Announcements

International Conference Birds of Prey and Owls of Caucasus 26th - 29th October 2011- Abastumani, Georgia.

Conference will be held  in Abastumani (townlet and climatic spa in Adigeni Municipality, Samtskhe-Javakheti Region, Georgia; Coordinates: 41°45′9″N 42°49′55″E41.7525°N 42.83194°E; Elevation: 1,340 m or 4,396 ft).  Abastumani is located on the southern slopes of the Meskheti Ridge (Lesser Caucasus), in the small river valley of Otskhe, 25 km northeast of Adigeni town and 28 km west of Akhaltsikhe town.

All sessions, round tables, poster presentations as well as all accommodation of participants will be organized at the territory of Georgian National Astrophysical Observatory (Mt.Kanobili, at 1650-1700 meters above sea level, http://www.observatory.iliauni.edu.ge/index.php.

The schedule of sessions, symposia, round tables and workshops is currently under discussion. The Conference program will be finalized later when all submissions are received.

Preliminary Proram:
1. Session/Syimposium
1.1. Birds of Prey and Owls of Caucasus and adjacent regions:
1.1.1. Current status of the breeding populations of Birds of Prey and Owls.
1.1.2. Migration monitoring
1.1.4. Caucasus as a wintering area for raptors
2. Round Tables/Workshop
2.1. Raptors as indicators
2.2. Raptors in mountain habitats
2.3. Modern methods in study of raptors. Monitoring (Censuses, Counts, Atlases, Demography, etc.)
2.4. Practical use of raptors and Falconry
2.7. Rare and endangered species. Threats and limiting factors. Problems of conservation, education and public awarness
Poster session
Probably one session of the Conference will be devoted to public lectures for young naturalists, students, amateur naturalists, bird lovers, teachers, mentors, various environmental NGOs, Georgian falconers, representatives of Samtskhe-Javakheti Region and local municipality administration, Borjomi-Kharagauli Nature Park, Javakheti Nature Park, some protected areas, hunting societies and other organizations.

Paper Sessions
Papers will be organized based on contents. Most oral presentations will be limited to 15 minutes including questions. However, a few 30-minute presentations may be available upon special request. If requesting a 30-minute presentation slot, please provide a brief justification under the “Other special needs” section of your cover letter. Papers must be given in English. Electronic presentations will be in PowerPoint® format, but equipment to show 2" x 2" 35-mm slides will be available. Please be sure to note your presentation format with the cover letter information.
Poster Session
Posters will be displayed during the whole Conference. Posters will be mounted on 3’ high x 4’ wide panels, and materials for hanging posters will be available. All posters must have an English abstract, but the poster can be in another language (authors should be aware that a poster in a language other than English will be read by a restricted audience). Poster presenters are required to attend their posters during the poster sessions on 26/10/2011 (20:00 – 21:00), on 27/10/2011 (20:00 – 21:00) and on 28/10/2011 (19:00 – 20:00).
Poster presenters should be prepared to set-up their posters on Friday afternoon poster session between 20:00 and 21:00 or in morning on 29/10/2011

We are open to suggestions on new sessions, symposia, workshops, round tables, slide-shows, films, videos, photo exhibitions, etc.!

ABSTRACT BOOK AND PROCEEDINGS
The deadline for the submission of the conference abstracts is 15 September 2011. The abstracts should have a maximum of 2500 characters (or one page of A4 standard). It is possible to include one figure or one table, reducing the number of characters to fit the page.
The final program and the abstract book will be provided to participants at the Conference during registration.
The proceedings of the conference will be published. To be considered for possible inclusion we ask that short papers (up to 25000 characters, including figures and tables) are submitted at the conference, at the latest.

REGISTRATION FEES
The registration fee (€ 50.00, to be confirmed in the 2nd announcement) will cover:
The costs associated with the conference itself;
All coffee-breaks (AM/PM);
The lunches during excursions;
Conference services, the proceedings and some conference material;
The welcome party;
Field trip to Vardzia Cave City on 28th October 2011';
The fee will not cover the accommodation costs, breakfasts or dinners during conference days. Accompanying person fee is € 25.00.

EXCURSION
The Conference will include a several excursions:
- on 25th(26th) October - around Abastumani Observatory - 2 hours, at Meskheti Ridge - 5-6 hours, on Gederdzi Pass (Coordinates: 41°37'47"N 42°30'27"E, elevation 2025 meters above sea level) or on Zekari Pass - 2182 meters above sea level - 5-6 hours), in Borjomi-Kharagouli National Park - 3-4 hours);
- on 29th October field trip in Mtkvari River valley, including Akhaltsikhe Castle (18th century), Tmogvi Fortress, Khertvisi Fortress (10th century), Vardzia Cave City - rock-cut monastery complex of 12-13th centuries, etc. Duration of the field trip is about 10 hours (08:30 – 18:30; lunch in open air at bank of Mtkvari River under rocks of Vardzia Cave City).

Various pre-conference and post-conference 1-3 day field trips and excursions in different regions of Georgia may be offered to those who have wishes. The representatives of several tourist agencies will attend the Conference.
- 30th October city-tour in Tbilisi during last day of traditional festival "TBILISOBA - 2011"- the celebration of Tbilisi City days.

For any further information please contact: