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2018 Winter Meeting

ANNOUNCING 
The Georgia Ornithological Society’s 
Winter Meeting 
January 12-15, 2018
Hotel Tybee
Tybee Island, Georgia 

1412 Butler Avenue
Tybee Island, Georgia 31328

 


 

SATURDAY NIGHT’S KEYNOTE PRESENTATION

"Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer"

 

Dr. Peter Marra
Director, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
Washington, D.C.

 

Dr. Peter Marra earned an M.S. degree from Louisiana State University, a Ph.D. from Dartmouth College, and has been at the Smithsonian Institution since 1999, where he is the Director of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. He has authored over 180 peer-reviewed papers published in journals such as Science, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, and Conservation Biology. He co-edited the frequently cited book "Birds of Two Worlds". Pete’s upcoming book entitled "Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer" (http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10809.html) hit bookstands in the fall of 2016. Peter started Neighborhood Nestwatch and The Migratory Connectivity Project and is co-founder of Tree House Concerts. He is an avid fisherman, passionate cook, and father of two.

  


 

FRIDAY NIGHT’S PRESENTATION

“Effects of Forest Fragmentation on Birds in the Upper Guacimal Watershed, Costa Rica"

Cody Cox
Ph.D. Candidate
The University of Georgia, Athens

 

Cody Cox, is from the Atlanta area and is currently a PhD candidate in Integrative Conservation and Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia, where he is a member of Dr. Nate Nibbelink’s spatial ecology lab. Cody’s research interests are focused on understanding how birds respond to habitat fragmentation to inform conservation planning. He is currently studying the habitat use and effects of forest fragmentation on resident and migratory bird species in the Monteverde region of Costa Rica.

 

 

 

 


 

Meeting Hotel Details

Hotel Tybee
1412 Butler Ave.
Tybee Island, GA 31328

Call (912) 786-7777 for reservations, or visit the website at:  http://www.hoteltybee.com/  

Use the group code “GOS2018” to receive discounted rates:
$104.00/night for an inland room and $154.00/night for an ocean view.
There is no cutoff date for room reservations.

 

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Friday, 12 January 2018

6:45 AM - Field Trips Meet at Your Destination
5:30 to 6:30 PM - Dinner on Your Own
6:30 to 7:30 PM - Registration in the Garden Room and Flocking (w/cash bar)
7:30 to 8:30 PM - Speaker: Cody Cox
"Effects of Forest Fragmentation on Birds in the Upper Guacimal Watershed, Costa Rica"
8:30 to 8:45 PM - Discussion of Saturday Field Trips

Saturday, 13 January 2018

Breakfast on Your Own
6:15 AM - First Field Trip Departs
5:30 to 6:45 PM - Flocking (w/cash bar in the Garden Room).
Meet, Greet, and Book Signing with Dr. Peter Marra
6:45 to 7:45 PM - President’s Address, Announcements, and Banquet Dinner
7:45 to 8:45 PM - Keynote Speaker: Dr. Peter Marra
"Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer"
8:45 to 9:15 PM - Discussion of Sunday Field Trips and Species Countdown

Sunday, 14 January 2018

Breakfast on Your Own
6:15 AM - First Field Trip Departs
5:30 to 6:30 PM - Flocking (in the hotel bar) and Discussion of Monday Field Trips
6:30 PM - Dinner on Your Own 

Monday, 15 January 2018

Breakfast on Your Own

7:30 AM - First Field Trip Departs

 

Registration

(note: if you are uncomfortable registering online please email president@gos.org and we'll come up with an alternative)

BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO THE TOP OF THE FIELD TRIP SELECTION TO SELECT THE RELEASE

Use the links to select and pay for your registration, banquet, and field trips. If a field trip is sold out you will have the opportunity to select another. 

Ed will send you confirmation of your field trips and registration as soon as possible. 

Fill out fields, then click "add to cart" button, select # of people, and then use the "Continue Shopping" button to add more items.

At the end of the process you will be registered.  

BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO THE TOP OF THE FIELD TRIP SELECTION TO SELECT THE RELEASE


 

 

Registration for GOS Member(s) @ $30.00 per person (Note: Spouse/immediate family may register at the member rate 

Your name will come from your Paypal Acct. If you are registering more than yourself, please indicate those names, separated by a comma in the box to the right. Your mobile phone # will help us reach you for last minute changes in field trips due to weather. (FILL OUT fields before clicking "add to cart") Registration does not include keynote, but banquet does.  If you are NOT going to the banquet but want to see the keynote, please pay for that below. 
OtherNames
Mobile Phone #

 Nonā€GOS Member(s) @ $50.00 per person
(you can become a member for only $25)

Your name will come from your Paypal Acct. If you are registering more than yourself, please indicate those names, separated by a comma in the box to the right. Your mobile phone # will help us reach you for last minute changes in field trips due to weather. (FILL OUT fields before clicking "add to cart")
OtherNames
Mobile Phone #
 

Reservation(s) for banquet @ $40.00 per person
(banquet price includes keynote speaker)

 

GOS Member - Registration(s) for Keynote Speaker only (no banquet) @ $10.00 per person 

You do not need to register for this if you are paying for the banquet.

Non-GOS Member - Registration(s) for Keynote Speaker only (no banquet) @ $20.00 per person

If it is after 5 January 2018, add $10 late fee

FIELD TRIPS  
Directions to Field Trip Locations

Unless otherwise noted, all times are departure/return times to Hotel Tybee. 
 
*For all Friday field trips, please meet your Field Trip Leader at the birding location at the designated start time.
*For all Monday field trips, there will be no return trips to the hotel.
For your personal comfort, safety, and enjoyment, always bring your binoculars, spotting scope, sturdy walking shoes, layers of clothing, rain gear, insect repellent, sun screen, water, and a sack lunch or snacks on all field trips.  Be advised that most trip destinations do not have bathroom facilities.

WAIVER: You must select this item and add it to your cart.

RELEASE - Click this paypal link to acknowledge and accept:

 

 

GOS requires registration for participation in the meeting and field trips, and also requires all registrants to acknowledge the following release.  If the participant is a minor, a parent or legal guardian must acknowledge this release.

 

 

Each registrant named, both adult and minor, desires to participate in the field trips and other activities at this meeting of the Georgia Ornithological Society (GOS).  Therefore, each registrant knowingly and voluntarily grants to the GOS and its officers, committee members, and any other persons engaged in activities in connection with this meeting, a full release from any claim, liability, or cost of any nature on account of personal illness or bodily injury, loss of life, or loss or damage to property directly or indirectly arising out of the registrant’s participation in this meeting.

 

 

 

 

FRIDAY, 12 JANUARY 2018

 

FORT STEWART 


Leader:  Larry Carlile.
Start time: 6:45 AM.  Return: 12:30 PM.
Limit: 15 people in 5 SUV-type vehicles with good clearance.
Cost: $0.00

Meet Fort Stewart Wildlife Biologist Larry Carlile at the Love’s Truck Stop in Richmond Hill (SW corner of I-95 Exit 90).  You’ll leave Love’s promptly at 7:00 AM and travel to a Fort Stewart Red-Cockaded Woodpecker cluster as the woodpecker family group exits their cavities at sunrise.  We’ll explore longleaf pine forests and also visit bottomland hardwoods associated with the Canoochee River.
Trip rigor: Moderate with some walking over uneven ground.

 

CORPS OF ENGINEERS DISPOSAL SITE, JASPER COUNTY, SC

Leaders: Steve Calver and Mary Richards.
Start time: 8:00 AM.  Return: 1:30 PM.
Limit: 20 people in 5 SUV-type vehicles with good clearance.
Cost: $0.00

Meet Steve and Mary at the gate to the disposal site (GPS coordinates 32.103, -81.084) at 8:00 AM for a rare chance to bird this restricted area.  The site is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredge disposal facility.  Habitats include grassy levees, mudflats, and impoundments.  This area holds ducks, shorebirds, waders, sparrows, and raptors.  Expect to sign a couple of waivers at the site.
Trip rigor: Moderate with a good deal of walking. 

 

SAVANNAH NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, JASPER COUNTY, SC

Leader: Nathan Farnau.
Start time: 10:00 AM.  Return: 3:00 PM.
Limit: 20 people.
Cost: $0.00

Meet Nathan at the beginning of the Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive, which travels along levees tops and affords great views of impoundments within the refuge.  Savannah NWR is a premier spot for wintering waterfowl, waders, rails, raptors, and sparrows.
Trip rigor: Easy. 

 

 

 SATURDAY, 13 JANUARY 2018

 

FORT PULASKI NATIONAL MONUMENT / TYBEE ISLAND 

Leader: Bob Sargent.
Depart: 7:30 AM.  Return: 1:30 PM.
Limit: 20 people.
Cost: $7.00/person entry fee (unless you have an annual pass). 
Also prepare to pay Tybee Island parking meters.

Join Bob Sargent at historic Fort Pulaski, a 5400-acre National Monument situated on the Savannah River.  Fort Pulaski is a great place to find scoters, ducks, and shorebirds, and the occasional brown creeper.  After Fort Pulaski, you’ll visit Tybee Island for gulls, terns, and purple sandpiper.
Trip rigor: Moderate with quite a bit of walking. 

(Bring $7 for entry fee on day of trip)
 

HARRIS NECK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE 

Leader: Simon Thompson, Mark Welford.
Depart 7:30 AM.  Return: 1:30 PM.
Limit: 20 people.
Cost: $0.00

Meet Simon and Mark at the Harris Neck NWR gate at 9:00 AM.  Harris Neck’s 2,762 acres consists of saltwater marsh, grassland, and mixed deciduous woods. Because of this great variety of habitats, many different species of birds are attracted to the refuge throughout the year. Large concentrations of ducks gather in the marshland and freshwater pools. Over 15 miles of paved roads and trails provide easy access to the many different habitats. Chosen for its accessibility and bird diversity, Harris Neck is one of 18 sites forming the Colonial Coast Birding Trail, inaugurated in 2000.
Trip rigor: Easy. 

 

LITTLE TYBEE ISLAND BOAT TRIP 

Leaders: Captain Rene Heidt and Larry Carlile.
Depart: 12:00 PM.  Return: 4:30 PM.
Minimum attendees: 4 people. Maximum attendees: 18 people.
Cost: $70.00

Join Captain Rene and Larry on a high tide boat tour of marshes and in-shore waters on the way to Little Tybee Island, an uninhabited State Natural Heritage Preserve barrier island accessible only by boat.  Little Tybee hosts lots of wintering shorebirds, gulls, and terns.  You should also see marsh sparrows, loons, gannets, grebes and ducks.
Trip rigor: Moderate, but be prepared for wet weather and rough water.  Note: The boat will depart at 12:00PM from the Back River Fishing Pier (GPS coordinates 31.992, -80.853. This will be a beach landing. Please provide your email and you will be sent a set of instructions. Depart at noon, return 4:00PM – 4:30PM

 

SAVANNAH NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, JASPER COUNTY, SC

Leader: Malcolm Hodges.
Depart: 7:30 AM.  Return: 2:00 PM.
Limit: 20 people.
Cost: $0.00

Meet Malcolm at the beginning of the Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive, which travel along levees tops and affords great views of impoundments within the refuge.  Savannah NWR is a premier spot for wintering waterfowl, waders, rails, raptors, and sparrows.
Trip rigor: Easy.


SAVANNAH NATIONAL WILDLIFE, SOLOMON TRACT, CHATHAM COUNTY, GA 

Leader: Nathan Farnau.
Depart: 7:30 AM.  Return: 1:30 PM.
Limit: 20 people.
Cost: $0.00

 

Nathan will lead you to the Chatham County portion of the Savannah NWR.  This is a heavily wooded site with upland and bottomland hardwoods, a Ducks Unlimited impoundment, and a couple of open fields.  Target species include rails, bitterns, sparrows, wintering warblers, and ducks.
Trip rigor: Moderate, with a lot of walking.

 

SKIDAWAY ISLAND HOTSPOTS 

Leader: Russ Wigh.
Depart 7:15 AM.  Return 12:00 PM
Limit: 15 people.
Cost: $0.00

Explore The Landings, a gated community on Skidaway Island, with resident Russ Wigh.  Locations include 2 marinas, numerous lagoons, salt marshes and tidal creeks, and the “Sparrow Field”.  Bring water and snacks.  Meet Russ at the main entrance of The Landings at 8:00 AM.
Trip rigor: Easy.

 


SUNDAY, 14 JANUARY 2018

 

 

CHATHAM COUNTY WETLAND MITIGATION SITE

Leader: Stan Gray.
Depart: 7:30 AM.
Limit: 20 people.
Cost: $0.00 

Meet Stan at 8:30 AM at the gate (GPS coordinates 31.987, -81.286) of this relatively new county property with lakes, freshwater marshes, and bottomland hardwoods near the Ogeechee River.  Rusty blackbirds are known to winter at this location along with ducks, grebes, and sparrows.
Trip rigor: Moderate with some of walking. 

 

LITTLE TYBEE ISLAND BOAT TRIP

Leaders: Captain Rene Heidt and Bob Sargent.
Depart: 2:00 PM.  Return: 6:00 PM.
Minimum attendees: 4 people.  Maximum attendees: 18 people.
Cost: $70.00 

Join Captain Rene and Bob on a high tide boat tour of marshes and in-shore waters on the way to Little Tybee Island, an uninhabited State Natural Heritage Preserve barrier island accessible only by boat.  Little Tybee hosts lots of wintering shorebirds, gulls, and terns.  You should also see marsh sparrows, loons, gannets, grebes and ducks.
Trip rigor: Moderate, but be prepared for wet weather and rough water.  Note: The boat will depart at 12:00PM from the Back River Fishing Pier (GPS coordinates 31.992, -80.853. This will be a beach landing. Please provide your email and you will be sent a set of instructions. Depart at 2:00 PM, return 6:00 PM.

 

SAPELO ISLAND 

Leaders: Malcolm Hodges.
Meet Malcom at the Meridian dock at 8:00 AM. Ferry leaves Sapelo at 5:30 PM.
Limit: 15 people.
Cost: $25.00 (paid with your registration) plus a $5.00 ferry fee (paid at the dock). 

This 16,000 acre, 11-mile long island has a rich history and a diverse assemblage of birds within its pristine maritime forests, marshes, and beaches.
Trip rigor:  Moderate, with quite a bit of walking.  

TRIP IS FULL

 

HARRIS NECK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Leader: Andrew Dreelin.
Depart 7:30 AM.  Return: 1:30 PM.
Limit: 20 people.
Cost: $0.00 

Meet Andrew at the Harris Neck NWR gate at 9:00 AM.  Harris Neck’s 2,762 acres consists of saltwater marsh, grassland, and mixed deciduous woods. Because of this great variety of habitats, many different species of birds are attracted to the refuge throughout the year. Large concentrations of ducks gather in the marshland and freshwater pools. Over 15 miles of paved roads and trails provide easy access to the many different habitats. Chosen for its accessibility and bird diversity, Harris Neck is one of 18 sites forming the Colonial Coast Birding Trail, inaugurated in 2000.
Trip rigor: Easy.

 

SAVANNAH NATIONAL WILDLIFE, SOLOMON TRACT, CHATHAM COUNTY, GA

Leader: Steve Wagner.
Depart: 7:30 AM.  Return: 1:30 PM.
Limit: 20 people.
Cost: $0.00

 

Steve will lead you to the Chatham County portion of the Savannah NWR.  This is a heavily wooded site with upland and bottomland hardwoods, a Ducks Unlimited impoundment, and a couple of open fields.  Target species include rails, bitterns, sparrows, wintering warblers, and ducks.
Trip rigor: Moderate, with a lot of walking. 

 

MONDAY, 15 JANUARY 2018

CHATHAM COUNTY WETLAND MITIGATION SITE

Leader: Malcolm Hodges.
Depart: 7:30 AM.
No return trip to hotel.
Limit: 20 people.
Cost: $0.00

 

Meet Malcolm at 8:30 AM at the gate (GPS coordinates 31.987, -81.286) of this relatively new county property with lakes, freshwater marshes, and bottomland hardwoods near the Ogeechee River.  Rusty blackbirds are known to winter at this location along with ducks, grebes, and sparrows.
Trip rigor: Moderate with some of walking.

 

LITTLE TYBEE ISLAND BOAT TRIP

Leaders: Captain Rene Heidt and James Fleullan.
Depart: 7:30 AM.  No return trip to hotel.
Minimum attendees: 4 people.  Maximum attendees: 18 people.
Cost: $70.00 

Join Captain Rene and Larry on a high tide boat tour of marshes and in-shore waters on the way to Little Tybee Island, an uninhabited State Natural Heritage Preserve barrier island accessible only by boat.  Little Tybee hosts lots of wintering shorebirds, gulls, and terns.  You should also see marsh sparrows, loons, gannets, grebes and ducks.
Trip rigor: Moderate, but be prepared for wet weather and rough water.  Note: The boat will depart at 7:30 AM from the Back River Fishing Pier (GPS coordinates 31.992, -80.853. This will be a beach landing. Please provide your email and you will be sent a set of instructions. Depart at 7:30 AM, return 11:30 AM.

 

RICHMOND HILL WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY

Leader: Bob Sargent.
Depart: 7:30 AM.  No return trip to hotel.
Limit: 20 people.
Cost: $0.00 

Bob will lead you from Hotel Tybee to Richmond Hill.  This is a great site for ducks, rails, and wintering warblers and sparrows.
Trip rigor: Easy. 

 

TYBEE ISLAND HOTSPOTS

Leader: Diana Churchill.
Depart: 7:30 AM.  No return trip to hotel.
Limit: 20 people.
Cost: $0.00, but be prepared to pay the Tybee Island parking meters. 

Diana, a Tybee Island resident, will lead you to the best birding spots on Tybee Island.  Expect to find shorebirds (including purple sandpiper), gannets, ducks, and more.  Trip rigor: Moderate, with quite a bit of walking on the beach. 

 

Release and Waiver (if you didn't click it up above)

WAIVER: You must select this item and add it to your cart.

RELEASE

 

GOS requires registration for participation in the meeting and field trips, and also requires all registrants to acknowledge the following release.  If the participant is a minor, a parent or legal guardian must acknowledge this release.

 

 

Each registrant named, both adult and minor, desires to participate in the field trips and other activities at this meeting of the Georgia Ornithological Society (GOS).  Therefore, each registrant knowingly and voluntarily grants to the GOS and its officers, committee members, and any other persons engaged in activities in connection with this meeting, a full release from any claim, liability, or cost of any nature on account of personal illness or bodily injury, loss of life, or loss or damage to property directly or indirectly arising out of the registrant’s participation in this meeting.

 

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