stayed for a few days and many birders got to see him.
As Dave Reichlinger stated, one of Jim’s best finds was the Black Vulture that Jim saw in Geneva. How many would look at vultures close enough to notice one was different. That Black Vulture was out of its range. Southern Indiana is usually as far north as they venture.
You will indeed be missed, Jim, by all your friends. With your wit and wisdom, you were one of a kind.
Friends of the Limberlost 