Birders' Exchange News

Haiti

In light of the recent earthquake in Haiti, Birders' Exchange extends its deepest sympathy and caring to the Haitian people, and especially to the BEX recipients there. When the time is right and our bird conservation partners in Haiti are able to return to a somewhat normal life, BEX will launch an equipment collection drive to collect and distribute as many research and educational materials as possible to equip those who have lost everything.

The Course to Train Bird Guides – Las Guacamayas, Chiapas, Mexico

Click here to read about the training course held in Las Guacamayas, Chiapas, Mexico, September 21-25, 2009. It was supported in part by the American Birding Association's Birders' Exchange.

The BEX Spanish Translation of A Neotropical Companion by John Kricher Completed

In early January 2007 Birders' Exchange published its first printing of the Spanish translation of A Neotropical Companion, An Introduction to the Animals, Plants and Ecosystems of the New World Tropics by John Kricher.

As of this writing Birders' Exchange completed its third printing of the book in January 2008. After donating more than 11,000 copies of the book to bird conservation and education organizations, universities, eco lodges, and individuals who would benefit from having a copy fewer than 50 books remain to be given away.

Recipient, Dr. Adrienne Tossas of Puerto Rico summed up the success of this BEX translation project best:

"John Kricher's A Neotropical Companion is the best introduction to the complex natural interactions occurring in the tropical ecosystems of the New World. It presents a wide variety of topics with interesting examples and descriptions. Having this valuable resource in Spanish facilitates the understanding and dissemination to students and residents of the region. Thanks to American Birding Association for promoting the book's translation and distribution!"

-Adrianne G. Tossas, Ph.D.
Avian Ecologist
Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez

SPECIAL THANKS from the American Birding Association's Birders' Exchange

Birders' Exchange would like to extend a special tribute of gratitude to Antoinette Condo, Program Officer for Sustainable Tourism, Pollinators, and Migratory Birds, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.; Ángeles Coscolla, Environment, Science, and Technology, U.S. Embassy, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Alfred Schandblauer, Minister of the Environment, Health, Science, and Technology, U.S. Embassy, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Dr. Charles Duncan, Director of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, Manomet, MA; and Andres Bosso, Executive Director, Aves Argentinas, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

All of these people worked with Birders' Exchange in a fine spirit of collaboration to facilitate shipping 400 copies of the Spanish version of the Birders' Exchange publication, A Neotropical Companion by John Kricher, to Buenos Aires, Argentina at no cost, for distribution at the BirdLife International - Aves Argentinas, World Conservation Conference this September.

Special thanks to these friends and supporters of the birds, and of bird conservation and education!

The Brazilian Bird Fair - Avistar 2008
Sao Paulo, Brasil
by Guto Carvalho, Organizer

Avistar 2008 was a great meeting. 150 Ornithological Congress members and 25.000 general visitors were in attendance at Avistar 2008, at Parque Villa-Lobos.

Avistar is a Bird Conservation Conference, sponsored by SAVE Brasil and BirdLife International, which featured a number of workshops and presentations, including "Bird Friendly Farming," presented by Dr. Chris Elphick, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, "The Conservation of Wetland Birds," and a new program for Avistar, "The Conservation and Monitoring of Jaguars."

International speakers included Xavier Muñoz from Ecuador, Carlos Vidal of Chile, and Hugo del Castillo of Paraguay, who gave overviews about birding activities in Latin America.

The Avistar Kids Program received 1500 children for bird-related activities, including bird painting, bird origami, storytelling, and identifying bird tracks.

A photography workshop was also held at Avistar and the photo contest received 7383 photo submissions. 654 different species were identified, and more than 12,000 people visited the exhibit.

New books about birds and bird identification were launched at Avistar, and many new people began to learn about and enjoy the wonders of birdwatching.

Thank You ABA Convention Donors

Birders' Exchange received some "great stuff" from donors who brought equipment donations to ABA's recent convention in Utah. So many thanks to each of you for your generosity and support!

Caribbean Bird and Habitat Fact Sheet

Download this fact sheet prepared by A. Sutton and L. Sorenson, Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB).

Manual for Training Bird Guides in Rural Communities

Amigos de Sian Ka'an received funding to produce this manual from The Canadian International Development Agency. ABA has permission from the author, Barbara MacKinnon, to post this manual on the ABA/Birders' Exchange site as a service to conservation and education organizations, and individuals who might benefit from having access to it. Credit: Barbara MacKinnon H. author; Dave Gibson, Learning Associates, Canada, Editor, Amigos de Sian Ka´an A.C. publisher; sponsors and donors: Nature Canada, BirdLife International, and CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency.

• Manual for Training Bird Guides in Rural Communities
• Manual Para EL Desarrollo y Capacitacion De Guias de Aves

Birders' Exchange Translation Project Completed

Birders' Exchange is pleased to announce the completion of its Spanish language version of the highly acclaimed book, A Neotropical Companion, An Introduction to the Animals, Plants and Ecosystems of the New World Tropics by John Kricher.

Within four days of announcing the book's availability, all copies were spoken for, and have been, or are in the process of being distributed at no cost to individuals and organizations throughout the Neotropics.

Birders' Exchange still needs volunteer couriers to deliver books to people waiting to receive a copy. If you are traveling to a destination in the Latin America and would like to help deliver a book please contact us.

Betty Petersen and Birders' Exchange Receive the "Ideas that change the World" Award

Roca 135
(8520) San Antonio Oeste - Río Negro - Patagonia Argentina
Tel: 54 (2934) 421264 /422446
Dec. Personería Jurídica 2506/89 - C.U.I.T.: 30-67289048-5

San Antonio Oeste, 4 June 2006

To: Dr. Richard Payne, Chair
American Birding Association Board of Directors

Betty Petersen,
American Birding Association
Birders' Exchange Program Director

Re: World Environment Day 2006,
Fundación Inalafquen Award Announcement:
Betty Petersen, American Birding Association's Birder's Exchange Program

Dear Dr. Payne and Betty,

We are very pleased to announce that the Fundacion Inalafquen has decided to honour Betty Petersen and the American Birding Association's Birders' Exchange Program with the award "Ideas that change the World", in recognition of her numerous and ongoing contributions to education, conservation and research of birds, especially shorebirds, in the Americas.

This award is made only to non-Latin American citizens/institutions that have made exceptional achievements in helping and promoting the education, conservation and knowledge of wildlife and their habitats in Latin America. By providing field equipment, bird guides and support to amateurs and professionals in Latin America, the donations arranged by Betty beginning in 1995 and continuing until today, have enriched the lives of many people in Latin America and brought them into the passionate world shared by the international fraternity of bird watchers. In many cases this has not only motivated Latin Americans to watch and help protect birds in more effective ways, but it has also had a transformative affect in directing young people into careers as ornithologists, educators and ecotourism guides in their local communities.

Betty and American Birding Association's Birder's Exchange Program will be honored with a special "Ideas that change the World" certificate, and a recognition plaque honouring her will be displayed at the future Shorebird Interpretation Center at San Antonio Oeste, Río Negro, Argentina.

We congratulate Betty & the American Birding Association's Birder's Exchange Program, and thanks so much to all organizations and people who have made donations to Birders' Exchange through all these years!

Lic. Mirta Carbajal
Presidente Fundación Inalafquen, Argentina

CONGRATULATIONS to Barbara MacKinnon de Montes!

It is with the greatest of pleasure that Birders' Exchange announces the news that Barbara MacKinnon de Montes, Coordinadora, Programa Conservación de las Aves, (CAPY), Amigos de Sian Ka'an A.C, Mexico, has been chosen as the recipient of the Ecological Merit Award 2006 organized by the Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources of Mexico.

The award will be presented by President Fox of Mexico in June during the World Environmental Day ceremonies that are planned to take place in the state of Chihuahua. Barbara has worked tirelessly on behalf of bird conservation and education, and Birders' Exchange is proud of all of her accomplishments on behalf of our common goals for conserving our shared natural resources.

Please read more about Birder's Exchange and the work of Barbara MacKinnon and CAPY.

Birders' Exchange video in Spanish

A new Birders' Exchange video, narrated in Spanish, is now available upon request.. The aim of the video is to introduce people of all ages throughout Spanish speaking countries, and in Spanish speaking communities in the United States to the joys of birds and birding. If you would like a copy of the video, please contact us.

Translation Project Underway

ABA's Birders' Exchange has taken on the enormous and important task of translating John Kricher's book, A Neotropical Companion, An Introduction to the Animals, Plants and Ecosystems of the New World Tropics, into a Spanish-language version. Thus far, A Neotropical Companion has been printed only in English and Japanese.

We are pleased to report that the project is progressing very well. Alvaro Jaramillo, the project's editor, has created a special website in order for the twenty-nine volunteer translators to communicate and work with each other, and BEX volunteer, Susie Vancura, is coordinating all of the efforts of the translation team. The translators began their work in early May and already the entire 400+ page book has been translated!

This is a huge undertaking for BEX, and it is hoped that the book will be available before the end of August this year. BEX will donate and distribute copies of the Spanish version to our colleagues working in conservation and education throughout the Neotropics.

New Birders' Exchange Video Available

A newly revised Birders' Exchange, seven minute VHS video, or DVD version are now available for viewing. The video is an excellent overview of the Birders' Exchange program, and is available to you to show to your bird club, or to any other appropriate gathering. This is an effective way in which to help us to garner much-needed donations for the program's recipients throughout Latin America. If you would like to obtain the video on loan, please contact us.