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| spring 2007 meeting. . . |
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Our joint meeting experiment with the Florida Ornithological Society (FOS) in April was a resounding success, as 120 people flocked to Brunswick for the birding, the islands, and the camaraderie. The weather couldn’t have been better, the birding was vintage Georgia coast in spring (see the species list in this newsletter), and the evening programs were outstanding. It’s always gratifying to see birders from neighboring states get together, swapping birding yarns, comparing notes on how meetings are organized and how state societies function, and enhancing a latent enthusiasm in each other for bird conservation causes. Of course, for GOS members this meeting represented both an opportunity to network with our neighbors, and a blatant excuse to show off a corner of Georgia of which we are especially proud. Brad Winn graciously stepped in nearly at the last moment to give Friday night’s program, eloquently reminding everyone present how shorebird conservation isn’t just a Georgia issue; it’s an issue that spans hemispheres and binds together agencies and conservation groups from dozens of states and countries. Brad’s talk guided the audience from Patagonia to the Alaskan coast, painting the amazing canvas that is shorebird migration. On Saturday evening, Rick Wright captivated the audience with a history of birding field guides, and more specifically how Roger Tory Peterson changed the face of the birding landscape in the 1930s and 1940s, and how Peterson’s 1980 guide was the impetus for today’s field guide authors to step up to the plate and swing for the fences. The baseball analogy isn’t mine; Rick compared the stars of field guide creation to the baseball greats of the same eras – some left their mark because of consistent excellence, whereas others are remembered because of remarkable, one-time accomplishments. In addition to the field trips and the banquet, Saturday also featured an FOS specialty – “Flocking” – and an early evening poster session presented by research scientists and conservationists. Topics in the poster session included avian research in Peru, Kestrel and Osprey nesting sites, and conservation challenges posed by future development on Cumberland Island. Flocking is FOS’ traditional way of spending Saturday afternoon at their meetings; it’s a social event during which members show their best bird slides and some give scientific presentations on research issues such as avian diseases. GOS has attempted to organize paper sessions at past meetings, most recently at the Milledgeville meeting, but hasn’t attempted something along the lines of FOS’ Flocking model in many years. We took notes! In fact, members of both societies came away from Brunswick with some great ideas as to how each can enhance their respective meetings. My thanks and admiration, as always, go to the people who make these meetings run like clockwork: Bill Lotz, Anne Mursch, Jeannie Wright, Steve Holzman, Barbara Brigham, Helen Ogren, and Soo Whiting (FOS). Thanks also go to the hard-working and talented field trip leaders. Get your calendars out and be sure to block out two weekends in 2008: January 18-21 in Bainbridge, and May 16-18 in Clayton. See you on the islands at the Coastal Festival October 12-14th! Submitted by Bob Sargent
Bill Lotz, Compiler The following table contains a
combined list of the species
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07/2007
