[cobirds] 50th Annual Western Field Ornithologists Conference

Hi All!

I just attended the Sept. 17–20 50th Annual Western Field Ornithologists Conference in Ashland, Oregon. The mix of field trips, skill-building, brand-new info, and camaraderie has me fired up for another year of birding. Much like our own CFO, the proceeds from this conference directly fund student research grants and give scientists a platform to share their knowledge through rapid-fire, 15-minute presentations detailing their hypotheses, methods, and results. I was especially impressed by the high school and undergrad students presenting their work—so poised, and really good educators! The master's students' presentations were a bit harder to follow with much more complicated graphs and analysis, but it was a good challenge for the brain.

Among all the many excellent sessions, a few presentations I especially liked: 

Tracking winter feeding ecology of Colorado’s elusive Brown-capped Rosy-Finches (presented by 16-year-old Grant Brandberg)
Rethinking common names for North American Red Crossbill call types (a really useful review of the history of these birds' nomenclature)
Impact of wildfire smoke on songbird physiology and behavior in dry pine forests of central Oregon (turns out, it's complicated);
Factors influencing body condition and survival of Western Snowy Plover chicks (so many cute photos)

The Bird Sounds Challenge (moderated by Nathan Pieplow and Ben Guo) and the Photo Quiz (moderated by Ed Harper) were interactive masterclasses that left us both wanting more and with overheated brains. Hearing the teams and expert panelists think out loud—breaking down calls, field marks, and process-of-elimination techniques—provided practical tools to improve our own field ID skills. I didn't attend any workshops, which were held during field trip hours, but upon reflection, I think they may have been an even better opportunity for learning.

National Wildlife Forensics Lab Tour: I was gobsmacked by the tour of the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory. This is the world's only federal lab dedicated strictly to solving crimes against wildlife. We saw the pathology lab, the chemistry departments, and the massive repositories from global trafficking busts, most notably the illegal collection seized from Dr. John Waldrop—the largest taxidermy forfeiture in U.S. history. Standing in front of thousands of confiscated specimens, including critically endangered vultures, tiny owls, and so many others, was a heart-rending experience. The lab morphology expert who served as our guide pulled out dozens of specimens from the bird collections, and we got to hold a baby auklet, touch the bill of a hornbill, and examine ornaments made from curassow heads (gross!). You can see some of the lab for yourself in this short video: Solving Crimes Against Animals With Forensic Experts.

Colorado Contingent: The conference was understandably mostly attended by Oregonians and Californians, with a smattering of birders from Nevada, Washington, Mexico, etc. Colorado had a showing, too. Our state was represented by young presenter Grant Brandberg, author Nathan Pieplow, and CFO columnist David Leatherman. In fact, I think my hubby Tom and I were the only Coloradans in attendance who didn't present! (Sorry if I missed anybody—let us hear from you if I did.)

Best, 
Kristi

Durango

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