Abstract
It is always great fun to meet old and new friends at the American Federation of Aviculture (AFA) Convention. This year, the convention was held in Dallas, TX. The event was spectacular, from the Dallas Zoo tour, to the 3 days of excellent presentations, to the sumptuous and fun Saturday night banquet. We definitely want to thank Zupreem for their continued generosity and support of the AFA. Zupreem created and distributed a series of 3 great postcards publicizing the convention. The convention would not have been as much of a success if wasn't for their support. Thank you Zupreem!
Board of Directors Meeting
The Board of Directors started their quarterly meeting at 8:30 am on Tuesday, August 1 and spent the entire day working on AFA business. Another board meeting was held the following Sunday morning. We need to thank the Board members for all their hard work, both at the convention and throughout the year. They are who keep the AFA running, achieving good things and they do a lot of the work which makes the convention successful.
House of Delegates Meeting
45 members of the House of Delegates met the morning of Wednesday, August 2 where they heard from AFA President Dr. Benny Gallaway on the Fundamentals of Aviculture Course and the membership satisfaction survey results. The delegates also unanimously voted to change the fee structure for the affiliated specialty organizations so they would be more in line with the local affiliated clubs' fee structure. We want to thank the delegates for all their hard work and support of AFA but also for being part of the decision making process.
Dallas Zoo Tour
The Dallas Zoo tour was Wednesday afternoon after the House of Delegates meeting. About 50 people boarded the buses to go a short distance to the zoo and ate the provided lunch overlooking the Flamingo Pond. Although Dallas was expected to be very hot, many of the buildings at the zoo were air conditioned, creating an oasis in which to linger. After lunch, people self-toured the zoo. There were frequent motorized vehicles to take those that pre-registered to the behind the scenesnours. The Dallas Zoo bird collection contained mostly non-psittacine species such as Marabou Stork, White-bellied Stork, Kori Bustard, Goliath Heron, Brown Pelican, Saddle-billed Stork, Spectacled Owl, Jackson's Hornbill, Wattled Crane, Caribbean Flamingo, Roseate Spoonbill, Scarlet Ibis, Victoria Crowned Pigeon, White-headed Buffalo Weaver, Redcrested Wood Partridge, Hawaiian Goose, Hottentot Teal, White Breasted Cormorant, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Superb Starling, Fairy Bluebird and Bali Mynah. The newly constructed interactive bird exhibit just opened that day and the AFA was the only group allowed to enter.
Raffles and Auctions
The raffles table was quiet impressive this year. Several people were overheard making the remarks that this year's raffle table was the best in years. There was a huge variety of items on the daily raffles table, from bird food and supplies to artwork and books. There was truly something for everyone. This was a very popular area of the vendor hall and it seemed that all the convention attendees were surrounding this table during the drawings. In addition to the fantastic daily raffle items, there were several superb 3 day raffle items, including a stainless steel ring-stand donated by Bird Cages By Carmen/Animal Environments. Kadi Pinnell from Texas was the lucky winner of this fabulous prize.
The silent auction was once again a huge hit! Debbie and John Treanor did a fabulous job putting together the wonderful assortment of items. THANK YOU Debbie and John!