The Exciting AFA National Convention of 2000

Abstract

Did we have fun? You betcha'! Did we learn a lot? You betcha'! Not to mention all those faces we only knew as E Mail addresses previous to this. It is so nice to attach faces and real live people with the "dot-corns" in my computer's address book!

This was my second time at an AF A Convention, but I had been gearing up for months. Lots and lots of arrangements to be made before I leave my crew of Eclectus and Rose-breasteds behind for three days. I know we can all sympathize with one another regarding this problem. No one else takes care of them quite like we do.

The morning of the big day was upon me and I was up at 2:00 A.M. to start the four-hour drive to the Wyndham Hotel, located at the Los Angeles Airport. Accompanied by seven un-weaned, juvenile Eclectus that I preferred not to trust to anyone else, I had plenty of good company for the drive.

We arrived in time for the first speaker but, as I knew from previous experience, there were so many people I hadn't seen in a while that I would have to enjoy a quick visit. All of my friends were enthusiastic about the Delegates Meeting the previous day. It was attended by delegates from AF A member clubs all across the U.S.A.

When the Delegates Meeting adjourned for a trip to the Los Angeles Zoo, everyone headed there for a pizza lunch and a tour of the zoo. I was told the behind the scenes visit to the California Condor breeding facility was an unforgettable experience.

When the delegates reconvened their meeting Wednesday evening, a

 

couple hundred of them saw a fascinating program presented by Yara Barros and Natasha Schischakin who are working "hands on" with the last remaining Spix's Macaw in the wild. Yara works in the field where the Spix's Macaw lives, and Natasha is the coordinator of a worldwide program involving aviculturists who hold the captive Spix's that will hopefully repopulate the wild. The delegates saw a wonderful video of the villagers in Brazil who have adopted the last wild Spix's Macaw as their own bird. It lives in their neighborhood. Some of them actually see it. Can you imagine seeing the only creature of its kind alive in the wild?

After chatting with friends and learning about all I had missed the previous day, I finally got my video gear figured out. As I have done at other conventions, I try to tape as many of the talks as I can. I always ask permission and the speakers are quite flattered to think I am taping them. The filming is so valuable because I have the chance to watch one talk while I am taping another. Then when I get home I have the opportunity to catch a lot of the things I missed the first time when I watched them in person.

Two of the friendly faces I saw were Roland and Ilana Cristo scurrying around from one speaker's room to the other trying to keep it all coordinated. They did a fantastic job of recruiting awesome speakers as well as making sure the talks went off on schedule.

I finally got on schedule and attended Dick Schroeder's colorful presentation on Softbills in Planted Aviaries. Don Brightsmith followed with his Tambopata Macaw Project in Peru. He had some amazing slides of the Macaws and I found it very fascinating the steps he is taking toward Macaw conservation in the wild.

Frank H. Pearce of Brinsea incubators and brooders spoke on Thursday afternoon presenting an enlightening in-depth talk on incubation. I had an opportunity to talk to him at the booth in the Exhibit Hall and was able to ask a few questions on the Brinsea incubator I purchased this spring.

All the way from Australia came one of the most interesting and enthusiastic

 

people I have met in a long time, Graeme Phipps. I'd been alerted about his energy and he was everything I'd heard about and even more. I listened to his plan for The Millennial Project for Aviculture, which he delivered with great enthusiasm and I was impressed with his do-able ideas and plans for conservation.

Thursday evening I grabbed my little female Eclectus who needed socializing and headed for the Past President's Reception. (Thank goodness the hotel was cooperative about us having birds everywhere you looked.) It was nice to see so many of our past leaders in person and be able to give them a round of applause and appreciation for leading us to where we are today. There was also a very funny question and answer skit with each of the attending past presidents, involving]ohn Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, and Clark Gable (professional look-alikes, of course).

Friday morning came sooner than I wanted it to and I was up at the crack of dawn to see Marc Boussekey, from France speak on the Red-vented Cockatoo. His slides were fantastic of these parrots in the wild and he accompanied them with a great talk.

Another speaker I'd been alerted to was George Smith from England. I was told by a noted aviculturist not to miss George. I am not personally too keen on the subject of mutations, however I decided to film his talk after hearing previously of his witty presentation. Tums out this was the most fun and painless talk I have ever listened to on mutations, mostly because George would wander into other areas that were incredibly more interesting to me.

Kashmir Csaky rounded out my Friday afternoon with her talk on CoParenting Macaws, comparing parentraised and hand-raised siblings. From her lovely slides, her Hyacinths look to be almost the same size as Kashmir. She is a petite woman but exudes lots of drive, ambition and dedication.

 

 

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