Bill Thompson III (March 3, 1962 – March 25, 2019) was the publisher and editor of ''

Bird Watcher's Digest ''Bird Watcher's Digest'' was an American bimonthly birding magazine that was founded in 1978. ''Bird Watcher's Digest'' was the first consumer bird watching magazine, and is the only family-owned and operated bird watching magazine. ''Bird Watch ...

'' and the author of numerous books on birds and nature. He is also the author of ''Bird Watching For Dummies'' (1997, John Wiley & Sons), and author of 18 different state bird watching books in the ''Bird Watching: A Year-Round Guide'' series from Cool Springs Press (2005). He is the lead author for ''Identify Yourself: The 50 Most Common Birding Identification Challenges'' published by

Houghton Mifflin The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

(2005). He was the editor of ''All Things Reconsidered: My Birding Adventures'' by

Roger Tory Peterson Roger Tory Peterson (August 28, 1908 – July 28, 1996) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, illustrator and educator, and one of the founding inspirations for the 20th-century environmental movement. Background Peterson was born in Jam ...

(Houghton Mifflin, 2006). His most recent book is "The New Birder's Guide to Birds of North America" (2014, Houghton Mifflin Company). He wrote the ''Bill of the Birds'' blog and created a regular podcast for

bird watchers Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

called ''This Birding Life''. He was an avid birder and musician and traveled widely performing, speaking, leading field trips, and consulting on

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...

for birding festivals and nature events around the world. In 2008 Thompson was awarded a Service Citizen Award from the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

for his contributions in making the National Wildlife Refuge system more bird and birder-friendly. He was also awarded the

Robert Ridgway Award The ABA Robert Ridgway Award for Publications in Field Ornithology is an award given by the American Birding Association to an individual who has made significant contributions to the field ornithology literature in the areas of North American bird ...

for Excellence in Ornithological Publications from the

American Birding Association The American Birding Association (ABA) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, dedicated to recreational birding in Canada and the United States. It has been called "the standard-bearer for serious birding in North America." Originally con ...

. In 2009 he was nominated for a "Heart of Green" award by thedailygreen.com for his work in fighting Nature Deficit Disorder by helping introduce kids to bird watching. Thompson was married to artist, author and blogger

Julie Zickefoose Julie Zickefoose (July 24, 1958) is an American nature book writer, biologist, bird artist, and blogger. Life and work Born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Zickefoose has been drawing birds since childhood. The bird artist Robert Verity Clem ( ...

from 1993 until his death. They have two children and lived on an 80-acre property near

Whipple, Ohio Whipple is an unincorporated community in southern Salem Township, Washington County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it once had a post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail se ...

on the foothills of the southern

Appalachians The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

. In 2018, he was diagnosed with

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

, from which he died in March 2019.

References

External links

Bird Watcher's Digest

Bill of the Birds blog
1962 births 2019 deaths American magazine editors American non-fiction writers American ornithologists Deaths from pancreatic cancer {{US-editor-stub