Tropical Storm Tammy roared through Southeast Georgia shortly before Georgia’s third coastal birding festival, but the birds and the birders persevered. About 300 people pre-registered for this year’s festival, held October 6-10. Most were from Georgia, but visitors from 20 other states and Canada also attended. One hundred of the registrants identified themselves as GOS members. The weather kept some folks away and certainly limited the number of “walk-ins,” but still there were 78 seminar and workshop tickets sold to local folks who came to visit The Rookery. And there were over 50 field trips scheduled, more than ever before.

The festival got underway on Thursday with the second annual Coastal Birding Challenge, organized this year by Sheila Willis, and used as a fund-raising event for the Hurricane "Birders & More" Relief Effort to benefit Gulf Coast birders and others affected by the 2005 hurricanes. On that day four teams competed to see or hear the most species on the sites that make up Georgia’s Colonial Coast Birding Trail. The team of Sterling Blanchard, Chuck Saleeby, Dan Vickers and Bill Lotz managed an event record of 129 species, and were recognized on Saturday night by Lydia Thompson and the banquet attendees. Several birders had solicited pledges from generous donors, either per species or a flat amount. More than $570.00 was raised to help get a Gulf Coast birder back on her feet.

The 2005 Georgia Bird Conservation Summit was held on Friday afternoon at the Jekyll Island Convention Center, the hub for all the festival activities. Peter Stangel, director of the Southern Partnership Program for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and a panel of the state’s leading bird experts presented the latest information on what is being done to protect Georgia birds and their habitats. Next was the festival kick-off social, featuring an exciting raptor show conducted by the Georgia Southern University’s Center for Wildlife Education and Lamar Q. Ball Jr. Raptor Center. Then E.J. Williams, assistant regional director for Migratory Birds and State Programs of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, gave an update on the status of Georgia coastal wildlife. This inspiring talk was in conjunction with a slide show highlighting some of the Georgia coast’s spectacular wildlife and habitats.

Although fifty-four field trips were scheduled for Friday through Monday, several could not be held. Among the most disappointing cancellations were the Little St. Simons Island trips, which could not go as scheduled due to flooding on the island caused by the heavy rains of Tropical Storm Tammy. Perhaps due to the poor weather, many more migrants were found this year, and the 210 species tallied for the long festival weekend was astounding! (Note: That is right at 50% of all the species on the Georgia Checklist.) Some of the birding highlights included Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Veery, White-crowned Sparrow, 27 species of warblers, Philadelphia Vireo and 11 species of raptors (including dozens and dozens of Peregrine Falcons). One of the Coastal Birding Challenge teams, consisting of out-of-state birders representing various optics companies, had a brief look at what may have been Georgia’s first ever Zenaida Dove, blown here from the Bahamas by Tropical Storm Tammy. Alas, the bird was not photographed, and as of this writing, has not been relocated.

Throughout the weekend The Rookery, an interactive exhibition center located in the Jekyll Island Convention Center’s Atlantic Hall, was the place to find several dozen artists, authors, professionals representing some of the best optics companies, displays and more raptor shows. Saturday night featured the festival dinner and keynote address. After a short GOS business session to re-elect officers, John Swiderski presented the Earle Greene Award to Terry Johnson (see full story on page 4).

Then Bob Sargent introduced the guest speaker, Dr. Scott Robinson, adventurer, birder and scientist, who gave a fascinating program on “Paving the way for Ecotourism and Birding in the Neotropics: What has science taught us?” While a student at Dartmouth College, Dr. Robinson took a year off from his studies to set a new North American Big Year record of 657 species, breaking the mark previously held by Kenn Kaufman. (This record was shattered just a few years later.) While working in the remote Manu National Park in Peru, he teamed with the late Ted Parker to set the world “Big Day” record of 331 species, a record that still stands. Notably, this record was set by foot and dugout canoe on about one square mile of the park! Dr. Robinson proved to be a wonderful speaker, and his presentation was excellent in every way. He emphasized the importance of preserving tropical habitats, reminding his audience that the survival of “our” birds will not be possible otherwise. He also explained the contributions to science that many of his co-workers have made, including the amazing Dr. John Terborgh, and how research and birding complement each other. The evening concluded with the countdown, led by Diana Churchill.

There were many more field trips on Sunday, including the Sunday Family Fun Day, sponsored by the Ogeechee Audubon Society. In spite of the bad weather, the Third Annual Colonial Coast Birding and Nature Festival was the best yet and we look forward to the fourth edition next October.

Submitted by Bill Lotz