Hello Tweeters --

The 36th annual conference of WESTERN FIELD ORNITHOLOGISTS (WFO) will
be held in Sierra Vista, Arizona, August 17-21, 2011. Registration
is now open. Go to: www.westernfieldornithologists.org and click on
the "Annual Conference" banner in the middle of the page). You will
probably want to download the Conference Details document and review
it before you begin registration. Archived information from previous
years' conferences are also available to give you an idea of what
meetings are typically like.

If you've never experienced a WFO meeting's unique blend of birding
and science among some of North America's premier birders and field
ornithologists, then take advantage of this year's conference. And
if you've never been to southeast Arizona during the late summer (or
even if you have), this is an opportunity you won't want to miss!
The monsoon rains that come during this season create breeding
conditions for many birds, including a number of Mexican species that
occur nowhere else in the U.S. For others, conditions are ripe for
molting prior to movement to the wintering grounds -- and this
phenomenon of molt migration will be the subject of the conference's
Keynote Address by Peter Pyle . As always, we'll have Science
Sessions Friday and Saturday afternoons, a wide variety of Field
Trips to all the local hotspots, and Workshops on topics like
flycatcher identification, bird banding, study skin preparation, and
wilderness first aid. Dan Fischer will give a talk about the first
naturalists to visit the Southwest. We are also offering pre-and
post-meeting field trips to the Chiricahua Mountains and California
Gulch, and a Sunday trip focusing on butterflies and dragonflies.
Many local experts will be helping us out with workshops and field
trips, including Tony Battiste, Bob Behrstock, Homer Hansen, Melody
Kehl, Michael Marsden, Ted Mouras, Heather Swanson, Wezil Walraven,
Jack Whetstone, Sheri Williamson, and Erika Wilson.

As many discovered last year, you need to register very early to be
sure to get your first choice of field trips and workshops, so visit
the WFO web site (www.westernfieldornithologists.org) right away to
see full details and to register.

Thanks, and I hope to see you in Arizona this August!

Jay Withgott
WFO Board member
Portland, OR
withgott at comcast.net