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Many of "our" Canadian birds are long-distance migrants, which actually spend more time on their Latin American wintering grounds each year than they do with us. The importance of these wintering areas should not be underestimated. The health of "our" bird populations hinges on the health of the wintering areas. Given that subtropical and tropical habitats are under intense pressure, we need to expend at least some of our resources fostering good conservation and research in Latin America. Moreover, we feel that it is critical that Latin Americans themselves carry out as much of this work as possible. Conservation efforts in Latin America will be most effectively advanced through grass-root efforts, based upon information gathered by well-trained conservation biologists.
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Please Note: This program will not be offered in 2002. In association with BirdLife International, Bird Studies Canada and Long Point Bird Observatory offer a 1-month course in advanced field techniques pertaining to songbirds (mist-netting, bird banding, ageing and sexing, point counts, migration monitoring, database management etc.). All training occurs at Long Point, located on the north shore of Lake Erie. This course is ideal for talented Latin American field biologists/technicians who already have a good background in field ornithology and who are seriously interested in upgrading their skills in order to obtain their own banding permits and ultimately act as bander trainers themselves. This course is not suitable for beginners. Institutions and agencies in Latin America (especially Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean) are encouraged to recommend potential candidates. This month-long training course is offered at no cost to a maximum of 3 qualified applicants during September each year. Cost of air travel, field accommodation, food and instruction is provided by Bird Studies Canada. For information, contact the Landbird Programs Coordinator, Long Point Bird Observatory, P.O. Box 160, Port Rowan, Ontario, Canada N0E 1M0 (email: lpbo@bsc-eoc.org). Participants are selected based upon their abilities to successfully complete the
training program and apply it in their working lives. Hence, they must have the
following attributes/qualities: - a demonstrated ability to learn and understand, Again, it is important to stress that this is an advanced training program and is not aimed at beginners.
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Thus, Bird Studies Canada, in association with the Canadian Wildlife Service, launched
the Latin American Training Program in 1995. This project enables three talented
Latin American biologists to spend an entire month at Long Point Bird Observatory,
refining their field and teaching skills, in the hope that they will return to their
respective lands and spread their learning to the many. To date, we have welcomed
participants from Cuba, Mexico, Jamaica, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia,
Puerto Rico, Panama, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. 
