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Join Western Field Ornithologists for field trips, ornithology workshops, scientific paper sessions, and expert panels—plus great camaraderie, beautiful scenery, and superb birding.
The 2006 meeting will be based out of Boulder, Colorado, at a time of year that should be excellent for a fascinating mix of western and eastern birds—migrants, residents, and vagrants. Field trips include the Eastern Plains, mountains and foothills, and several notable vagrant traps. Shorebird diversity will still be high in late September, and the time of year is superb for passerine migrants—rarities and regionally common species alike. Nearly all montane specialties of the eastern Rockies will be present and findable. Field trips include half-day and all-day options, nearby and faraway, strenuous mountain hikes or relaxed strolls through productive migrant traps.
As usual, the meeting will feature a wide variety of workshops, panels, and paper sessions. Our diverse scientific paper sessions will be moderated by WFO board member Jay Withgott, and keynote speaker Dr. Jessica Young will describe her recent and ongoing research on the Gunnison Sage-Grouse. Our ever-popular and edifying slide ID panel will be moderated by WFO stalwart Joe Morlan. Our sound ID panel will be moderated by Nathan Pieplow, a Boulder-based recordist and expert on bird vocalizations. A new offering this year is a panel of members of bird records committees (BRCs) from western states.
We are currently soliciting papers for the conference. See our Call for Papers for details on submitting an abstract.
We will be lodging at the Best Western Boulder Inn, just a ten-minute drive from spectacular (and ever-birdy) Gregory Canyon. Numerous restaurants and galleries are within walking distance of the Boulder Inn, and the University of Colorado is directly across the street.
How to Register for the Conference
Please register online!
The WFO 2006 Registration Form is a two-page MS Word document which can be either submitted via email or printed and mailed. If you have questions that cannot be answered by the form, please contact the conference registrar, Robbie Fischer. But first, please go through the online registration process.
You are also welcome to register via regular mail. Contact Robbie Fischer (1359 Solano Drive, Pacifica, California 94044; 650-359-2068) for details.
Payment may be made by check, money order, VISA, or MasterCard.
Please note that there is a financial inducement to register early. All registrations received on or before Thursday, 31 August 2006 will result in an automatic $15 discount. Registrations must be received (not just postmarked) by 31 August to be eligible for the discount. Please note that a fee will be assessed for cancelled registrations (see online registration form for details).
When you receive your registration materials, please confirm that everything appears to be in order. In particular, please confirm that the following are correctly indicated:
- Snacks & Meals (including Banquet)
- Field Trips
- Workshops
It is difficult (often impossible) for conference staff to make last-minute changes.
Also, when you arrive at the registration area, please confirm that your color-coded name badge appears to be in good order. Colors will correspond to meal selections, field trip & workshop selections, etc.
Lodging
We will be based out of the Best Western Boulder Inn, located at 770 28th Street (i.e., the intersection of U. S. 36 & Baseline Road), Boulder, Colorado 80303. All field trips will depart from this location, and all workshops will be held here. Please note that certain evening events (expert panel, sound ID panel, banquet, members' meeting, and keynote address) will be held offsite.
In order to qualify for the special group rate at the Best Western Boulder Inn, you must make your reservations at least 30 days prior to arrival. To place your registration, call 800-233-8469 and make reference to the following:
- Group Code: WFO
- Group Dates: 21-24 September 2006
- Group Rates: $64 (one king bed), $69 (two queen beds)
Check-in begins at 3:00 p.m., and check-out is by 11:00 a.m.
Note: The Thursday evening social and all of the morning workshops meet in the Flatirons Conference Room, directly across from the lobby of the Best Western Boulder Inn. All field trips depart from the parking area outside the hotel lobby. However, other conference activities (scientific paper sessions, expert panel, sound ID panel, BRC panel, banquet, members' meeting, and keynote address) do not meet at the hotel. These activities will instead take place at Mountain View Methodist Church, located at 355 Ponca Place. A map will be provided with your registration packet. Mountain View Methodist Church is less than ten minutes by car from the Best Western Boulder Inn.
How to Get to Boulder
If you are flying, fly into Denver International Airport (DIA). The Best Western Boulder Inn is located toward the southern end of the city of Boulder. The hotel is at the intersection of U. S. 36 (also known as 28th Street locally) and Baseline Road. It is directly across (on the east side of) U. S. 36 from the University of Colorado (pedestrian walkway under the highway), and it is centrally located with regard to our field trip destinations. For those wishing to do some exploring on their own, the hotel is especially close to Gregory Canyon and to the Boulder cultural and commercial districts.
Here's how to get to the hotel from DIA:
- By Public Transportation. From DIA, you can take either the airport shuttle (approximately $18 one-way, approximately $32 round-trip) or the airport bus ($10 one-way, $20 round-trip). For more information, check the Boulder Super Shuttle website or the Denver Regional Transportation District website. The airport shuttle goes to the hotel. The bus gets as close as downtown Boulder (a few miles from the hotel).
- By Car. The drive from DIA to the conference site is about one hour (longer, if traffic is bad). From DIA, exit onto Peña Boulevard; continue until you reach I-70 west; take I-70 west to the I-270 north exit (Fort Collins); take I-270 north to the U. S. 36 west exit (Boulder); continue on U. S. 36 to the Baseline Road (exactly 40º 0' 0", if you are traveling by GPS) exit in Boulder; come off the exit and go straight through the light, assuming it is green, to the hotel.
Conference Itinerary
Please Note: Exact times subject to change. For example, field trip meeting times may vary depending on unforeseen changes in local birding conditions or unexpected weather phenomena. Any changes will be clearly communicated to you when you pick up your registration materials.
Thursday, 21 September 2006
- 5:00 a.m. Depart for all-day trip to Eastern Plains of Colorado. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns by 5:00 p.m. or earlier. 200+ miles of driving, round trip.
- 5:00 a.m. Depart for all-day trip to Wyoming Migrant Traps. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns by 5:00 p.m. or earlier. 300+ miles of driving, round trip.
- 6:00 a.m. Depart for all-day trip for High-elevation Specialties. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns by 3:00 p.m. or earlier. This trip involves a strenuous hike at high elevations and is suitable only for the physically fit. 100 miles of driving, round trip.
- 6:30 a.m. Depart for all-day trip to Foothills and Farm Country. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns by 3:00 p.m. or earlier. <100 miles of driving, round trip; easy-going pace.
- 2:00 p.m. WFO Board of Directors Meeting. Flatirons Conference Room, Best Western Boulder Inn. Current members of WFO are welcome to attend and participate in the meeting in a non-voting capacity, including nominating potential board members from to floor and participating in bylaws revision discussions. Updated bylaws will be available on this website prior to the meeting. To attend, please make arrangements beforehand with David Yee. If you would like to participate in the nominations or the bylaws prior to the meeting, which is strongly encouraged, please contact Gjon Hazard.
- 6:00 p.m. Field Trip Leaders Meeting. Flatirons Conference Room, Best Western Boulder Inn. This is a short, important, and mandatory meeting for all field trip leaders and WFO board members.
- 7:00 p.m. Welcome and introduction by WFO President David Yee. Flatirons Conference Room, Best Western Boulder Inn.
- 7:15 p.m. Social hour. Flatirons Conference Room, Best Western Boulder Inn. Modest hors d'oeuvres and light drinks provided.
- 8:00 p.m. Leaderless owl prowl. Assemble at Flatirons Conference Room, Best Western Boulder Inn. Carpool short distance to Cottonwood Marsh for Eastern Screech-Owl, rails, night-herons, and other things that go bump in the night. No trip leader, no prior organization, lots of fun.
Friday, 22 September 2006
- 6:00 a.m. Depart for half-day trip to Barr Lake State Park. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns at 11:45 a.m. 100 miles of driving, round trip.
- 6:00 a.m. Depart for half-day trip to Chatfield State Park. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns at 11:45 a.m. 100 miles of driving, round trip.
- 6:30 a.m. Depart for half-day trip to Mesa Trail Open Space. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns at 11:45 a.m. 25 miles of driving, round trip.
- 6:30 a.m. Depart for half-day trip to Walden Ponds Nature Study Area. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns at 11:45 a.m. <25 miles of driving, round trip.
- 8:00 a.m. Workshop: Birding by Ear—Visually. Workshop leader: Arch McCallum. Flatirons Conference Room, Best Western Boulder Inn.
- 8:30 a.m. Depart for short trip to Gregory Canyon. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns at 11:45 a.m. 10 miles of driving, round trip.
- 1:00 p.m. Scientific paper session. Session convenes at Mountain View Methodist Church, 355 Ponca Place. Please arrive on time, as the first paper will begin promptly at 1:00 p.m. Formal scientific paper session concludes at 4:15 p.m., and is followed at at 4:30 p.m. by the Expert Panel: Sounds (for more details, see "Information about Panels", below).
- 7:00 p.m. Expert panel: Slides. Panel convenes at Mountain View Methodist Church, 355 Ponca Place. Yes, we'll be indoors. But bring your binoculars, all the same, for close-up inspection of the mystery photographs. For more details on the Expert Panel, see "Information about Panels", below.
Saturday, 23 September 2006
- 6:00 a.m. Depart for half-day trip to Barr Lake State Park. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns at 11:45 a.m. 100 miles of driving, round trip.
- 6:00 a.m. Depart for half-day trip to Chatfield State Park. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns at 11:45 a.m. 100 miles of driving, round trip.
- 6:30 a.m. Depart for half-day trip to Mesa Trail Open Space. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns at 11:45 a.m. 25 miles of driving, round trip.
- 6:30 a.m. Depart for half-day trip to Walden Ponds Nature Study Area. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns at 11:45 a.m. <25 miles of driving, round trip.
- 8:00 a.m. Mastering Digital Photography of Birds. Workshop leader: Bill Schmoker. Flatirons Conference Room, Best Western Boulder Inn.
- 8:30 a.m. Depart for short trip to Gregory Canyon. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns at 11:45 a.m. 10 miles of driving, round trip.
- 1:00 p.m. Scientific paper session. Session convenes at Mountain View Methodist Church, 355 Ponca Place. Please arrive on time, as the first paper will begin promptly at 1:00 p.m. Formal scientific paper session concludes at 4:15 p.m., and is followed at 4:30 p.m. by the BRC Panel (for more details, see "Information about Panels", below).
- 7:00 p.m. Banquet, Members' Meeting, and Keynote Address. Meet at Mountain View Methodist Church, 355 Ponca Place. At the members' meeting, there will be a vote on a change in WFO's Bylaws, including a new board formulation and term limits, and a vote on a slate for the Board of Directors. The slate of Directors will have been nominated at the Thursday afternoon board meeting (see above, 21 September 2006, 2:00 p.m.), to which all WFO members are invited to attend
as non-voting participants. Note that board members may be nominated from the floor, as well as by the board. Other business of the organization will be conducted at this time, too.
We are delighted that our keynote speaker will be Dr. Jessica Young, a central figure in the discovery of the Gunnison Sage-Grouse. The Gunnison Sage-Grouse was added to the A.O.U. Check-list in 2000, and was the first nova avis (new bird species) in the United States in more than 100 years. In her keynote address, Dr. Young will bring us up to date on her active research program on the courtship behavior, genetics, and conservation of the Gunnison Sage-Grouse.
Sunday, 24 September 2006
- 5:00 a.m. Depart for all-day trip to Wyoming Migrant Traps. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns by 5:00 p.m. or earlier. 300+ miles of driving, round trip.
- 5:00 a.m. Depart for all-day trip to Eastern Plains of Colorado. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns by 5:00 p.m. or earlier. 200+ miles of driving, round trip.
- 6:00 a.m. Depart for all-day trip for High-elevation Specialties. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns by 3:00 p.m. or earlier. This trip involves a strenuous hike at high elevations and is suitable only for the physically fit. 100 miles of driving, round trip.
- 6:30 a.m. Depart for all-day trip to Foothills and Farm Country. Assemble in Best Western Boulder Inn parking lot. Trip returns by 3:00 p.m. or earlier. 100 miles of driving, round trip; easy-going pace.
- 8:00 a.m. Workshop: Empidonax Demystified. Workshop leader: Arch McCallum. Flatirons Conference Room, Best Western Boulder Inn.
Information about Field Trips
- Many field trips involve travel to destinations that require an entrance fee. You do not have to worry about this. When you register for the conference, you will pay for all entrance fees and other costs related to site access. It is a WFO tradition for all non-driving participants to help pay for fuel!
- What about food? The hotel will provide the basics for breakfast: juice, cereal, English muffins, bagels, donuts, fresh fruit, and coffee. The conference staff is working to provide some snacks for the road (granola bars, sodas, etc.). We will have complete information on food for field trip participants at the registration table. On a general note of advice, we encourage all field trip participants to provision themselves with any special favorites (elk jerky, maple-roasted tofu, fresh-squeezed avocado juice, whatever). Lunch is on your own (pack a lunch for full-day trips, grab a bite to eat after the half-day trips).
- Please note that all field trips depart promptly at the designated departure times. Arrive at the departure sites at least 15 minutes early, to give yourself enough time to pick up your breakfast (if you have signed up for one), find your leaders and caravan, and go to the bathroom one last time.
- Please further note that all field trips will return on time. If you wish to stay out longer (and if the other occupants of your vehicle are compliant), you are welcome to do so. However, all leaders will bring their trips back to the Best Western Boulder Inn at or before the "official" time of the conclusion of the trip.
- Many of the field trips are destinations that are suitable for listening to nocturnal migration. It is unrealistic, because of the unknowns of weather conditions and participant interest, to schedule beforehand special early sessions for nocturnal migration. Instead, if you are interested, please be in touch with a field trip leader the day prior to your departure, to see about the possibility of arranging a special session for nocturnal migration.
- WFO field trip leaders endorse and abide by the ABA Code of Birding Ethics. Also, WFO recognizes and seeks to minimize the environmental impact of car-based birding. To this end, all field trip participants are encouraged to carpool as efficiently as possible.
- A comment about the tempo and style of WFO field trips. We recognize that every birding and ornithological organization has its own approach to field trips. WFO field trips are easy-going affairs, but we are serious about finding good birds and having a good time afield. Our goal on each field trip is to engage in the study of field ornithology—to get great looks at birds, to discuss field identification, etc. We do not rush from bird to bird, but rather savor each and every sighting.
- Field Trip Destinations. Please note that all field trip destinations, except for those in Wyoming, are thoroughly described on the Colorado County Birding website. Brief descriptions of each field trip destination are provided herewith:
- Barr Lake State Park. Half-day trip, Friday & Saturday. Generally good for gulls and shorebirds; possibilities include jaegers, Sabine's Gull, Red Phalarope, etc. Woodlands around Barr Lake are good for a wide variety of passerines, with eastern strays regular in late September. Flat terrain, some insects, possibility of getting muddy.
- Chatfield State Park. Half-day trip, Friday & Saturday. Offerings similar to those presented by Barr Lake. This site is heavily visited by birders in fall migration, with several "stakeout" rarities usually present. (Let someone else do the work for you!) Flat terrain, some insects, can be heavily congested.
- Mesa Trail Open Space. Half-day trip, Friday & Saturday. Observe resident and migrant passerines in delightfully high numbers. Diligent searching often results in an eastern stray. Breathtaking scenery. Mountainous terrain, lots of cacti and some snakes if you wander off the trails; this outing requires sturdy footwear and some amount of physical exertion.
- Walden Ponds Nature Study Area. Half-day trip, Friday & Saturday. A superb introduction to birding the Front Range region. Excellent close-up viewing of a wide diversity of aquatic species; passerines and other landbirds galore; always the possibility of a rarity. Flat terrain, some insects.
- Relaxed Birding Trip, Gregory Canyon. Half-day trip, Friday & Saturday. This offering has been designed with our more civilized clientele in mind. Enjoy a real breakfast, catch the morning news, and then travel a short distance from the hotel to stunningly gorgeous Gregory Canyon. Excellent studies of Canyon Wren, Pygmy Nuthatch, raptors, etc. A few steep spots, but we'll go slow.
- Eastern Plains of Colorado. Full-day trip, Thursday & Sunday. Exact itinerary will depend on recent reports and local conditions. We will visit at least one major shorebird hotspot (1,000s of birds) and one major landbird migrant trap. Likely (not guaranteed) focal point of this trip will be Prewitt Reservoir State Wildlife Area. Flat terrain, a fair bit of walking, some insects, potentially lots of mud; the bulk of the driving will be getting there and getting back.
- Foothills and Farm County. Full-day trip, Thursday & Sunday. We will check out a variety of habitats in and around the foothills and farm country of Boulder County. One or more destinations may be the same as those slated for the half-day trips. Expect a long list of migrants and residents, drawn from a wide variety of taxa. Flat terrain, some insects; several stops, with short drives (15 miles) in between.
- High-elevation Specialties. Full-day trip, Thursday & Sunday. Our plan is to summit Mt. Audubon. We'll start out at Brainard Lake (elevation 10,060 feet) and proceed to the summit (13,223 feet; on the Continental Divide). There are no guarantees on this trip, but possibilities include Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (erratic), White-tailed Ptarmigan (fairly likely), and Boreal Owl (unlikely, but y'never know). Do expect breathtaking scenery and a punishing workout. Steep terrain, thin air; bring warm clothes, sun protection, snacks, aspirin, and copious quantities of water.
- Wyoming Migrant Traps. Full-day trip, Thursday & Sunday. We'll start out at the extraordinary Wyoming Hereford Ranch (large numbers of common migrants, vagrants likely) just outside Cheyenne. Then, depending on recent reports and local conditions, we'll visit shorebird and landbird hotspots north and east of Cheyenne. Flat terrain, lots of driving, fairly intense pace.
We realize that you may be unable to attend conference field trips on one or more days, due to conflicts with workshops or other activities. In such instances, please consult the Colorado County Birding website for ideas about self-guided or informal small-group trips of your own making. Start with the Boulder County webpage (click on ‘Birding by County’, then click on ‘Boulder’) and take it from there. Or start with some other county, farther afield, if you are more ambitious.
- How to Get There. Maps and directions to all field trip destinations will be provided with the materials that you pick up at the registration table. Please bring the relevant printouts to each field trip, even if you are not a driver.
- Field Trip Leaders. WFO is very grateful to the following individuals, who have volunteered to be local leaders: Andy Boyce, Doug Faulkner, Nick Komar, Norm Lewis, Tony Leukering, Mark Peterson, Nathan Pieplow, Larry Semo, Scott Severs, Bill Schmoker, and Andrew Spencer. Please note that most field trips are also co-led by a WFO board member. Field trip participants are encouraged to introduce themselves to WFO board members and give them a piece of their mind.
Information about Workshops
- Birding by Ear—Visually. Workshop leader: Arch McCallum. Friday, 22 September, 8:00–11:00 a.m. Birders can improve their ear-birding proficiency by visualizing sound with spectrograms. Participants will learn how spectrograms and other "sound pictures" represent qualities such as "harsh", "pure", and "nasal", how songs are constructed from notes and phrases, and how simple acoustic mechanisms have made otherwise similar bird sounds easy to tell apart.
- Mastering Digital Photography of Birds. Workshop leader: Bill Schmoker. Saturday, 23 September, 8:00–11:00 a.m. Photographers of any experience level (including people who are "just curious") are invited to learn and share tips and techniques for digiscoping, digital SLRs, "power" point-and-shoot cameras, and basic digital darkroom workflow. An opportunity to troubleshoot rigs and exchange experiences and ideas will wrap up the session.
- Empidonax Demystified. Workshop leader: Arch McCallum. Sunday, 24 September, 8:00–11:00 a.m. This difficult genus of landbirds is less intimidating if one assigns an unknown to one of four phylogenetically distinctive groups, and then uses the alternation of phrases in song to identify the species. Most calls are also diagnostic if viewed spectrographically. However, the Western Flycatcher complex remains complex, and vocal intermediates are found in a vast swath north of 40º N.
Workshops will be held in the Flatirons Conference Room immediately south of the hotel lobby. Just walk across the carriage entrance and you are there.
Information about the Scientific Paper Sessions
There will be two afternoon paper sessions. Both sessions will be held at Mountain View Methodist Church, 355 Ponca Place. The site is less than ten minutes by car from the Best Western Boulder Inn. Both scientific paper sessions begin promptly at 1:00 p.m. The Friday session will be followed immediately by the Sound ID Panel, and the Saturday session will be followed immediately by the BRC Panel.
Topics covered in the scientific paper sessions range across a wide terrain of ecology, evolution, behavior, taxonomy, population status, management and conservation, and identification. The presentations are suitable for all persons with an interest in western field ornithology, and we welcome questions from all attendees during the question-and-answer session that follows each presentation.
A preliminary schedule of presentations is now available, as are the abstracts. The abstracts and author information will also be included as print copy in each conference registrant's registration packet.
Information about Panels
- Expert Panel: Slides. Friday, 22 September. 7:00–9:00 p.m. In this popular staple of WFO meetings, a panel of identification experts is confronted with photographs of "mystery birds". The experts analyze each photograph and discuss relevant identification issues. Panel moderator is Joe Morlan. If you have slides or digital images that you would like for the panel to ponder, please see Joe the day prior to the panel.
- Expert Panel: Sounds. Friday, 22 September, 4:30–5:30 p.m. A successful offering of recent WFO conferences has been the sound ID panel. This year's moderator is Nathan Pieplow, a sound recordist and birding expert in Boulder. Nathan's expert panel will try to make sense of nocturnal flight calls, begging juveniles, various non-vocal sounds, and maybe even a song or two.
- BRC Panel. Saturday, 23 September, 4:30–5:30 p.m. Members of bird records committees will answer questions about and provide insight into the practical and philosophical workings of BRCs. The panel will include representatives of the California, Colorado, Kansas, and New Mexico BRCs. WFO has long championed the hard and vital work of BRCs, and this panel provides a superb opportunity to learn more about BRCs.
Information About the Keynote Address
Love at the Lek: Can too much sex cause extinction?
Saturday, 23 September. Immediately following the Banquet.
Dr. Jessica Young of Western State College of Colorado will present her research and conservation experiences with the Gunnison Sage-Grouse. Dr. Young researched the behavioral biology and genetics of the Gunnison Sage-Grouse in the late 1980s and 1990s. In 2000, the Gunnison Sage-Grouse was recognized as a distinct species by the American Ornithologists' Union, based on research conducted by Dr. Young and others. Her presentation will focus on how behavior may influence speciation, extinction processes, and persistence of this remarkable bird. In addition, she will discuss current controversies about its conservation status.
Colorado Field Ornithologists
Western Field Ornithologists extends its gratitude to Colorado Field Ornithologists (CFO) for assistance with various logistical aspects of the conference. Although much of CFO's assistance has taken place behind the scenes, it has nonetheless been vital to the smooth operation of the conference. Please support CFO in the following ways:
- By checking out the CFO website and familiarizing yourself with CFO's diverse and excellent projects and initiatives. In particular, be sure to check out the Colorado County Birding link, with extensive information on WFO field trip destinations.
- By becoming a member of CFO. All CFO members receive the superb quarterly journal Colorado Birds and are eligible to participate in all activities of CFO.
- By visiting the CFO table at the convention, where you can pick up free literature about CFO and speak with a with CFO representative.
To learn more about CFO, check out the CFO website or contact CFO President Norm Lewis.
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