This year I was speaking, but not on the blue macaws, but on the Slender-billed Conure in the aviary and in the wild

Just got back from the American Federation of Aviculture (AFA) annual convention, which was held this year in Houston. This year I was speaking, but not on the blue macaws, but on the Slender-billed Conure (Enicognathus leptorhynchus) in the aviary and in the wild. I am supporting a conservation project for this engaging species in southern Chile headed up by Jaime Jiminez from the University at Osorno. I have been attending the AFA conventions fairly regularly since the 1980s and indeed it was at the convention in 1988 that I met Thomas Arndt and began what has proven to be a fruitful working relationship. This year's convention was very enjoyable and I shall bring more news on this very shortly.

I have noticed that the Indices page in English is not functioning properly and am trying to resolve this. The German indices page has been working perfectly from the start, but for some reason the English page appears to have stopped working.  My apologies in the meantime.  

Finally we have the date for the world's leading parrot convention, which is organised by Loro Parque and held every four years in Tenerife, Canary Islands. This unmissable event - the 7th in the series - will be held from 22nd to 25th September 2010 with the presentations on 23rd, 24th and 25th September. In 2010 there will be triple event with the first International Convention on the Conservation of Psittacidae: Science, Policy and Practice preceding the main convention from 20th to 22nd September and a three-day workshop following it from 26th to 28th September.  I shall bring more detailed information on the conventions and workshop very shortly.