ABA Events for Fall and Winter 2012!

Here at the ABA we're trying to make our social events about birders as much they've always been about the birds.  And with the arrival of George Armistead on staff we've got some exciting events coming up that birders will want to know about. 

First, the premier of the ABA Birding Rally, held this October at Kiptopeke State Park on the Eastern shore of Virginia:

Calling all birders! Join us this fall for the first-ever ABA Birding Rally! Kiptopeke State Park is situated near the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula, and is home to the oldest songbird banding station in the U.S., and one of the country's most productive hawk-watches. It will serve as our base of operations for 5 days during which we will pack in a ton of fun, and some great birding. Field trips will include visits to places such as Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Of course Kiptopeke State Park itself provides not only our lodging, but also great birding, and opportunities to see expert bird-banders in action.

Mark your calendars now! Registration opens June 20^th. Registration fees will be $1195 per person, which includes four nights lodging, meals, field trips, and evening events. We are pleased to offer lodging for a maximum of 14 people at each of the five large, beautiful, and comfortable lodges. All lodges have three shared bathrooms, a deck off the backdoor, a large indoor common area (kitchen/lounge), and of course good outdoor views for spotting migrating hawks and songbirds! Questions? Registration and lodging: contact Nancy Hawley at nhawley@aba.org or call 800-850-2473 x 234. Birding and field trips: contact George Armistead at garmistead@aba.org.  

And the second event - one we've mentioned on the blog before - is Homer Hanson's excellent Winter Sparrows of the Southwest IFO.  The ABA's Institutes for Field Ornithology have been some of our most popular events in the past and we're beyond happy to bring them back.  Last year Homer and company tracked down a remarkable 26 species of sparrows and longspurs, and if you ever wanted an opportunity to learn to turn those LBJs into ticks on your life list, this is definitely it. 

More information on the IFO, as well as an itinerary, is available on the ABA website. 

We're looking forward to seeing you out there!