Conference programme: Update

Dear Swift friends,

We are delighted to share with you the almost final program of the 5^th 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]: 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 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 UK.
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: 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]: Mr. Reuven Rivlin – President of Israel MK Tzachi Hanegbi – Minister of Regional Cooperation Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz – Rabbi of the western wall  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
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