I was fortunate enough to get acquainted with a kindred spirit by the name of Jason Starfire at the ABA convention in Tucson. He was my kind of birder: enthusiastic, young, humorous, incredibly talented and not afraid of a bawdy conversation. I had just met him but knew that great times were ahead knowing him at future birding conventions. I'm sorry to learn that Jason died all too soon this past weekend. Mike McDowell links to a great article about this extraordinary guy whose loss is mourned in the birding community.