The San Pancho Bird Observatory (OASP) is an organization dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats in the San Pancho region of Nayarit, Mexico. This initiative originated from the San Pancho Birding Club (2007-2010), which organized educational birdwatching tours for school students. This club played a crucial role in introducing local communities to sustainable birdwatching, later encouraging the participation of both national and international visitors.

Amazilias is a network of women dedicated to nature and empowerment through birdwatching, bringing together over 160 participants across the country. The network is designed to promote and highlight the efforts and strengths of women and girls through various forms of expression, including art, politics, social integrity in communities, teaching, and, most prominently, science. Read more about this impactful community of women.

Artículo escrito en español e inglés. The Center for Ornithology and Biodiversity (CORBIDI), through its project “Urban Birds of Lima,” has joined forces to pave an inclusive path in birdwatching, and promote access to this activity for visually impaired people in Peru. In collaboration with the Rehabilitation Center for the Blind in Lima (CERCIL) and the Pantanos de Villa wetlands municipal administration, CORBIDI demonstrates that a love for nature and conservation can unite people of all abilities, fostering an inclusive vision of biodiversity.

The XXI Congreso para el Estudio y Conservación de las Aves en México (XXI CECAM), held in late September 2024 in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, México, provided an opportunity to present the family of Miguel Angel Cruz-Nieto, from Monterrey, México, with a posthumous Individual 2023 Partners in Flight David N. Pashley Lifetime Achievement Award. The award ceremony followed a keynote address about PIF, and was preceded by a PIF symposium and roundtable discussion.

We are pleased to announce a new subcommittee within Partners in Flight Science focused on Migration Ecology! The Migration Ecology subcommittee will work to provide a forum and community for those studying migration using various tracking methods on a wide variety of birds to inform conservation action. The group hopes to provide a consistent meeting space for education, idea-sharing, collaboration, and networking. First meeting is on November 14, 12-2 pm, central time. This meeting will be in Spanish and English.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Program annually recognizes an employee for their accomplishments in leadership and conservation. In 2024, the recipient of the 2024 Migratory Bird Leadership Award for Management and Biological Support is our own Scott Somershoe! Many of you know Scott from nearly a decade as a participant of the PIF Western Working Group, and previously another decade or so involved with the former Southeastern PIF Working Group, where he served a stint as chair with both groups.

Over the past few decades, the vast coniferous forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental have undergone a drastic transformation, losing 99.4% of their original extent. This change has placed species like the Thick-billed Parrot in grave danger, as their habitat has been devastated by logging and fires, affecting their ability to nest and feed. However, thanks to the joint effort of many institutions and countless dedicated individuals, we have managed to halt this trend.
Furthermore, collaboration and coordination through Partners in Flight (PIF) working groups have been fundamental in achieving these advances. We are working together with forest management units, building local capacities, and promoting management practices that ensure the conservation of the parrot. This demonstrates that with effort and cooperation, it is possible to reverse the damage and protect our valuable biodiversity.

Through the Partners in Flight (PIF) Awards, PIF has been recognizing outstanding individuals and groups across the Americas for their exceptional contributions to the field of landbird conservation since 1996. We were pleased to have five 2023 PIF Award winners, including from Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Several of the 2023 PIF Awardees were recognized in front of their peers in the spring of 2024, at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Michigan and a Gulf Coast Joint Venture Management Board Meeting in Louisiana. The BirdsCaribbean 24th International Conference in July 2024, which was held in the Dominican Republic, provided a wonderful opportunity to present a 2023 PIF Leadership Award to Dr. Adrianne Tossas, President of BirdsCaribbean.

Partners in Flight is excited to introduce Jocelynn Marriott as the new acting interim US Coordinator. We look forward to her leadership for PIF over the next few months. Please get to know Jocelynn by reviewing their bio below and say hi to her in PIF meetings,

The 2023 Partners in Flight (PIF) awardees were first recognized through a PowerPoint presentation given by Valerie Foster Stein with U.S. Forest Service, Interim PIF U.S. Coordinator, during the March 2024 North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Michigan, at the Forest Service Partners Meeting and Partners in Flight Awards venue. Two of the awardees were able to attend this venue to receive their awards in person. Another 2023 PIF Awardee was recognized in a surprise presentation at the Gulf Coast Joint Venture Management Board Meeting in Houma, Louisiana in April 2024.