2017 NYS Birders Conference
The BOS is hosting the NYSOA 70th Annual Meeting and New State York Birders Conference
Mark Your Calendar Now!
2017 NYS Birders Conference / NYSOA Annual Meeting
November 10-12, 2017
The 70th Annual New York State Ornithological Association Meeting and Birders Conference is scheduled for November 10 – 12, 2017 in Niagara Falls, New York. Hosted by the Buffalo Ornithological Society (BOS), the activities will be based at the brand new Double Tree by Hilton Hotel on the spectacular rapids of the Niagara River, just above the mighty Niagara Falls. Conference attendees will be able to walk to the falls and Niagara Falls State Park, which is not only wonderfully scenic but spectacular for birds. The dates were chosen so as not to interfere with Thanksgiving and to give birders a chance to see some of the special gulls that occur along the Niagara River, as well as a great assortment of waterfowl. Depending on the weather, there will be a chance to see Little, Franklins, and Sabine’s Gulls, and Black-legged Kittiwake.
We have several exciting field trips planned, as well as two entertaining speakers for the Friday and Saturday night programs. Our keynote speaker will be Neil Hayward, who broke the North American Big Year record a few years ago, and on Friday night, Paul Guris will talk about pelagic birding in New York State waters. We are expecting a top-notch assortment of vendors, artists, and other birding groups. The BOS is proud and extremely excited to host the annual birders conference and we look forward to seeing you there!
Mark your calendars and watch for more details in upcoming New York Birders issues and on NYSOA’s website (www.nybirds.org) or here, at the BOS website.
NOTE: parking will be free at the hotel. Whether you're spending the night at the hotel, just coming for the talks, or parking during a field trip, there will be no charge to park.
Field Trips: List of Field Trips
Registrations are open: Register for the Conference
For questions about the conference: Email Us
Order Conference T-shirts: T-Shirt Orders
Time: 8:30 PM
Talk Description: In 2013 Boston birder Neil Hayward suffered a devastating bout of the Big Year. The temporary insanity resulted in almost 250,000 miles of travel, taking him to the remote corners of this continent: Barrow in the frozen north; the Dry Tortugas, dangling off the Florida Keys to the south; Newfoundland, poking out to the east; and tiny Adak, adrift in the volcanic Aleutian chain of the west. And a place they call New Jersey. By the year's end, he'd netted 749 species of birds and set a new ABA Big Year record. In this talk, Neil will take a Big Year and apply cutting-edge high pressure technology and condense it into a Big Hour. Come hear about exotic birds, remote places, volcanoes, polar bears, Aleutian plumbing and more! Government health warning: Big Years can be contagious. High pressure technology not previously tested.
Bio: Neil Hayward grew up near Oxford, England, where, at a young age, he first became obsessed with birds. After a PhD in genetics at Cambridge University he moved (permanently) to the US in 2005 to head up the US operations of the biotechnology company Abcam. He left in 2011 to pursue a consulting career as owner of Cambridge Blue Consulting. Neil is currently the Field Trip Coordinator and a director of the Brookline Bird Club. He is the author of Lost Among the Birds (Bloomsbury, June 2016), a memoir of his accidental big year. He lives in Cambridge, MA with his wife Gerri and two cats, Sally and Khiva.
Buffalo Society of Natural Science’s Annual William C. Vaughan lecture.
Talk Description: Paul and Anita Guris began running pelagic trips in 2002 under their business venture, See Life Paulagics LLC. Thanks to the Guris’s diligence in getting trips offshore, much has been learned about the status and distribution of many pelagic species during the last 15 years. Birds once considered as accidental in NY waters, such as Black-capped Petrel, are now found annually. Thanks to Paul and Anita’s countless hours of preparation, accomplished suite of leaders, and superb boat captains, every trip that heads offshore is highly anticipated and very often an overwhelming success.
Come join Paul and the NYSOA on Friday evening for a lively and informative presentation highlighting the birds of New York’s pelagic zone waters. Hear the story of the first fully documented record of Fea’s Petrel for NY. Relive the excitement of White-faced Storm-Petrels walking on water next to the boat. Feast your eyes on Paul’s spectacular photographs and even book your future pelagic trip in the Birder’s Marketplace at the conference. This will be an evening not to be missed!
Check out Paul's website at: paulagics.com
Conference Vendors
The Buffalo Ornithological Society is excited to offer a Birder's Marketplace during the NYSOA Convention. We have selected artists, vendors and non-profit organizations that we know you will enjoy interacting with. We will also be featuring a silent auction during the convention. Vendors and Non-profit booths will be open for you to explore before and after the Friday and Saturday evening events. Keep in mind that the holidays are quickly approaching at the time of the convention! Take a moment to explore the websites of the vendors we have already signed up and check back for new additions!