Bob Spear (naturalist)
Bob Spear (February 21, 1920 – October 19, 2014) was an American naturalist, birdwatcher and master woodcarver who was the founding director of the Birds of Vermont Museum (BOVM), he was influential in the birding and environmental communities, having co-founded Vermont's first chapter of the National Audubon Society and having created more than 470 biologically accurate bird carvings on display at the BOVM. He was also the author of the book, The Birds of Vermont, published in 1969 by the Green Mountain Audubon Society. He resided in Huntington, Vermont United States. The first half century Bob Spear was born in 1920 into a Vermont farming family. During his youth his family moved to Westfield, Massachusetts because his mother, who was a teacher, could not get a teaching job in Vermont (married women could not be employed as teachers at that time). Spear credits his mother with inspiring his interest in birds, nature, and art. Following her death, the family moved back to Vermont and settled on a farm in Colchester. In 1938, a stray parakeet flew into their barn, moving Spear to create his first bird carving using only a penknife. This early carving is now on display at the