E. Vernon "Vern" Laux of Nantucket, Mass. a beloved self-taught birder widely known on Martha's Vineyard, died Jan. 21 from complications related to esophageal cancer. He was 60.

Laux contributed birding columns, first to the Vineyard Gazette and later to the MV Times, and made regular reports on WCAI, the local NPR station for the Cape and islands.

Edward Vernon Laux was born on St. Patrick's Day in 1955, and for 60 years, he brought the party with him wherever he went, according to WCAI news director Sean Corcoran.

"Across seven continents, including more than 20 trips to the Antarctic, Laux approached birding with unbridled enthusiasm, joy and respect for the natural world," Corcoran wrote last week in a tribute to Laux. "This was no quiet, bookish birder. He was the gonzo ornithologist, and every birding trip was a reason to celebrate."

"I think if you take sort of a Keith Richards, maybe a little bit of Belushi thrown in there, you know, an NBA basketball player, a defensive lineman, that would be Vern as a bird watcher," said fellow bird watcher Pete Trimble, one of Laux's best friends, who birded with him for more than 30 years.

Read the entire tribute here: http://capeandislands.org/post/wcais-vern-laux-he-helped-us-understand-birds