Here’s the latest from Ornithological Societies of North America:
NAOC VI MEETING REPORTS
The reports of the meetings of the OSNA-member societies (i.e., AOU, AFO, COS, WOS) held at NAOC VI will be published in the October Ornithological Newsletter.
129TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING OF THE WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Myers, Florida, 9-12 March 2017
The 129th Anniversary Meeting of the Wilson Ornithological Society will be held from 9-12 March 2017 on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Myers, Florida. The campus is located just east of I-75 (between exits 123 and 128) and about 3 miles south of the Regional Southwest International Airport in a pine flatwoods setting crossed by a baldcypress slough and dotted with small lakes and baldcypress domes. Access to campus habitats is made possible by a nature trail through wooded areas and boardwalks through wetlands. Timing of the meeting coincides with the university’s spring break and-more importantly-with the best birding of the year in southwest Florida. Winter residents will still be present and Neotropical migrants such as warblers, vireos, and Swallow-tailed Kites will be arriving daily. Resident Loggerhead Shrikes, Northern Mockingbirds, and others will be nesting. It will be well into the dry season in southwest Florida and wading birds will be concentrated at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Six-mile Cypress Slough, and the famed STA-5 (Stormwater Treatment Area-5). Nearby Bunche Beach and Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge will be hosting wintering shorebirds and others arriving from the south enroute to breeding grounds. Come prepared for a birding extravaganza and share with us the fruits of your ornithological research at paper sessions on Friday and Saturday. Frank Moore will present the Margaret Morse Nice plenary lecture. DEADLINES: Student Travel Grants applications, early December; abstracts, 20 January. Early (discounted) registration will be open from 5 through 31 January 2017. The local host, JERRY JACKSON, may be reached at (EM: jjackson@fgcu.edu).
AOU AND COS JOIN FORCES, WILL BECOME THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
At the historic NAOC VI meeting last month in Washington D.C., where more ornithologists – representing 41 countries – were brought together than ever before, the American Ornithologists’ Union and the Cooper Ornithological Society proudly announced their decision to bring their membership together as the American Ornithological Society, or AOS, in the very near future. In recent years we have actively collaborated as separate organizations: meeting together, publishing our journals jointly, and working together to benefit the conservation of birds. After a year of fact-finding and due diligence, and in response to the tremendous positive feedback of our membership, our two societies have voted overwhelmingly to merge. You can learn more about the plans for the American Ornithological Society on the AmericanOrnithology.org website: http://www.americanornithology.org/content/aou-and-cos-merger-status.
THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF FIELD ORNITHOLOGIST’S BIANNUAL NEWSLETTER, AFO AFIELD
Now available for download. We are excited to include a contribution from former recipients of the Bergstrom Award about their research focusing on the ecology of Patagonia’s migratory birds which was funded through the award. In addition, we have included interviews with three former recipients of the Pamela L. and Alexander F. Skutch Research Award, Sandra Victoria Rojas Nossa, Ursula Valdez, and Gustavo Londoño. The interviews showcase the research funded through the award, the impact of the research, stories from the field, and provide updates about the recipients. Finally, we introduce the three newest elected members of the AFO’s Governing Council (Class of 2018), Jill Jankowski, Matthew Reudink, and Jennifer Smith. To download the most recent copy of AFO Afield, please visit: http://afonet.org/wp_english/about/newsletter/
44TH PACIFIC SEABIRD GROUP ANNUAL MEETING
Tacoma, WA, 22-25 February 2017
The Pacific Seabird Group is pleased to announce that the 44th Pacific Seabird Group annual meeting will be held in Tacoma, WA, 22-25 Feb 2017. In keeping with the locale for the meeting, the theme is “Sound to Sea: Marine Birds Across the Seascape”. Registration and abstract submission opens 30 Sep 2016. Abstract submission deadline is 18 Nov 2016. For more information, please consult the meeting webpage (http://www.pacificseabirdgroup.org/index.php?f=meeting&t=Annual%20Meeting&s)
THE 2016 ALASKA BIRD CONFERENCE
Cordova, AK, 6-8 December 2016
Online registration is now open (http://www.alaskabirdconference.org/registration/), and deadlines for abstract submission (15 Oct 2016), nominations for student travel awards (9 Sep 2016), and the Pete Isleib Award (15 Oct 2016) are fast approaching. Please see our flier at http://www.alaskabirdconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ABC_flier.pdf for more information. And, please contact us at (EM: 2016alaskabirdconference@gmail.com) with any questions.
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