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INSTITUTE FOR FIELD ORNITHOLOGY

OWLS AND TROGONS

27 May-2 June 2007
Southwestern Arizona
Instructors: Tom Wood and Sheri Williamson

FULL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Owls have always held a special fascination for birders and other wildlife enthusiasts, but their nocturnal habits make them challenging to observe. Trogons are less well known than owls among the general public, but their colorful plumage, tropical origins, secretive nature, and extremely limited distribution within the United States spark the imagination of birders. Your afternoon and evening classroom sessions will explore the lives of owls and trogons in depth, while day and evening field trips into a variety of habitats will give you first-hand experience with these fascinating and mysterious birds. No recordings will be used in the field, and every effort will be made to minimize our impact on the birds during this, their nesting season. Field trips will also offer opportunities to search for area specialties such as Mexican Chickadee, Crissal Thrasher, Red-faced Warbler, Arizona Woodpecker, and Montezuma Quail. You may also have the opportunity to observe or assist with research and monitoring projects involving owls, Elegant Trogons, or some of the seven species of hummingbirds that breed in the Chiricahuas as a workshop participant. You will have a fantastic time as we cover the behavior, ecology, conservation, and identification of the thirteen species of owls and two species of trogons that occur in southeastern Arizona.

INSTRUCTORS

Tom Wood and Sheri Williamson are native Southwesterners with decades of experience in birding and conservation. Tom served as director of a nature center and wildlife refuge in Fort Worth, Texas, where he met and married Sheri, a birder and wildlife enthusiast since childhood. In 1988, the two moved to southeastern Arizona to serve as resident managers of The Nature Conservancy's Ramsey Canyon Preserve. They left TNC in 1996 to found a new conservation organization, the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory. Tom is a photographer and master bird-bander. Sheri's publications include magazine articles, a guide to attracting and feeding hummingbirds, the Blue-throated Hummingbird account for I, the trogon family account for The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior, and A Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America in the Peterson Field Guides Series.

WORKSHOP LOCATION

Mild climate, diverse habitats, and proximity to Mexico make southeastern Arizona a birder's paradise. Late spring is nesting season when owls and trogons are most vocal and easily located. The Chiricahua Mountains are the largest and most diverse of the famed "sky islands" of southeastern Arizona. The mountains and surrounding desert grasslands boast an astounding diversity of animal and plant life, including at least nine breeding species of owls. Nestled near the town of Portal in Cave Creek Canyon is the Southwestern Research Station, a facility of the American Museum of Natural History. Workshop participants will share meals and facilities with a variety of researchers from around the world exploring many aspects of the area's natural history. Accommodations and meals are basic but in a spectacular setting of rich natural diversity. We will also spend some time in Sierra Vista for easy access to Fort Huachuca and field trips to some of the surrounding canyons.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Workshop activities will include hikes on roads and easy to moderately demanding trails. Late spring in Arizona can be hot, with temperatures as high as the upper 90s in the lower elevations, so bring sunscreen and containers for liquids to help avoid dehydration. With both morning and evening field trips, some afternoons will be free for siestas, leisurely birding, or a dip in the station's spring-fed swimming pool.

WORKSHOP PRICES

$1525 (Includes lodging and most meals.)
Single room supplement $124*

*Sierra Vista only. No single rooms available at the Southwestern Research Station.

Workshop is limited to 12 participants.

ABA Institute for Field Ornithology, ABA
4945 N 30th St, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80919
719/578-9703 x235 . fax 719/578-1480 . ifo@aba.org