Jason Starfire
The digiscoping and birding community is saddened at the tragic and unexpected loss of Jason Starfire, digiscoper and birder extraordinaire. Jason was recently hired by Nikon as their North American avian equipment representative traveling around the country promoting Nikon products at birding festivals and trade shows. Jason was 24 years old.
Link: Article about Jason Starfire’s birding career.
14 Comments:
Mike - Thanks so much for posting this tribute to Jason. I met Jason this year down at Braddock Bay. He was so young and so full of life. I'm still in shock from the news. He will truly be missed. - Carol P.
I will miss Jason very much. I have not talked with him since october of 2003. We were going to different places, two different paths. I wonder what he is doing right now. I wonder if he is talking to Justin, and if they agree. I agree. Its %^&*ed up!! I have only heard through the grapevine the way he died, SO OF COURSE THEY AGREE.
Jason had a big heart, a big smile, and he knew how to tear up the dance floor. I miss watching him dance, I REALLY DO!! I miss the crazy situations we have gotten in. I feel he had 2 lives, his bird life and his other darker life. Last night my wife said that she hopes he turned into a bird, Well I do to.
Love you man....
Like Carol P., I met Jason at Braddock Bay Raptor Research center just North of Rochester this past spring and was stunned and incredibly saddened in hearing of his death. Jason knew Carol and I and several others as "the peregrine people". We watch the Kodak falcons and would report to him regularly about them. As Carol said, his smile could turn a dark day sunny and I was astounded by his love of and devotion to nature. He once told me about his visits to Yellowstone, he said it was the one place I should try to see sometime. The passion he portrayed in telling me about the things he enjoyed there truly made me want to go and experience such a place. I didn't know Jason long, but he is truly the kind of person who doesn't take long to make an impression and is someone who is easily remembered. To the people who knew him more closely, I can only say that there is an empty space in this realm and that I am truly sorry for the loss of this young man with so much personality and potential. I know in my case, whenever I see a red-tailed hawk soaring over a field, I will think of Jason, and I will smile.
As a member of Braddock Bay Raptor Research I can only say how much he affected all of our lives in the weeks he worked with us. Jason was the most open, friendly and helpful hawkwatcher I've ever seen. He really involved the public and shared his knowledge to help educate all about the birds he loved. I too will think of him whenever I see a soaring bird of prey...I'll smile... but I'm crying now.
Lynn W.
I too met Jason at Braddock Bay Hawkwatch in the Spring of 2005. This guy was special! He was very knowledgable but his real gift was his personality. He had the ability to make anybody, regardless of ability feel welcome and that they were contributing. He would share anything with anybody. He genuinely wanted to make folks feel good but it was not a false or put on aire to promote Nikon Scopes or whatever. He was at age 24 already way above that. He was just a great guy. I will miss him and the discussions we had at Braddock Bay and Frisbee Hill on everything from bird ID to splits to world politics as it related to the environment. This is a sad day for birding and just good folks in general.
Excellent photo as I'm sure all the raptors in NA (at least) are feeling subdued in the knowledge that one of their promising young supporters and voices has been silenced. Thanks too for the Blog and the opportunity to share our memories of this special person.
Soar On ... Jason
Jeff H.
Mike-Thank you for this tribute to my dear little brother Jason. It gives us comfort knowing that so many loved him. He spirit is forever with us.
Elizabeth McKinney
Jason Starfire was a fantanstic person to know. I met him in
Seattle about 2 1/2 years ago. I hired him in Las Vegas last year as a server. You would never know he was a vegan by the way he could sell a steak!! He was not just a fantastic bird watcher, but a fantastic man. He will be missed by his friends in Las Vegas.
I met Jason for the first time in Tucson this July at the ABA. Our booth was near Nikon's, and I found myself always making excuses to go and talk to him.
I was so impressed with what he was doing, his energy and his excitement about his new job with Nikon and moving to Ca.
This shocking news has saddened me deeply.
As the mother of 2 sons a little older than Jason, I don't even want to think of how devistating the family loss is.
Jason was so special. I agree, he is soaring above us. Beth Russell, Tucson, A.
I just stumbled on the news of Jason's death and I'm sitting here at my keyboard crying. I spent many hours with him at the Braddock Bay hawkwatch this spring. The last time I saw him he hugged me because I brought him a vegan lunch. He was just a special, special young man, with, I thought, a great future ahead of him. So sad to know he's not out there birding, travelling, talking to people and getting them excited about nature. Red tail? Hmmm...I think he might be a Merlin.
I'm not really sure how long ago all of these blogs were posted or if my post will even get read, but I was thinking about Jason and the horrible trajedy that ended his life and I decided to google him and stumbled upon this site. I met Jason a few years ago when I started dating his brother, Aaron. The first night I met Jason he drew me a picture of a bird on a post-it note and left it for me on my fridge. I still have that post-it and now that Jason is gone it carries a little more than a distant memory for me. I always thought that life had something bigger and better waiting for him. I just hope he has found that now. Rest in Peace Jason Starfire ~
Hi. My name is David Gessner and I'm the author of a book called Return of the Osprey. In the fall of 2004 I began a sequel to that book in which I followed the osprey migration down the East Coast, to Cuba and Venezuela, and back. One of the highlights of the trip, and the book, was meeting the Cape May interns. Though I spent less than 24 hours with Jason, his personality shone out: he was generous, funny, and outgoing. One of the themes of the book is the way that people expand themselves by throwing themselves out into the world of birds, and Jason exemplified that. I only just found this shocking news because I googled his name in hopes of getting back in touch and telling him that he would be in the book.
i'm a fourteen year old that knew jason from cape may, altough not very well
my sympathies, he's often in my thoughts
I was 10 years old when I met Jason. He was a very nice person. I remember he stood up for me in P.E., I was a slow runner and the boys use to tease me about it. I remember he had to leave to the east coast before the 5th grade ended, all of the students made him farawell cards. I always wanted to know him better.
How devastated I was to learn that my own travels had taken me so far from someone I cared for deeply for a time in my life that I have only now learned of his passing, 3+ years after. Jason had a passion for many things and I am a different person having known him. He traveled with me through an interesting time in my own life. He is a a treasure to me and has made an indelible mark on my walk in this life.
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