IAATE Conference

In late February, I checked into the hotel in Redding, California and tracked down the registration table. I received a warm welcome to the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE) annual conference and learned the details of schedules and meals for the 3-day event. And the host added, “feel free to sit in on the end of Steve Martin’s workshop in the ballroom, there’s about an hour left.” My ears perked up because I knew she wasn’t talking about an actor/comedian. This Steve Martin is a well-known bird trainer and leader in the organization. I have read his articles on trust accounts, weight management, and connecting with audiences; I couldn’t wait to hear his presentation.

An hour later, pages of notes were filled and new ideas were already swirling around my head. That trend continued over the next three days as bird trainers from around the world shared their training and education success stories. I came away with ideas to improve our programs and ways to change our birds’ perching, enrichment, and training to make the wildlife program at the Museum more effective. It will take some time to implement any changes, but these ideas should keep me busy for a while!

It was great fun to see and hear about the amazing things trainers are doing with their birds. Some of the highlights included:

• Conference host Turtle Bay Exploration Park showed off their program animals with a Crested caracara demonstration. This bird was trained to pick out a purple wooden block to demonstrate birds’ color vision:
• Educators at the Oregon Zoo found that parrots displayed on natural perches, rather than on the presenter’s hand, had the most impact on the audience’s desire to help wild parrots.
• Research by the Peregrine Fund shows a slow and steady decline of American Kestrels over the past 50 years. Since 1966, kestrel populations have declined 47%.
• American Kestrels at the Peregrine Fund and Cascades Raptor Center were trained to hover on cue, a behavior wild kestrels use while hunting. I think Aldo could do this someday!

• A flock of penguins at SkiDubai (in United Arab Emirates) learned many husbandry behaviors so they can willingly participate in their own health care. They allow nail trims, eye drops, and even x-rays without restraint, making their lives more stress-free.
• Though not bird-related, one of the highlights of the conference was meeting Timber the Beaver! Born at the Minnesota Zoo, Timber was hand-raised and loves people, as long as you have a tasty biscuit! Turtle Bay Exploration Park offers Timber encounters to the public as a fundraiser.

I had some time for birding and sight-seeing between conference presentations, and a few days of vacation north of San Francisco. It was my first time in northern California and the landscapes were stunning! Here are a few more photos from my trip:

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