Dylan Maddox

Starting in 2012, AFO is initiating a new program where AFO provides memberships to Latin American ornithologists, either professionals or students, through your donations. When you renew your AFO membership for 2012, you will have the opportunity to contribute memberships for Latin American ornithologists. At the very reasonable price of $15 per membership, please consider sponsoring one or more Latin American memberships when you receive your renewal form from OSNA in October. AFO will provide free membership, including an online subscription to the online subscriptions to the Journal of Field Ornithology, to a Latin American ornithologist for each membership sponsored.

The Association of Field Ornithologists encourages students and early professionals at all levels to become involved with the AFO and ornithology. At $15 a year, a student membership gives you substantial ornithological bang for the buck! Your membership provides you with the following:

• Both a printed copy and online electronic access to the Journal of Field Ornithology (see here).
  
• Eligibility to apply for various research grants (see http://www.afonet.org/grants/index.html).
  
• Eligibility to apply for financial assistance to travel to annual meetings (see: http://www.afonet.org/grants/travel.html) as well as reduced registration fees for the meetings. At an AFO meeting you can present the results of your research in a friendly, supportive atmosphere, meet fellow students as well as potential advisors and employers, and compete for a presentation award (see: http://www.afonet.org/students/awards.html).
  
• A discount on mist nets and other ornithological research supplies from AFO's Banding Supplies store (see: http://catalog.manomet.org/catalog/cart.cgi).
  

AFO is always looking for students interested in becoming involved with the association. If you are interested in serving on committees, arranging student events at our annual meetings, or have any suggestions, please let us know!

The Association of Field Ornithologists sells mist nets for approved purposes as a service to members and the scientific community. Prices of mist nets and other items are kept low because our ultimate goal is not profit-making but rather ensuring that quality research equipment continues to be available to ornithologists, including those with limited sources of funding, at a reasonable price. Any profits from sales are used to support ornithological research, including funding the Bergstrom and Skutch Research Awards that go to students and non-professionals throughout the Western Hemisphere (see: http://www.afonet.org/grants/index.html). Sales are handled by the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences (http://catalog.manomet.org/catalog/cart.cgi'>http://catalog.manomet.org/catalog/cart.cgi).

Current Inventory

Note: Our inventory is undergoing a major review in 2011 and will be updated and expanded. Please check back here in late 2011 for information on changes and additions to what we sell. We welcome suggestions on inventory. If there are items you would like to see us sell, please contact the AFO President.

Mist nets

Leg (band size) gauges

Bird bags

Banding pliers

Band removal tools

Calipers

Magnifiers

Pliers

Scales

Wing rules

Mist net description

All nets are made of black nylon (except ATXs is made of sand-colored nylon and KTX is made of black polyester thread) and are tethered to prevent bunching in a breeze. In the specifications below, height is as designated by our manufacturer (users should allow slack in order to form shelf pockets). Mesh size figures are stretched netting, i.e. the longest possible distance. Denier indicates the weight of thread (lower is lighter and less visible to birds). All yarn is two-ply, except ETX (four ply).

Choice of Mist Net Types

Net choice is partly a matter of personal preference, but here are some general guides: In general, use 12 meter nets if you have the space, and 6 meters especially where space is limited. The best mesh size depends on the species to be captured. No one size is efficient for all sizes of birds; outside the proper range of size, the net may be inefficient, become tangled, or birds may damage the net.

24 mm - For kinglets and smallest wood warblers

30 mm –Generally for warbler-sized birds*

36 mm - General purpose size for small birds*

61 mm – For doves, grackles, medium-sized shorebirds, the largest thrushes

121 mm – For grouse, large shorebirds, small to medium-sized ducks and hawks

* The line of peak efficiency between this and 36mm falls between birds taking U.S. band size 1 or less (30mm) and those taking 1B or larger (36mm).

Placing your Order

Please visit our online store at: http://catalog.manomet.org/catalog/cart.cgi

NOTE: All persons ordering nets must provide their permit number. Institutional purchasing agents should name the individual(s) responsible for use of the nets and provide their permit number. AFO sells nets only for scientific purposes, and only to individuals and institutions that appear qualified to use them. We will decline sales where qualifications appear inadequate or unproven. Nets will not be sold for purposes such as control of the numbers of birds, for commercial collection, or for resale.

For further information, contact:

AFO MIST NETS, Manomet, Inc.

P.O. Box 1770

Manomet, MA 02345, USA

Telephone: 508-224-6521

Fax: 508-224-9220

Email: AFOBAND@manomet.org

Dr. Alexander Skutch (1904-2004) is known for his hundreds of scientific papers and more than forty books, focused primarily on the behavior and life histories of Neotropical birds. The Skutch Fund was established by Dr. and Mrs. Skutch following the joint meeting of the Association of Field Ornithologists, Asociacion Ornitologica de Costa Rica, and the American Birding Association in San Jose, Costa Rica, in 1997. Dr. Skutch’s intention in establishing the fund was to support the kind of research to which he devoted his life, and especially, to encourage studies of birds by people who live in the new world tropics.

Type of research supported: Awards are intended to support the study of life histories, especially social relations and reproduction, of little known birds of the Continental Neotropics including Trinidad and Tobago, with a minimum of disturbance.

Guidelines: Proposals dealing with theoretical hypothesis testing will not be ranked as highly as those emphasizing empirical data collection on little known species. Emphasis should be on field work involving close observation to elucidate the natural history of little known species.

Eligibility: The award of grants from the Fund should be adequate for the intended study to avoid the need to seek additional funding elsewhere. The grantee may be an amateur or professional ornithologist of any nationality. It is highly desirable that he or she has some previous experience of the region and birds (and if possible, the locality) where he or she will study. Studies sponsored by the Fund should be published in scientific journals. In addition, publication of less technical accounts in popular journals or books should be encouraged.

Frequency and Amount: One award of up to $10,000 USD is offered annually.

Applying for an award: Applications may be submitted in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Application requirements are described in detail in the Skutch Award Application Form available at: http://www.afonet.org/grants/Skutch/Skutch.html

Deadlines for receipt of applications: Awards will next be made in August 2012. Applications are due 15 July 2012.

E. Alexander Bergstrom (1919-1973) was Vice-President of the Northeastern Bird-Banding Association (now the Association of Field Ornithologists) and the Editor of Bird-Banding (now the Journal of Field Ornithology) for 21 years. These awards honor his memory and dedication to bird research. The purpose of the award is to promote field studies of birds by helping to support a specific research or analysis project. In judging among proposals of equal quality, special consideration will be given to those that: 1) focus on avian life history, 2) use data collected all or in part by non-professionals and/or 3) employ banding or other marking techniques. Research in both the U.S./Canada and Latin America is supported.

If possible, awardees, especially those from the U.S. and Canada, are expected to present the results of their research at an annual meeting of the Association of Field Ornithologists. All awardees are also encouraged to consider publishing some of their findings in the Journal of Field Ornithology.

Eligibility: The applicant and/or their primary research supervisor must be a member of the Association of Field Ornithologists prior to the application deadline. To become a member, please visit http://www.osnabirds.org/

U.S./Canada awards are aimed at people beginning their research or those with limited or no access to major funding. They are restricted to non-professionals, undergraduates, and Masters degree candidates working in the United States or Canada. Ph.D. students studying at U.S. and Canadian institutions, regardless of their nationality or geographic region of investigation, are NOT eligible to receive a Bergstrom Research Award.

Latin American awards are restricted to individuals based AT Latin American institutions (individuals from Latin American that are studying or working at a U.S. or Canadian institution are eligible for U.S./Canada awards only). Non-professionals, undergraduates, Masters and Ph.D. candidates are all eligible for the Latin American competition.

Frequency and value: Approximately five awards (maximum $1000 US each) are made to applicants working in the U.S. or Canada annually. Approximately three awards (maximum $1500 US each) are made to applicants based in Latin America. Individuals can request to receive AFO mist nets or other banding supplies in lieu of a cash award, or as a portion of the award. A list of supplies available can be found at: http://catalog.manomet.org/catalog/cart.cgi

Applying for an award: U.S./Canada applications should be submitted in English. Latin American applications may be submitted in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Application requirements are described in detail in the Bergstrom Award Application Form available at: http://www.afonet.org/grants/Bergstrom/Bergstrom.html

Deadlines for receipt of applications: Awards will next be made in 2012. U.S./Canada applications are due 7 January 2012. Latin American applications are due 15 July 2012.

Please email any questions you may have about the awards or application process to Andrew Farnsworth af27@cornell.edu.

If you have always (or even occasionally) been intrigued at the thought of hosting an ornithological meeting (perhaps you want to check this off your “Ornithological Career Checklist”), but did not want to take on the responsibility of a very large meeting with many hundreds of attendees, then hosting a smaller, more intimate meeting of the Association of Field Ornithologists may be just right for you. AFO meetings are generally attended by 100-200 individuals and can be held at any time of the year (although we try to avoid meeting during the height of the temperate-zone field season, i.e., from mid-May through late July). The AFO Council will provide substantial assistance in meeting planning. Please contact the Vice President of the AFO. Click here further information.

Current and back issues of AFO Afield can be found here.

The Journal of Field Ornithology is especially interested in publishing papers based on studies conducted in the Neotropics. A collection of articles on Neotropical ornithology published between 2006 and the present is available as a special virtual issue here. This is free to everyone regardless of whether you are a member or not.

We thank the authors of the available papers for submitting their manuscripts for publication in JFO, and encourage those currently studying birds in the Neotropics to consider submitting their manuscripts for possible publication in JFO.

JFO is available online to all AFO members. Access instructions are sent to members at the start of each year. Instructions can also be obtained by contacting Wiley-Blackwell customer services at: cs-journals@wiley.com

Others may be able to access JFO articles at the following sites:

2006 to present at the Wiley-Blackwell site

1980 to 3 years ago at JSTOR

2003 to 2005 at BioOne

1930-1999 at the Searchable Ornithological Research Archive (SORA)

The Association of Field Ornithologists gives an award for the best paper published by a student or students in each volume of the Journal of Field Ornithology. A committee of AFO officers and councilors will judge and rank papers based on the quality, significance, and potential impact of the research. To be eligible for the award, authors must meet the criteria listed below. Collaborative efforts between two or more students can qualify for a joint award. Individuals applying to have their paper considered must also have their research supervisor (typically the graduate supervisor) confirm that the criteria below are met. The award is announced at the AFO’s annual meeting and in the Journal of Field Ornithology. The award winner(s) will be invited to give a special presentation of their work at the next annual meeting, will receive up to $500 to help cover the costs of traveling to the meeting, and registration costs for the meeting will be waived.

To be eligible for the Best Student Publication Award:

• The lead author on the paper must have been an undergraduate, M.S., or Ph.D. candidate at the time that the data were collected and analyzed and when the first draft(s) of the manuscript was completed.
  
• If the lead author has completed the degree on which they were working while doing the research described in the paper, they must have completed that degree no more than two years prior to the date that the paper was initially submitted.
  
• The lead author/student must have played a significant role in data collection, data analysis, and preparation of the manuscript.
  

If the lead author meets the above criteria and wishes to submit their paper for consideration, they should complete the form below and submit it, by email, to: Dr. Diane Neudorf, Chair of the Best Student Publication Committee, at neudorf@shsu.edu. Applicants must also contact the individual who supervised the research (and who can verify the student’s eligibility) and present this individual with the criteria listed above, asking them to send a separate e-mail to the chair of the committee confirming that the applicant meets the criteria.

Further information and applications are available here

The Association of Field Ornithologists offers a free service assisting authors of ornithological articles who are not native speakers of English. The goal of the Editorial Assistance Program (EAP) is to enable and encourage Latin American and other ornithologists to publish their work in widely read international journals. This is not, however, a translation service. Manuscripts must be written in English (even if imperfect), and an AFO volunteer will work with the authors to refine the writing into idiomatic English appropriate for scientific publication. It is often useful for the English version to be accompanied by one in the authors' native language. It is important to realize that scientific content will not generally be addressed through this program, only suggestions for improving clarity and grammar will be provided. Although submission of appropriate articles to the AFO's own Journal of Field Ornithology is encouraged, it is not required for this program. In fact, editors of other English-language ornithological journals are encouraged to direct manuscripts to this service when it can improve an article's chance of acceptance.

The EAP has created a database of AFO members willing to assist authors with their manuscripts. If interested in helping out as a volunteer with this program, please contact the EAP Coordinator.

All inquiries from authors about manuscripts should be directed to Daniel M. Brooks, EAP Coordinator, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Herman Circle Drive, Houston, Texas 77030-1799, USA (phone +1 713-639-4776), e-mail dbrooks@hmns.org. Electronic submission of manuscripts to the EAP Coordinator via an email attachment is strongly encouraged.

The Journal of Field Ornithology (JFO) is the quarterly publication of the Association of Field Ornithologists.

Official website

JFO welcomes original articles that emphasize the descriptive or experimental study of birds in their natural habitats. Contributions are encouraged from both professionals and non-professionals throughout the world, but must be written in English. Articles focused on behavior, ecology and life history, as well as conservation and management, are welcomed. JFO is also the premier journal in the world for the description of new ornithological methodology, techniques, and equipment. JFO is especially interested in field studies conducted in the Neotropics.

Instructions for authors can be found here.

Membership categories and dues are as follows:

Regular Members

• To receive a printed version of the Journal of Field Ornithology in addition to having online access to the journal: $25.00
  
• Online access only to JFO: $20.00
  

Students and Early Professionals*

• To receive a printed version of the Journal of Field Ornithology in addition to having online access to the journal: $15.00
  
• Online access only to JFO:: $15.00
  
• *Student membership is restricted to full-time students. Early Professional membership is valid for five years following receipt of one’s terminal degree.
  

Members in Special Countries**

• To receive a printed version of the Journal of Field Ornithology in addition to having online access to the journal: $15.00
  
• Online access only to JFO:: $15.00
  
• ** Includes all countries EXCEPT USA, Canada, Israel, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain, and Portugal
  

Family Membership (2 members, one print journal subscription): $30.00

Supporting Membership (Printed journal optional): $50.00***

Life Membership (Printed journal optional): $650.00 (may be paid in four installments of $162.50)

Patron (Printed journal optional): $1,000.00***

*** The AFO is a 501©(3) organization. Thus, the portion of your dues that exceeds the cost of a regular membership (i.e., $20 or $25, depending on whether one receives a print copy of the journal, is potentially tax deductable.

To become a member, please visit the Ornithological Societies of North America website at: http://www.osnabirds.org/

The AFO's Council oversees all functions of the AFO and meets once yearly, usually in conjunction with the AFO’s annual meeting. If you are interested in assisting with the governance of AFO, or if you would like to nominate a candidate for the AFO council, email the Vice President, who serves as chair of the Nominations Committee.

Officers and Councilors

President

L. Scott Johnson

Vice President

Kathryn Purcell

Secretary

Lee H. Robinson

Treasurer

W. Gregory Shriver

Editor, Journal of Field Ornithology

Gary Ritchison

Past President

David N. Bonter

Councilors: Class of 2011

Reed Bowman

Jeffrey Buler

John Cavitt

J. Daniel Lambert

Diane Neudorf

Councilors: Class of 2012

Andrew Farnsworth

Tom Gardali

Michael Lombardo

Victoria McDonald

Paul Rodewald

Councilors: Class of 2013

Daniel R. Ardia

Paul B. Hamel

J. Dylan Maddox

John P. McCarty

Andrea K. Townsend

Associate Editors, Journal of Field Ornithology

Dan Ardia, Juan Ignacia (Nacho) Areta, David Brown, Chris Hill, Jeffery Hoover, Miguel Ângelo Marini, Abby Powell, Tex Sordahl

Recent Past Presidents

David N. Bonter (2009-2010), Cecilia Riley (2007-2008), Eugene Morton (2004-2006), Scott Sutcliffe (2003-2004), Jerry Jackson (2000-2002), Charles Duncan 1997-1999), Elissa Landre (1995-1997), Gregory S. Butcher (1993-1995), Edward H. Burtt Jr. (1991-1993)

The Association of Field Ornithologists (AFO) is one of the world's major societies of professional and non-professional ornithologists. The AFO is dedicated to the scientific study and dissemination of information about birds in their natural habitats. Founded in 1922 as the New England Bird Banding Association, the AFO shortly thereafter became the Northeastern Bird-Banding Association. This origin has promoted an emphasis on bird banding and other field techniques. Our geographic focus is the Western Hemisphere, with contributions to the ornithology of the Neotropics particularly encouraged. Our publications reflect these goals. AFO has also always encouraged the participation of non-professionals in research, and emphasizes the conservation biology of birds.

All members of the AFO receive the following:

• the quarterly Journal of Field Ornithology with online access for available to all members

• AFO Afield, the association's biannual newsletter

• the bimonthly Ornithological Newsletter

• an invitation to the AFO annual meeting

• discounts on mist nets and other banding and research equipment

In addition, student and non-professional members can apply for research grants including the E. Alexander Bergstrom Memorial Research Awards and the Pamela and Alexander F. Skutch Research Award.

If you are interested in field ornithology, please consider becoming a member of AFO today.