David Fehling, Meteorologist With A Keen Interest In Nature

David Milton Fehling - for 37 years an aviation meteorologist with the National Weather Service - never was abducted by aliens.

"He had no extra-terrestrial encounters as far as I know, " said his wife, LaVerl Fehling of Des Moines. "But he would have loved one. He really believed there were other intelligent beings out there. And UFOs. He once belonged to a group that studied these things."

Mr. Fehling, who died Feb. 24 at 71 from peritonitis, was a perpetual student, scholar and a perfectionist who enjoyed life's possibilities.

According to his daughter, Lisa Wadsack of Seattle, Mr. Fehling was an avid reader and speculator on subjects from dinosaurs to violet-green swallows. He would talk to anyone anytime about anything, especially nature.

"He loved birds and insects," his daughter said. "When I was a kid, he used to take me and other kids in the neighborhood on nature walks along Des Moines Creek and explain all these wonderful things to us . . .

"Dad was very childlike in a lot of ways, so little kids were attracted to him. He could do 35 different bird calls, and used to do them while adjusting the TV aerial on the roof before we had cable. They called him `The Birdman.' "

Mr. Fehling wrote minireviews of books he had read and trips he had taken, and wrote for National Audubon Society publications.

Born in Santa Monica, Calif., Mr. Fehling earned his bachelor's

degree and credits toward his master's in meteorology at UCLA. He served in the Army in World War II, then joined the weather service.

He worked in Fresno in the early 1950s, then went to Anchorage to do aviation weather forecasting.

In Alaska, he took up photography and won a major contest for a close-up of a robin. He always worked diligently getting just the right shot. Once he trailed a moose for hours to get a perfect close-up, only to learn the moose was tame and used to being photographed.

He came to Seattle in 1959, and worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"He told me Seattle is a hard area to predict weather for because there are so many convergence zones," said his daughter. "You need to be here a long time to see what it's really going to do. He'd say a lot of people got it wrong because they hadn't been here so long. He would say the opposite and he'd be right."

Mr. Fehling also worked for St. Philomena Catholic Church and for Friend to Friend, which matches volunteers with residents of nursing homes.

Fascinated by bugs, he would put them in the refrigerator to slow them down so he could photograph them. "It used to drive my mom nuts," said his daughter. "You would open up the fridge and didn't know what you'd find."

Other survivors include son-in-law Kurt Wadsack and grandson Kollin Wadsack, both of Seattle.

Services have been held. Remembrances may be sent to Human Life of Washington, 2725 152nd Ave. N.E., Redmond, WA 98052, or to St. Philomena Catholic School, 1790 222nd St., Des Moines, WA 98188.