Date: 9/21/26 10:21 am From: Kristi Streiffert <krististreiffert...> Subject: [cobirds] 50th Annual Western Field Ornithologists Conference
Hi All!
I just attended the Sept. 17–20 50th Annual Western Field Ornithologists
Conference in Ashland, Oregon. The mix of field trips, skill-building,
brand-new info, and camaraderie has me fired up for another year of
birding. Much like our own CFO, the proceeds from this conference directly
fund student research grants and give scientists a platform to share their
knowledge through rapid-fire, 15-minute presentations detailing their
hypotheses, methods, and results. I was especially impressed by the high
school and undergrad students presenting their work—so poised, and really
good educators! The master's students' presentations were a bit harder to
follow with much more complicated graphs and analysis, but it was a good
challenge for the brain.
Among all the many excellent sessions, a few presentations I especially
liked:
Tracking winter feeding ecology of Colorado’s elusive Brown-capped
Rosy-Finches (presented by 16-year-old Grant Brandberg)
Rethinking common names for North American Red Crossbill call types (a
really useful review of the history of these birds' nomenclature)
Impact of wildfire smoke on songbird physiology and behavior in dry pine
forests of central Oregon (turns out, it's complicated);
Factors influencing body condition and survival of Western Snowy Plover
chicks (so many cute photos)
The Bird Sounds Challenge (moderated by Nathan Pieplow and Ben Guo) and the
Photo Quiz (moderated by Ed Harper) were interactive masterclasses that
left us both wanting more and with overheated brains. Hearing the teams and
expert panelists think out loud—breaking down calls, field marks, and
process-of-elimination techniques—provided practical tools to improve our
own field ID skills. I didn't attend any workshops, which were held during
field trip hours, but upon reflection, I think they may have been an even
better opportunity for learning.
National Wildlife Forensics Lab Tour: I was gobsmacked by the tour of the
National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory. This is the world's only
federal lab dedicated strictly to solving crimes against wildlife. We saw
the pathology lab, the chemistry departments, and the massive repositories
from global trafficking busts, most notably the illegal collection seized
from Dr. John Waldrop—the largest taxidermy forfeiture in U.S. history.
Standing in front of thousands of confiscated specimens, including
critically endangered vultures, tiny owls, and so many others, was a
heart-rending experience. The lab morphology expert who served as our guide
pulled out dozens of specimens from the bird collections, and we got to
hold a baby auklet, touch the bill of a hornbill, and examine ornaments
made from curassow heads (gross!). You can see some of the lab for yourself
in this short video: *Solving Crimes Against Animals With Forensic Experts*.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaToaxxLjuk>
Colorado Contingent: The conference was understandably mostly attended by
Oregonians and Californians, with a smattering of birders from Nevada,
Washington, Mexico, etc. Colorado had a showing, too. Our state was
represented by young presenter Grant Brandberg, author Nathan Pieplow, and
CFO columnist David Leatherman. In fact, I think my hubby Tom and I were
the only Coloradans in attendance who didn't present! (Sorry if I missed
anybody—let us hear from you if I did.)
Best,
Kristi
Durango
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