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1998 MCALLEN CONVENTION REPORT

20-26 April 1998

Our survey of the reasons for attending ABA's Conferences and Conventions always elicits a wide variety of responses. However, one top reason is on virtually every list - getting into the field and seeing birds! For that reason, we increased the number of days spent in the field at the April 1998 McAllen ABA Convention by one full day - and it really paid off. Just over 300 different species were seen (or heard) during the three-and-a-half days that the attendees spent in the field. Virtually all of the Rio Grande Valley specialties were seen during the week. Highlights included Muscovy Duck, Hook-billed Kite, Gray Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Red-billed Pigeon, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Ringed and Green Kingfishers, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Yellow-green Vireo, Tropical Parula, Brown Jay, Mexican Crow, and Audubon's Oriole. The bird that appeared on the convention pin, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, was seen by every participant who visited its home at a local ranch. Not only was Clay-colored Robin seen at two sites along the Rio Grande, but on the convention's last day an active nest was also found less than a mile from the convention hotel.

A fine selection of interesting and informed speakers enhanced the learning experience and contributed greatly to the success of the week-long meeting. Daytime programs were presented by Dick Walton, Mike Austin, Steve Labuda, Tim Brush, Glenn Proudfoot, Laura Moore, and Steve Bentsen. Evening programs included presentations by Father Tom Pincelli, Greg Lasley, Pete Dunne, David Dauphin, and Kenn Kaufman.

There was little free time left after the field birding the workshops, and evening programs, but there were plenty of other interesting activities to occupy any remaining minutes. Social hours each evening provided everyone the chance to discuss activities and meet new friends. Friday's social event was highlighted by the attendance of 14 authors who signed their works for the attendees. ABA Sales, along with over 20 exhibitors, provided the opportunity to examine books, binoculars, scopes, software, and other bird-related products. Art displays by five exceptional artists enhanced our appreciation of the beauty of birds through artistic expression. Other activities included a lively ethics panel, the General Membership Meeting where three new board members were elected, and challenging quizzes on bird sounds and bird photos.

At the banquet on Friday evening, the Ludlow Griscom award was awarded posthumously to Claudia Wilds. Claudia died in June last year, and with her passing the birding community lost a world-class birder who had made many significant contributions to ornithology. A former ABA board member and officer, Claudia was associate editor of this magazine. She also served on the boards of the Virginia Society of Ornithology (VSO) and the Maryland Ornithological Society (MOS), as well as Councilor on the Board of Trustees of the Manomet Bird Observatory (later the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences), among other roles. Her sharp identification skills were renowned, whether they pertained to shorebirds, gulls, terns, or other more difficult groups of birds. The author of Finding Birds in the National Capital Area, Claudia was writing an ambitious book on the world's terns when she died. ABA President Allan Keith presented the award to Claudia's brother, Ted Wilds, who accepted the Griscom Award on her behalf. Bushnell Sport Optics replaced their traditional prize of a Bausch and Lomb Elite binocular with ten Bushnell Natureviews to be donated to Birders' Exchange.

Convention attendees took home with them many pleasant memories of the unique and special birds which they had seen at the Convention. But they also left behind a lasting contribution to help ensure preservation of those birds. Attendees contributed nearly $6,500 to the University of Texas-Pan American's bird research projects on the Altamira Oriole and other Valley species. With a generous pledge of matching funds from Swarovski, the meeting's lead sponsor, and also from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation the total contribution came to over $19,000.

McAllen represented our fourteenth ABA Convention, with most of them occurring in a biennial pattern. We will have another convention - a special one celebrating ABA's thirtieth anniversary - July 19-25, 1998, in Tucson. Mark your calendar. Plan to attend, and don't forget your binoculars!

– Reprinted from Birding, June 1998