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2003 EUGENE CONVENTION REPORT

2-8 June 2003

Overview

Perfect weather, beautiful scenery, a great hotel, skilled field trip leaders, and terrific birding… All the key ingredients for a highly successful convention came together for the ABA's nineteenth convention, held this year during the week of 2-8 June 2003. Nearly 625 ABA members traveled to the Hilton in downtown Eugene, Oregon, and enjoyed a great week of birding and other educational and entertaining activities.

Field trips are always the centerpiece of ABA conventions, and we enjoyed fabulous birding, with a grand total of 221 species recorded on convention field trips. Craig Roberts superbly organized the trips, and special thanks go to Craig and to all of the volunteer field trip leaders for a job exceptionally well done. The weather was sunny and pleasant all week, and virtually all of the expected species were found. Participants had seven destinations from which to choose, each offering a different mix of habitats and corresponding birds. The species mentioned below were seen (or heard) by all, or at least a majority, of the participants on these trips, unless otherwise noted.

Field Trip Highlights

Those who chose to brave very early departures for the long trip to the Redmond area were amply rewarded with excellent birding-with spectacular views of the snow capped Three Sisters mountains an up-close-and-personal look at the rugged beauty of Smith Rock State Park. Some of the arid-adapted species seen on the Redmond trips included Golden Eagle, Prairie Falcon (one trip), Gray Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Pinyon Jay, Clark's Nutcracker, Rock and Canyon Wrens, Sage Thrasher, and Brewer's, Vesper, and Sage Sparrows. Also of note a colony of Tricolored Blackbirds Barnes Butte Reservoir-one of the few populations of the species east of the Sierra-Cascade axis.

The Sisters trip visited a variety of habitats, including ponderosa pine forest, riparian areas, burns, streams, and lakes. Species of particular interest in the Sisters area cluded Calliope Hummingbird, Lewis's Woodpecker, Williamson's, Red-naped, and Red-breasted Sapsuckers, White-headed and Black-backed Woodpeckers, Hammond's and Dusky Flycatchers, Cassin's Vireo, Mountain Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Green-tailed Towhee, and Cassin's Finch. All groups also saw Barrow's Golden-eye, and one lucky group watched river otter swim right past the goldeneyes at Lost Lake.

The overlook at Salt Creek Falls provided a spectacular vista from the upper rim of a 286-feet-high waterfall. Here, Black Swifts were seen each morning foraging over distant ridges. Occasionally, they approached the waterfall, and once they were even seen winging their way to the cliff face behind the waterfall. Another stop featured a pair of Red-naped and a pair of Red-breasted Sapsuckers apparently using the same clump of trees for their nests. MacGillivray's and Nashville Warblers were also found at this location. Woodpeckers were the highlight at the Elk Lake Burn, which featured both Black-backed and Three-toed Woodpeckers excavating nest cavities. (One of our bus drivers was the first to spot a Three-toed Woodpecker tapping out a nest cavity right next to the bus while the group was off searching for this species in the burn!) 

Trips to the Newport area along the coast were primarily for the purpose of observing ocean birds. A nice bonus was the chance to enjoy the beauty of the Oregon coast with its rugged headlands and scenic lighthouses. Sooty Shearwater, Brandt's and Pelagic Cormorants, Black Oystercatcher, Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, Rhinoceros Auklet, and Tufted Puffin were the species typically seen on these trips-along with various loons and scoters, plus a considerable variety of shorebirds, gulls, and terns. Several beautiful drake Harlequin Ducks along the shore near Seal Rock were an unexpected bonus. 

Florence area trips featured morning woodland birding followed by a hike into the dunes after lunch to observe the threatened Western Snowy Plover. Woodland specialties typical of the Coast Range included Band-tailed Pigeon, Vaux's Swift, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Hutton's and Warbling Vireos, Winter Wren, Varied Thrush, Wrentit, Black-throated Gray, Hermit, and Wilson's Warblers, and Purple Finch. Mountain Quail was a "target" species on this trip, but it proved elusive, with only two of the six groups being fortunate enough to see one. A black bear with a new-born cub was also a highlight for one group. A brief period of sea-watching on this trip provided many of the ocean species seen on the Newport trips and an unexpected surprise for one group-three Horned Puffins winging their way north just off-shore! 

Trips to see Northern Spotted Owls were set up by special arrangement with the biologists and their supervisors who monitor and protect the owls. All but one of the trips were treated to fantastic views of this endangered subspecies. Unfortunately, the trip that missed the owls also worked the hardest for them, descending and then climbing back up a very steep slope. Those who missed the owls on that trip, however, were offered the opportunity to try again the next day, and all who did were rewarded with great looks at Spotted Owls (with no steep hill to climb). This trip also visited several local parks, which featured such species as Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Cassin's Vireo, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Western Tanager, Lazuli Bunting, Bullock's Oriole, and Lesser Goldfinch, among many others. 

The Deception Creek and Fern Ridge destinations were the closest to Eugene and produced the following species for most participants: Western and Clark's Grebes, American Bittern, Cinnamon Teal, Black Tern, Acorn Woodpecker, Willow Flycatcher, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Black-headed Grosbeak, Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Bullock's Oriole, and Purple Finch. A pair of copulating Northern Pygmy-Owls was a highlight for one group at Deception Creek. (Yes, everyone watched.) As you might guess from the birds mentioned above, Fern Ridge is not a "ridge", but rather a large reservoir with extensive marshy areas.

Odds and Ends

Our "logo" bird for the meeting was the Western Tanager, and that species was seen on all trips to suitable habitats. Northern Pygmy-Owl was high on many participants' "most wanted" lists, and, even though we expected to see few, if any, the species was seen by five groups and heard by several others. A Cassin's Vireo nest just six blocks from the Hilton on Skinner Butte provided an easy back-up option for anybody who missed seeing this species on the field trips. And finally, woodpeckers were certainly a highlight, with an impressive total of 12 species recorded during the week.

Workshops and Programs

When not birding, attendees were treated to many other interesting and educational activities. Entertaining evening programs were presented by Steve Gordon, David Bird, Pete Dunne, and Kenn Kaufman. Members learned still more about birds and birding at workshops presented by Pete Dunne, Eric Forsman, Kim Nelson, Wayne Petersen, Steve Shunk, and Dick Walton. As well, there were informative afternoon presentations by Paul Baicich, Paul Katzeff, Ricardo Matus, and Dave Lauten. Exhibitors, bird artists, and a well-stocked ABA Sales operation treated the attendees to information and for-sale items related to optics, tours, books, art, and many other bird-related products and services. Participants had the opportunity to have their books signed by the authors at our book signing session, and there were bird photo and bird sound quizzes to challenge and educate. Century Club members enjoyed a social on Wednesday afternoon and took a special field trip to Sisters on Thursday. 

Many corporate sponsors helped to make the convention a success by supporting various activities. Leica was the Gold Sponsor for the Convention, Steiner Binoculars was the Silver Sponsor, and Swarovski Optik, N.A., and Zeiss Sport Optic shared honors as Bronze Sponsors. Other major contributors included Brunton, Kowa Optimed, the Convention and Visitors Association of Lane County, Leupold-Stevens / Wind River, Peak Bar, Pentax U.S.A., and the World Birding Center. Our sponsors add greatly to our conventions, and they support the ABA in its efforts to serve our members better. We greatly appreciate their contributions.

Annual Member Meeting

The annual ABA Membership Meeting was held during the convention. Members received an update on ABA programs and activities from the executive director and a financial update from the treasurer, and they participated in a question-and-answer session with the chairman of the board, the board, and the staff. Members also overwhelmingly approved proposed revisions to the ABA by-laws.

Conservation Project

Our attendees and corporate partners always contribute generously to local conservation initiatives during the convention, and this year was no exception. Through these contributions, the ABA shows its appreciation to the region that hosts us for the convention, and the contributions ensure that we assist in the long-term management and conservation of local bird populations. The contributions also exemplify birding economics in action, and they highlight the contributions that traveling birders make to local economies.

It has been my pleasure to have served the ABA as Convention and Conference Manager these past eight years. I have appreciated the opportunity to travel about the ABA area (and even to Costa Rica), and I have enjoyed meeting old friends and making new ones along the way. My thanks to all who have helped me over the years: ABA staff and board, field trip coordinators and field trip leaders, speakers, volunteers, and countless others. I'll be moving on to other bird-related projects (still to be determined), and I certainly look forward to seeing and working with many of you in the future. Happy birding!

– Ken Hollinga

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