Abstract
The 38th Annual AFA Convention, "Under One Wing" was a very different kind of convention for AFA. Oh yes, we had all the traditional presentations and goodies for everyone to enjoy, but the attendees were also treated to two unusual and
exciting exhibits within the hall along with a number of new events. The Omni Hotel was the best we've ever had in terms of service.
Golden Macaw Exhibit
This year, attendees were given the opportunity to see the gorgeous Golden macaws up-close. During the convention, the macaws resided in a gigantic modular outdoor aviary designed and built by LGL Animal Care Products Inc. of Bryan, Texas. Even with the high ceiling in the exhibit hall, it was a tight fit, and thankfully, the ballroom chandeliers were just out of reach. The LGL Animal Care Products cage provided a very elegant presentation space for the five ... yep, five of those amazing Golden macaws! The normally colored sibling was also present providing good comparison and contrast. The birds were a little shy on arrival, but soon were flying and playing in the enclosure to the delight of everyone.
Gary and Lynn Redden, owners/breeders of the Golden macaws, (along with the entire Redden clan) were on hand to answer questions about the birds, and generously allowed attendees to take photos. The members of AFA are grateful to the Reddens for being part of our family and sharing their birds at this convention.
Wayne E. Smyth Art Exhibit
AFA also honored Lifetime member Wayne E.
Smyth with a special exhibit of the artwork that has given AF A a "face" to the public for so many years. Believe it or not, AFA still has a few original artworks by Wayne that are for sale, and people who had not seen these originals were just blown away by the beautiful detail in his paintings. For a list Wayne's artworks that are available, please contact the Editor, Mark Moore or Lyrae Perry.
Warning: Wayne's original art is one-of-a-kind and fabulous. It's world-class art. Wayne's intention was that his art contributions would generate funds to help aviculture through the AFA. When you purchase one of his originals from AFA, your money goes toward a good cause-the advancement of aviculture, and that's something worth supporting.
Keynote Address, Wayne E. Smyth Award
Wayne was our honored keynote speaker this year. He opened the San Antonio, Texas, conference by sharing photos of his art and travels and all the interesting places he lived. Lucky man to have a dream career and see the world too.
At the end of Wayne's keynote address, Dr. Benny Gallaway introduced the new Wayne E. Smyth Award, and it was presented first to Mark E. Moore for service to AFA above and beyond the call. Afterward, we were all so pleased to see Wayne at his exhibit table again this year and there were plenty of hugs and photos for all. For three days, Wayne graciously signed the Victoria Crowned Pigeon convention T-shirts, tins, plates and even people! Thank you, Wayne -we had a blast!
Speaker Presentations, Proceedings CD's
AFA always has a great line-up of convention speakers, and this year was no exception. The variety of topics was great, and the knowledge, experience and talent of the speakers was so good that even many of the old-timers were impressed. Everywhere I looked, people were engaged in enthusiastic conversation about things they had learned.
AFA's speakers are chosen to do a presentation because they're experts in their field.
Many are doing work on the cutting edge of avian biology and medicine, and others have extensive training and experience in flock management, behavioral management and conservation efforts here in the US and abroad. There are always a few unusual subject presentations that are fun and inspiring too. Some of the talks included audience participation or educational games, and our own Jason Crean donned his running gear to demonstrate proper torch carrying techniques for one speaker.
There's always an amazing amount of helpful and interesting information shared by our wonderful speakers, however, they're limited to SS minutes at the podium. Which makes the Proceedings CD's quite valuable because they have more information on them than what can be fit into the live SS-minute presentation format. Often the Proceedings papers include tables and graphs from the slide presentations, or additional material and references not included in the live presentations. Either way, the CD's are a great refresher course if you attended the talks, and valuable notes for any reference library. Please review the list of speakers on the Convention Proceedings CD. CD's can be purchased from the AFA Online Store. Order your CD's today at: www.afabirds.org/ proceedings_ cds.shtml