Jackson County, Oregon offers wonderful opportunities for birders to discover mountain and Great Basin bird species as well as migrant species in rural, urban, mountain, and wetland settings. This region is rich in a variety of wildlife, and September will find WFO visiting during the height of shorebird and passerine southward migration. The Cascade Range, the Great Basin desert, and the creeks, marshes, meadows, and agricultural fields of the Klamath Basin are some of the destinations of field trips planned for this meeting, to highlight the rich diversity of landscapes, habitats, and avifauna that southern Oregon has to offer.

 
The joint annual meeting will offer full-day field trips to the Klamath Refuges on September 9 and September 12, and local half-day field trips on September 9,10, and 11. Other planned activities include banding workshops, photography and sketching workshops, evening field trips, banding trips, afternoon science sessions on September 10 and 11, and a poster session (date TBA), plus our ever-popular expert slide identification and sound identification panels. WBBA will be offering its annual feather workshop during this meeting, as well. Social activities will include a welcoming reception, evening programs with noted speakers, and a combined annual dinner. As always, WFO welcomes all levels of birder, from beginner to seasoned veteran. A number of noted western birders, ornithologists, and professional field trip leaders are contributing their time and talents to ensure that meeting participants enjoy good science and good birding.

 
The official hotels for the combined meetings of WBBA, WFO, and OFO are the Windsor Inn (541-488-2330, 2520 Ashland St.) and Windmill Inn & Suites (800-547-4747, 2525 Ashland St.) of Ashland, Oregon. These hotels have made wonderful arrangements for us! Rooms are available on a first-come/first-served basis for $59 and $69 per double room. A wide variety of hotels, bed & breakfasts, guest inns and campgrounds are also available in the greater Ashland area. Make your reservations now. For additional information contact John Alexander of the Klamath Bird Observatory, jda@klamathbird.org, or Rob Hewitt of LBJ Enterprises, lbjent@humboldt1.com, or the Ashland, Oregon, Chamber of Commerce, http://www.ohwy.com/or/a/ashlancc.htm.

As a reminder, members of WBBA, WFO, and OFO will receive a discount on their registration, meals, and workshops. You are encouraged to join one of these fine organizations. Memberships and membership renewals can be done on-line at www.oregonbirds.org (OFO), www.westernbirdbanding.org (WBBA), or robbie22@pacbell.net (WFO). Membership dues will also be accepted at the meeting at the appropriate table for your organization.

Registration
Your registration fee will include scientific sessions, half-day field trips, book signings, evening receptions, and keynote presentations. The basic registration fee does not include: meals and beverages, beverages at no-host receptions, full-day field trips, pitching in for carpooling fuel, and the Peter Pyle feather workshop. Please mail the registration form to Robbie Fischer, 1359 Solano Drive, Pacifica CA 94044, with your check to cover the meeting, any meals, workshops, and full-day field trips. There will be electronic confirmation of registration only, so please include your e-mail address. Please fill out a separate registration form for each registrant. To attend field trips, social events, scientific sessions, or workshops, you must be registered for the day you plan on participating. Meals, field trips, and workshops should be signed up for at the time of registration. For a detailed description of the Peter Pyle feather workshop, please see the WBBA/Klamath Bird Observatory website at www.westernbirdbanding.org/ or www.klamathbird.org/.

Registration Form (print, fill out, and mail with check)

 

Meals
Meals will be served at the Windmill Inn unless your field trip indicates otherwise. For those staying at the meeting hotels breakfast is included with the room. For workshop people or those wanting a more leisurely pace, a later breakfast is being provided $9.00 per meal for members; $10 per meal for non members. Buffet lunches will be $12.00 per meal for members; $13.50 per meal for non members. Buffet dinners and evening program will be $25 per meal for members; $30 per meal for non members. The barbecue (location to be announced) on Thursday night will be $20.00 per person.

Workshops
Morning workshops will be conducted at both the Windsor and the Windmill Inns. These workshops are meant to be educational and entertaining. The presenters are the best in their fields and this is a rare opportunity. The Feather Molt Workshop with Peter Pyle is a one-of-a-kind educational opportunity to study feather molts with a master. It is an important component of a bander’s educational process. Details of this workshop can be seen on the WBBA/KBO and WFO websites. Unfortunately, morning workshop participants will not be able to attend the half-day field trips. There is a fee of $10.00 per morning workshop (to cover expenses) and a fee of $200.00 for the Peter Pyle workshop, which will include separate lodging, meals and the registration fee for the time period of the workshop.

Featured evening programs
On Friday evening, September 10, Peter Pyle will be our featured speaker. Peter’s experiences are legendary and few of us have had the opportunity to hear him speak. Make sure to reserve for dinner this evening and hear one of our own western legends speak. On Saturday evening, September 11 we will have bird sound and slide identification panels for your enlightenment and entertainment... You can sit in the audience and measure your identification skills (visual and aural) against the experts OR you can actively participate. Conducted by Joe Morlan, these panels are great. If you would like to be part of the panels, contribute slides and/or tapes, let Joe know, jmorlan@ccsf.org.

Field Trip Information