[CT Birds] Notice of Marge Hackbarth's death

[Betty Zuraw]

Word has been received of the death yesterday of Marge Hackbarth. She was 90 and had recently been ill. The Meriden native will be remembered by many as the intrepid birder who until about 3 years ago could still be seen deftly using her 2 trekking poles on field trips with the New Haven Bird Club and the Hartford Audubon Society. She was a decades-long member of both clubs. 

            Independent and strong-willed, Marge was a genuine lover of nature who enjoyed backpacking, biking, and canoeing from her youngest days. She became interested in birds right after college. The norm then for birding was a casual afternoon stroll through a local park or garden. Marge progressed right alongside the growth of the increasingly popular pastime. She went on a great variety of field trips with the clubs, and with a lifelong love of travel, she began adding birding to her innumerable visits to all 7 continents. She enjoyed telling stories about experiences such as her encounter with a cassowary in a jungle area of Australia and a yearlong trip around the world when she had to arrange in advance for her bank to wire money periodically to her at pre-determined locations in her itinerary. On her last "big" trip, 12 years ago, she was pleased to find an ATM machine even in a remote village market in Borneo.

            Marge was a strong advocate for conservation and the environment. Until recently, she was a longtime devoted participant in Christmas Bird Counts, and she holds the record not only for the longest continuous attendance at the New Haven Park Department's May warbler walks at East Rock, but also for the longest active participation in East Rock's annual cleanup campaign.

            Marge was retired after a long career as a high school history teacher. In keeping with her wishes, there will be no services or calling hours. 



Betty Zuraw

Membership Chair

New Haven Bird Club