Conference programme: January 15 Update
Conference committee
- Amnonn Hahn – Director, The Friends Of The Swifts Association (FOTS)
- Dan Alon – Director, Israel Ornithological Center (IOC), Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI)
- Edward Mayer – Swift Conservation, UK
- Dr. Nir Sapir – University of Haifa
- Dr. Mauro Ferri – Italy
- Sorrel Ritter – Conference coordinator, SPNI
- Prof. Yossi Leshem – SPNI, Tel Aviv University
papers
1. Keynote speakers (26 mins + 4 mins questions)
2. Lectures (17 mins + 3 mins questions)
3. Posters (on display in poster area)
program outline
Sunday, March 11th |
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16:00 – 19:00 |
Registration |
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19:30 – 21:30 |
Evening get together festive event at Ruth Daniel Residence
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Monday, March 12th |
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09:00 – 09:30 |
Greetings [not yet confirmed]: Ron Huldai – Mayor of Tel Aviv-Jaffa Dr. Yossef Dreiznin – Director-General of the Ministry of Regional Cooperation Maj. Gen. (Res.) Noam Tibon – Chairman of Tel Aviv Global Iris Hann – CEO of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) Edward Mayer – Swift Conservation UK. |
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09:30 – 10:00 |
Christoph Meier – Migratory schedule of different Alpine Swifts |
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10:00 – 10:30 |
Dick Newell – What do we know about Swift Nest Boxes? |
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10:30 – 11:00 |
Coffee break |
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11:00 – 11:20 |
Mark Smyth – A walk on the wild Side: Swift nesting in the natural landscape |
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11:20 – 11:40 |
Lynda Huxley – Swifts in Ireland |
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11:40 – 12:00 |
Ninon Ballerstadt – Swifts' sleeping behavior |
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12:00 – 12:20 |
Judith Wakelam – 15 years of rehabilitating Swifts in my home |
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12:20 – 12:40 |
Edward Mayer – A new Swift Column for the modern built environment |
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12:40 – 13:10 |
Peter Cush – An overview of Apus apus & Apus apus pekinensis |
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13:15 – 14:45 |
Lunch break |
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14:45 – 15:05 |
Mark Coreth – The Tree of Hope – A Swift Project |
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15:05 – 15:25 |
Alexandru Stahl – Mauerseglerklinik Frankfurt: Mastering Swift rehabilitation |
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15:25 – 15:45 |
Marco Cucco – Citizen-Science: Swift Conservation in Italy |
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15:45 – 16:05 |
Thomas Starkmann – Common Swift nesting sites conservation in Vienna |
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16:05– 16:35 |
Coffee break |
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16:35 – 16:55 |
Katja Schmieder – Differences between European and American Swifts |
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16:55 – 17:15 |
Itai Bloch & Nir Sapir – Insights from ATLAS tracking of foraging Little swifts in the Hula Valley, Israel |
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17:15 – 18:15 |
Poster Session |
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18:30 – 19:30 |
Dinner |
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19:30 – 22:00 |
Guided tour of Jaffa's Old City |
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Tuesday, March 13th |
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06:00 |
Early morning birding tour before breakfast [optional] |
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07:00 – 08:00 |
Breakfast |
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09:00 – 09:30 |
Yossi Leshem & Amnonn Hahn – A Swift Way to Peace |
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09:30 – 10:00 |
Chris Huxley – Some aspects of the breeding biology of the swifts of County Mayo, Ireland |
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10:00 – 10:20 |
Gen. (Ret.) Mansour Abu Rashid & Imad Atrash – Birding activities in Jordan and the Palestinian Authority |
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10:20 – 10:50 |
Coffee break |
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10:50 – 11:10 |
Elena Markitani – Swift projects in Cyprus |
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11:10 – 11:30 |
Lukas Viktora – Does it really work? A study in the Czech Republic |
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11:30 – 11:50 |
Diane Yorgason-Quinn (presented on behalf of Larry Schwitters) – Audubon's “Vaux's Happening” Project |
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11:50 – 12:10 |
Parcharidou Effrosyni – Swift friendly buildings in Thessaloniki, Greece |
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12:10 – 12:30 |
Stefano Pesaro – A multi-facetted approach to Swift conservation in Italy |
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12:30 – 12:50 |
Lothar Schiffler – Airlines: Bird Tracks in the air |
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12:50 – 14:00 |
Lunch break |
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14:00 – 18:00 |
Swift tour in Tel Aviv to include: (1) Swift “Living Wall” at Catzenelzon School; (2) IDF Headquarters to learn about the Nature Defense Forces and their connection to Swifts and heritage sites; (3) Schiff House with online cameras in Common Swift nests |
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19:30 |
Free evening in Jaffa
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Wednesday, March 14th |
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06:00 – 23:00 |
Tour to Jerusalem and the Dead Sea:
Greetings [not yet confirmed]: Mr. Reuven Rivlin – President of Israel MK Tzachi Hanegbi – Minister of Regional Cooperation Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz – Rabbi of the Western Wall
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Thursday, March 15th |
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07:00 – 08:30 |
Breakfast |
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08:45 – 09:05 |
Gert de Yong – How to conduct a census of Swifts in a city like Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
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09:05 – 09:25 |
Mauro Ferri – Artificial Swift nests from Medieval period up to modern times |
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09:25 – 09:45 |
Kevin Prince – X-ray fluorescence study of Swifts' feathers |
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09:45 – 10:05 |
Francisco Javier Saez Frayssinet – The protection of Apus Apus in Segovia, Spain |
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10:05 – 10:45 |
Coffee break |
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10:45 – 13:00 |
Open discussion including voting for the 2020 International Conference location |
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13:00 – |
Lunch and free afternoon & evening in Tel Aviv-Jaffa
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March 16th
|
Optional tour to see the Griffon Vultures in Mt. Carmel and Little Swifts nesting in the Hula Valley in north Israel as well as many more local and migrating birds [PRICE: €40 including bus and professional guide]
|
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March 17th-20th |
Optional 4-day tour (3 nights) from Tel Aviv via the Negev to Eilat to view the amazing bird migration as part of the Eilat 2018 International Spring Migration Festival; accommodation at Eilat's excellent Agamim hotel; price includes half board, bus, professional guides and participation in all the festival events [PRICE: €755 per person in double room / €1,065 per person in single room] |
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Participants
Here is the list of people who have registered to attend the conference:
(Please note that this link is regularly updated - last updated list: February 8)
A small number of people have not confirmed. If you are not on this list and you think you should be, or, if you find any errors in this attendee list, please contact Sorrel Ritter, conference coordinator, at Yossi Leshem's office: yleshem@post.tau.ac.il.
Conference programme: Update
Dear Swift friends,
We are delighted to share with you the almost final program of the 5th International Swift conference, after the conference committee approval (see hereunder).
By now we have 89 registered participants and we are hoping to reach 100!
We are really excited to host all of you in March 2018 in Israel and we wish you all a Happy New Year!
SWIFT YOU SOON in Israel!
Amnonn Hahn Yossi Leshem Dan Alon
Papers
1. Keynote speakers (26 mins + 4 mins questions)
2. Lecture (17 mins + 3 mins questions)
3. Posters
Program outline
Sunday, March 11th |
|
16:00 – 19:00 |
Registration |
19:30 – 21:30 |
Evening get together festive event at Ruth Daniel Residence
|
Monday, March 12th |
|
09:00 – 09:30 |
Greetings [not yet confirmed]: |
09:30–10:00 |
Sussane Akkesson: Swift Migration Routes updates [not yet confirmed] |
10:00–10:30 |
Dick Newell: What do we know about Swifts' nest boxes? |
10:30–11:00 |
Coffee break |
11:00–11:20 |
Mark Smyth: A walk on the wild Side: Swift nesting in natural landscape |
11:20–11:40 |
Lynda Huxley: Swifts in Eire |
11:40–12:00 |
Ninon Ballerstadt: Swift's Sleeping behavior |
12:00–12:20 |
Judith Wakelam: 15 years of rehabilitating Swifts at my home |
12:20–12:40 |
Edward Mayer: A new Swift Column for modern built environment |
12:40–13:00 |
Christoph Meir: Migratory schedule of different Alpine Swifts |
13:00–14:30 |
Lunch break |
14:30–14:50 |
Mark Coreth: The Tree Of Hope – A Swifts' Project |
14:50–15:10 |
Alexandru Stahl: Mauerseglerklinik Frankfurt, Mastering Swift rehabilitation |
15:10–15:30 |
Marco Cucco: Citizen-Science Swift Conservation in Italy. Long term study |
15:30–15:50 |
Thomas Starkmann: C. Swift nesting sites conservation in Vienna |
15:50–16:20 |
Coffee break |
16:20–16:40 |
Katja Schmieder: Differences between European and American Swifts |
16:40–17:00 |
Dr. Nir Sapir+Ittai Bloch Tel Aviv Swifts' Migration route |
17:00–18:00 |
Poster Session |
18:30-19:30 |
Dinner |
19:30–22:00 |
Guided tour of Jaffa's Old City
|
Tuesday, March 13th |
|
06:00 |
Early morning birding tour before breakfast [optional] |
07:00–08:00 |
Breakfast |
09:00–09:30 |
Yossi Leshem + Amnonn Hahn: A Swift way to Peace |
09:30–10:00 |
Peter Cush: An overview of Apus apus & Apus apus pekinensis |
10:00–10:20 |
Mansour Abu Rashid & Imad Atrash: Birding activities in Jordan and in the Palestinian Authority |
10:20–10:50 |
Coffee break |
10:50–11:10 |
Elena Markitani : Swift pojects in Cyprus |
11:10–11:30 |
Lukas Viktoria: Does it really work? A study in the Czech Republic |
11:30–11:50 |
Larry Schwitters: Audubon's Vaux's Happening Project |
11:50–12:10 |
Parcharidou Effrosyni: Swift friendly buildings in Thessaloniki |
12:10–12:30 |
Stefano Pesaro: Multi-facetted approach for Swift conservation in Italy |
12:30–12:50 |
Lothar Schiffler: Airlines – Bird Tracks in the air |
12:50–14:00 |
Lunch break |
14:00–18:00 |
Swift tour in Tel Aviv to: (1) IDF Headquarters and Sarona to learn about the Nature Defense Forces and their connection to swifts and heritage sites; (2) Nesting boxes at the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) directorate building and walk to Schiff House with online cameras in Common Swift nests |
19:30 |
Free evening in Jaffa
|
Wednesday, March 14th | |
06:00–23:00 |
Tour to Jerusalem and the Dead Sea:
Greetings [not yet confirmed]:
|
Thursday, March 15th |
|
07:00–08:30 |
Breakfast |
09:00–09:30 |
Mauro Ferri: Swift artificial nests since medieval times |
09:30–09:50 |
Kevin Prince: X-ray fluorescence study on Swifts' feathers |
09:50–10:10 |
Kasia Szczypa: Vitamin B deficiency and hand rearing Swifts |
10:10–10:40 |
Coffee break |
10:40-13:00 |
Open discussion incl. voting for the 2020 Intl. Conference location |
13:00 – |
Lunch and free afternoon & evening in Tel Aviv- Jaffa
|
March 16th
|
Optional tour to see the Griffon Vultures in Mt. Carmel and Little Swifts nesting in the Hula Valley in north Israel as well as many more local and migrating birds PRICE: €40 (including bus and professional guide)
|
March 17th-20th |
Optional 4-day tour (3 nights) from Tel Aviv via the Negev to Eilat to view the amazing migration as part of the Eilat 2018 International Spring Migration Festival; accommodation at Eilat's excellent Agamim hotel; price includes half board, bus, professional guides and participation in all the festival events PRICE: €755 per person in double room / €1,065 per person in single room |
SWIFT ART EXHIBITION
CALL FOR ARTISTS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS
The FIFTH INTERNATIONAL SWIFT CONFERENCE is happy to invite visual artists to submit works for a juried exhibition to be held during the week of the conference in Tel Aviv, Israel. Submitted work can include visual arts such as original paintings, drawings, printmaking and photography that deal with swifts. Your submission must be your original creation.
Works to be exhibited will be selected by a judging committee by 30 December 2017, and should then be sent to Israel ahead of the exhibition by 30 January, 2018. Photographs selected should be printed to size 40 x 50 cm, and all artwork and photography will be returned at the end of the conference.
Please send a high-quality digital image of your work (maximum 1 MB) along with title, size, and media to Sorrel Ritter at yossile@tauex.tau.ac.il.
Maximum of 2 entries per artist.
Deadline for submission: 30 November 2017.
PRELIMINARY PROGRAM OUTLINE
(You can also download this programme and practical information in pdf here)
Sunday, March 11th
16:00 – 19:00 Registration
19:30 – 21:30 Evening get together festive event at Ruth Daniel Residence
Monday, March 12th
09:00 – 09:30 Greetings
[not yet confirmed]: Ron Huldai – Mayor of Tel Aviv-Jaffa Hashem Hussein – Director-General of the Ministry of Regional Cooperation Maj. Gen. (Res.) Noam Tibon – Chairman of Tel Aviv Global Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yiftah Ron-Tal – Chairman of the Israeli Electric Corporation (IEC) Iris Hahn – CEO of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) Edward Mayer – Swift Conservation, England
09:30 – 10:10 Keynote speaker lecture 1
10:10 – 10:50 Keynote speaker lecture 2
10:50 – 11:20 Coffee break
11:20 – 13:00 Lectures 1-5 [each 20 min]
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch break at hotel [please note on registration form]
14:30 – 15:50 Lectures 7-10
15:50 – 16:15 Coffee break
16:15 – 17:00 Lectures 10-
11 18:00 – 19:00 Dinner [please note on registration form]
19:30 – 22:00 Guided tour of Jaffa's Old City
Tuesday, March 13th
06:00 Early morning birding tour before breakfast [optional]
09:00 – 09:40 Keynote speaker lecture 3
09:40 – 10:20 Keynote speaker lecture 4
10:20 – 10:50 Coffee break
10:50 – 13:00 Lectures 12-17
12:50 – 14:30 Lunch break at hotel [please note on registration form]
14:30 – 18:00 Swift tour in Tel Aviv to: (1) IDF Headquarters and Sarona to learn about the Nature Defense Forces and their connection to swifts and heritage sites; (2) Nesting boxes at the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) directorate building and walk to Schiff House
19:30 Free evening in Jaffa
Wednesday, March 14th
06:00 – 23:00 Tour to Jerusalem and the Dead Sea:
* Jerusalem Bird Observatory – ringing station in the Israeli Parliament grounds
* Wadi Kelt (a gorge in the Judean Desert between Jerusalem and Jericho) to see three swift species: Alpine, Little and Pallid Swifts
* Swifts Welcoming Ceremony at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem
Greetings [not yet confirmed]: MK Tzachi Hanegbi – Minister of Regional Cooperation Mr. Reuven Rivlin – President of Israel
* St. John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital, Muristan, The Christian Quarter – The Tree of Hope – the olive tree swift sculpture and closing event with dinner and Middle Eastern music
Thursday, March 15th
09:00 – 10:00 Invited speaker
10:00 – 10:30 Coffee break
10:30 – 12:00 Open discussion and conference summary
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch break at hotel [please note on registration form]
12:00 Free afternoon and evening in Tel Aviv
March 16th
Optional tour to see the Griffon Vultures in Mt. Carmel and Little Swifts nesting in the Hula Valley in north Israel as well as many more local and migrating birds PRICE: €40 (including bus and professional guide)
March 17th-20th
Optional 4-day tour (3 nights) from Tel Aviv via the Negev to Eilat to view the amazing migration as part of the Eilat 2018 International Spring Migration Festival; accommodation at Eilat's excellent Agamim hotel; price includes half board, bus, professional guides and participation in all the festival events PRICE: €755 per person in double room / €1,065 per person in single room.
Please send all registration forms and queries to Sorrel Ritter, conference coordinator, at Yossi Leshem's office: yleshem@post.tau.ac.il
We recommend that you book your flights as early as possible in order to enjoy the low cost flights and prices.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
CALL FOR SUBMISSION OF PAPERS
1. Keynote speakers (35 mins + 5 mins questions)
2. Lecture (17 mins + 3 mins questions)
3. Posters
We are planning to divide the lecture sessions according to topic (e.g. flight, food, weather, swifts and the community, population genetics, tracking methods, swifts as peacemakers, swifts and religion). If you have proposals for topics, please write to us.
Please send us an abstract of maximum 300 words and the topic of your lecture/poster by October 1st 2017.
INVITATION TO THE 5th INTERNATIONAL SWIFT CONFERENCE
At the Fourth International Swift Conference in 2016 at Szczecin, Poland, it was decided to hold the Fifth International Swift Conference in Tel Aviv, Israel.
This is the first time the conference will be held outside Europe and we are very proud to have received this opportunity to host it, and expand the discussion beyond the European borders by inviting lecturers and participants from Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Greece, Turkey, Egypt and additional North African countries.
We hope to use the swifts as messengers of peace to expand regional cooperation and as you surely would agree, they are the perfect candidates!
We are sure that besides the interesting lectures, you will have a unique and unforgettable experience visiting our small country, rich with many swift and bird species. 540 bird species can be observed in Israel, and 500 million birds migrate over the country twice a year – March is the peak of the migration season.
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
• Edward Mayer, Swift Conservation, UK
• Dr. Mauro Ferri, Italy
• Amnonn Hahn – Director, The Friends Of The Swifts Association (FOTS)
• Dan Alon – Director, Israel Ornithological Center (IOC), Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI)
• Prof. Yossi Leshem – SPNI, Tel Aviv University
• Dr. Nir Sapir – Haifa University
• Sorrel Ritter – Conference coordinator, SPNI
• Representative from the Israeli Electric Corporation (IEC) [conference partner] TBD
• Representative from the Tel Aviv Municipality [conference partner] TBD
Please see the following information about the conference.
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FEE
As in previous years, we are setting a fee to go towards covering the administrative costs of the conference:
* €100 for professionals (academics and those working in the field)
* €25 for students (until MA/diploma)
* €50 others Registration fee payment
Registration fee payment
Please fill in registration form with your credit card details.
Registration should be no later than October 31, 2017.
Please note that the fee will be increased by 25% after November 30th 2017.
VENUE & HOTEL DETAILS
Conference hotel Ruth Daniel Residence (3 stars) :
Located in Jaffa close to the Old City and tourist sites [60 rooms reserved].
Additional hotel Dan Panorama Hotel (4 stars plus)
10-15 minute walk from conference hotel located on the Tel Aviv beachfront [30 rooms reserved].
You can of course book your own accommodation in additional hotels/hostels in the vicinity of the conference hotel via the Internet, for example: Old Jaffa Hostel - Milk & Honey Hostel (www.facebook.com/milkandhoneyhostel / milkandhoneyjaffa@gmail.com / tel. +972-3644-4316)
To download the registration form, please click here:
http://www.saveourswifts.co.uk/israel2018.htm
Please send all registration forms and queries to Sorrel Ritter, conference coordinator, at Yossi Leshem's office: yleshem@post.tau.ac.il
We recommend that you book your flights as early as possible in order to enjoy the low cost flights and prices.
Looking forward to hearing from you!