Vote for your society officers and councilors!!!!! Your annual ballot is included in this package.

Be sure to return it by September 15, 2005 to have your vote recorded.

Early registration deadline is 15 September 2005.

Abstract submission deadline is 15 September 2005.

Meeting Description

The Waterbird Society will hold its 29th annual meeting, October 12-16, 2005, at the Holiday Inn - Oceanside on Jekyll Island, Georgia. In addition to platform and poster sessions on a variety of topics and species groups, the scientific program will include workshops, symposia and a plenary lecture. Social events include a welcome reception, an evening poster session, a Low Country Boil and the society banquet.

The weekend prior to the Waterbird Society Annual meeting at Jekyll Island is the Georgia's Colonial Coast Birding and Nature Festival also on Jekyll Island, October 7-9, 2005. For those who like field trips, the Festival offers a large number a birding field trips. For more information on the festival: http://www.coastalgeorgiabirding.org/.

Coastal Georgia offers a wide variety of habitats and wildlife. Shorelines, salt marshes, old rice fields, woodlands, tidal rivers, freshwater wetlands and more all host their own fascinating bird communities. Georgia's Colonial Coast Birding Trail showcases these habitats. So whether you want to see a bald eagle soaring over a coastal river, an endangered wood stork fishing a tidal pool, an American oystercatcher with other shorebirds gathered on a sandy beach, or a black skimmer skimming the waters of a coastal inlet, Georgia's magnificent coast has something for everyone. We hope you will have time to view the wild and wonderful Georgia Coast through its birds and nature.

Venue

Jekyll Island is a barrier island on the relatively unspoiled Atlantic coast of Georgia, and has been famous as a resort for over a century. The area is known for its wide beaches, live oak forests, spectacular salt marshes, and for its golf, fishing, and other nature-related activities (see www.jekyllisland.com). The southeastern United States is rich in waterbirds, wetlands, and waterbird scientists. The third week of October is still comfortably warm in coastal Georgia, but is outside the main part of the hurricane season. Nights may be cool (50's) and the salt marsh cordgrass has begun to turn to its winter gold. Most importantly, migration is in full swing, with excellent opportunities for bird watching within a short radius of the hotel.

The Holiday Inn Oceanside is located right on the beach and has 199 guest rooms, restaurant, lounge, outdoor pool, playground, and fitness center. If you are a golfer, Jekyll Island is apparently quite a destination

Meeting Contact Information

Be sure to check the Waterbird Society web site (www.waterbirds.org) for up-to-date news and information about the meeting. Questions about meeting arrangements should be addressed to:

Local Committee Chairs

• Billy Brooks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (billy_brooks@fws.gov) (904)232-2580 ext. 104
• Peter Frederick, University of Florida, (Pcf@mail.ifas.ufl.edu) (352)846-0565