Abstract
Many of you knew John Stoodley, if not in person, then through his books, photographs, and lectures. He has been of great service to world aviculture, in thought, deed, and word.
John first came to the attention of American aviculturists upon the publishing of his book, Pai-rot Production, Incorporating Incubation in 1983.
The volume is an exposition of the techniques used by John and his wife Pat to breed parrots. There is a disclaimer suggesting the techniques are those used at Broadhalfpenny Down Conservation Sanctuary in England - take it or leave it. Stoodley was a man to speak his mind and he had wellthought-out ideas that he proved by practice.
His propagation methods were remarkably successful and he had over 20 species of Amazon parrots reproducing at his sanctuary - in addition to a number of Pionus and macaw species. This was at a time when great pressure was bearing on the wild populations, and wild-caught birds were becoming more difficult to acquire. John's hope was to protect the wild populations by practicing avicultural techniques that were efficient and pmdu.ctive. It was at that time important to increase the numbers of parrots in aviculture without taking them from the wild.
Parrot Production became a breeder's bible for many of us.
The following year John and Pat published Pionus Parrots, perhaps the
definitive record of the genus. John's first love was the Pionus. He learned their every need and became remarkably successful reproducing them when they were considered by most to be extremely difficult or impossible to breed. John was a keen observer, recording his observations then confirming his findings by scientific methodology. He boiled down a lot of anecdotal information to a few confirmed facts that were demonstrable time and again in his aviaries and nursery.
Stoodley was a world traveler who observed in the wild many of the species he kept in aviculture. And he was a great lecturer who shared his knowledge by speaking at seminars, conferences, and conventions. Indeed, he was a featured speaker at two AF A conventions that I remember. His talks were always informative and caused folks to think. His thoughts were always on the cutting edge and some of the slower folks had a little trouble keeping up.
Again, in 1990, the Stoodleys published another masterpiece, Genus Amazona. It is the first book I turn to when I have to look up something regarding Amazon parrots.
When last I saw John, he looked a little tired but the spirit was as bristling and blazing as ever. He was a very active fellow who spent enormous amounts of time and energy working for the betterment of the birds of the world. He is survived by his wife Pat and a loving family.
A note from Phyllis Martin is appropriate here:
"Friends and Admirers of john Stoodley. He passed away October 22, 1999. He suffered from terminal cancer. I talked with him about two weeks lbefore he passed on] and he wanted all of his friends to know that he has lived a great life, met thousands of wonderful bird people, has a great loving family. He said he will miss all of this but he can't complain. He has enjoyed life to the fullest.
I will miss him very much.
Phyllis K. Mm1in"