Northampton natural area could be named for Ned Brinkley

Pictured: Ned Brinkley, courtesy of FieldGuides.com.

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Northampton County may name its scenic natural preserve near Oyster after Ned Brinkley, the area resident and internationally known birdwatcher who died Nov. 22.

Two Northampton residents, Martina Coker and Roberta Kellam, asked the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday night to name the preserve after Brinkley. The preserve is on the property once used as the county landfill.

“He was a very integral part of the fabric of the Eastern Shore,” said Coker, the wife of county Supervisor John Coker.

“He was a beloved member of our entire community and world.”

Supervisors were in favor of the idea and decided to proceed with development of a process to make it happen.

Brinkley was a frequent visitor to the former landfill site. He died at 55 in Equador while on a birding trip.

Raised in Norfolk, Brinkley held a doctorate from Cornell and authored numerous books about birds. Along the way he was a manager at a Cape Charles hotel and New Ravenna in Exmore.

“He was a very, very well-known birder and he loved it here,” said Supervisor John Coker.

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