General

Upcoming events

Past Conventions

Past Conferences

Convention Conservation Projects

2000 FORT COLLINS CONVENTION REPORT

26 June – 2 July 2000

The American Birding Association's first Convention of the new millennium attracted well over 500 birders to Fort Collins, Colorado, for six exciting days of birding and bird study. Most participants spent the majority of their time in the field, but when not birding, they socialized with old friends and made new ones, met Ana Agreda from Ecuador (who was attending under the auspices of Birders' Exchange), enjoyed a great bird art show, participated in bird photo and sound quizzes, met a number of authors, and attended informative and entertaining workshops and programs. Century Club members enjoyed a special field trip with lunch at the historic Baldpate Inn, followed by a social at the end of the day's field activities. All participants took full advantage of the opportunity to learn more about bird-related books, optics, and other products in ABA Sales and among the many exhibitors who were there displaying bird-related products and services.

Convention field trips took birders to virtually all of the best birding locales in the area and the combined list of birds seen was an impressive 200 species! The grasslands and marshes of the plains produced great views of Clark's Grebe, White-faced Ibis, Ferruginous Hawk, Prairie Falcon, Mountain Plover, Upland Sand-piper, Burrowing Owl, Cassin's, Brewer's, and Grasshopper Sparrows, and both McCown's and Chestnut-collared Longspurs. Species seen in the foothills and middle elevations by virtually all attendees included Sage Grouse, Lewis's Woodpecker, Williamson's and Red-naped Sapsuckers, Hammond's, Dusky, and Cordilleran Flycatchers, American Dipper, Mountain Bluebird, Sage Thrasher, Virginia's and MacGillivray's Warblers, Western Tanager, Green-tailed Towhee, Fox Sparrow (of the inter-mountain "slate-colored" group), Lazuli Bunting, and Pine Grosbeak. As might be expected, some of the more elusive or uncommon species at these elevations were seen by some groups but missed by others. These included Blue Grouse, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Black Swift, Three-toed Woodpecker, Townsend's Solitaire, and Red Crossbill. Completely unexpected in Colorado in the summer were male and female White-winged Crossbills and a singing Winter Wren. Birders venturing to the higher elevations, which included short hikes above timber-line, were rewarded with great views of White-tailed Ptarmigan, Gray Jay, Clark's Nutcracker, and Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. Interesting mammals provided the occasional diversion and the list included: Black Bear, Marten, Badger, Coyote, Yellow-belly Marmot, Prairie Dog, Porcupine, Pika, Moose, and numerous Elk, some with new-born calves. Seeing these birds and other wildlife would not have been possible without the outstanding efforts of Field Trip Coordinator, Bill Lisowsky, and a group of highly skilled field trip leaders from Colorado and around the country. Thanks to Bill and all the leaders for a great job!

Kudos and thanks also go to our program presenters. Kevin Cook, Noble Proctor, Fritz Knopf, Pete Dunne, and Kevin Karlson presented evening programs after dinner. Educational workshops were given by Jon Dunn, Bill Clark, Dick Walton, Stephen Ingraham and Pete Dunne, and David Sibley. There were also four special one-time programs given by Daphne Gemmill, Paul Lehman, Ken Giesen, and Dave Leatherman.

The presentation of awards is always a Convention highlight and this year the ABA instituted and presented several new awards. In addition to the major annual awards, Lynn and Joan Johnson were presented with a special ABA award for the many hours of volunteer time they have devoted to cataloging and organizing the ABA birders' library in Colorado Springs.

Through a portion of their registration fees and by additional donations, attendees made a lasting contribution to conservation efforts on behalf of some of the area's declining grassland species. Convention participants contributed over $5,000 to the project and, when matched by additional funds provided by lead sponsor Swarovski Optik, we were able to award a total contribution of $11,500 to the Colorado Bird Observatory's Pawnee Grasslands birds monitoring project. (If you wish to support this conservation project through a contribution, please send a check, payable to ABA-Pawnee Project, to: ABA, 4945 N 30th St, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80919).

A number of sponsors also generously pitched in to help de-fray Convention costs and to provide various amenities to make the meeting more enjoyable for all. The support and assistance of our many sponsors is greatly appreciated. (See the sidebar for details.)

This year, the ABA hosted its first ever Young Birders' Conference (YBC) during the weekend prior to the Convention. The YBC attracted 37 birders, aged 12-20. The weekend's activities concentrated on education through workshops and field trips under the expert guidance of Jon Dunn and Steve Howell. Participants learned about sparrow identification, molt, and birding by ear. Highlights for many of the young birders included seeing new birds, socializing with like-minded peers, and learning more about birds and birding from their leaders. A full report on the YBC was provided in the August issue of Winging It.

The ABA's next Convention will be in Beaumont, TX 18-24 April, 2001. Mark your calendars now and watch for the formal announcement and registration materials in the October issue of Winging It. See you in Texas next spring!

The ABA Awards presented at the Convention

The ABA Ludlow Griscom Award for Publications in FieldOrnithology, sponsored by Bushnell Sports Optics, is given to authors and artists for excellence in publications pertaining to field ornithology, specifically on the subjects of field identification and distribution in North America. The 2000 award was won by W. Earl Godfrey, for the classic Birds of Canada and his other published contributions.

The ABA Claudia Wilds Distinguished Service Award, sponsored by Pentax Sport Optics, is given for distinguished service to the ABA. The 2000 award was won and accepted by Larry Balch, fifth president of ABA, especially for leadership, organizational abilities, and innovation during his tenure as president (1983-1989).

The ABA Chandler Robbins Education/Conservation Award, sponsored by Leica Sports Optics, is given for making significant contributions to birder education and/or conservation. This award was won and accepted by Ted Eubanks for his significant contributions in bird conservation and responsible avitourism in Texas and elsewhere.

The ABA Roger Tory Peterson Award, sponsored by Swarovski Optik, is given for a lifetime of achievement in promoting the cause of birding. This award was won by the late Arnold Small and accepted on his behalf by his son, Brian Small. (Arnold Small's contributions were encapsulated in the June Birding Perspective.)

Our Supporters and Sponsors

Our various corporate partners helped to make the ABA Convention a success by sponsoring many of our activities. Our four major sponsors were Swarovski (Convention Lead Sponsor), Bushnell, Leica and Pentax - each contributed substantially to our event. In addition, we are grateful to Nikon, Zeiss, Kowa, Brunton, Academic Press, and Princeton University Press for their generous support. We also thank Robert Righter for donating a copy of his book Colorado Birds to each registrant, and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology for their support. This kind of support from our partners gives us greater flexibility in our various endeavors at the convention and is greatly appreciated.

Bird List