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Author: Elva Manquera

Bear Divide Trip Registration and Details

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, Birds & Birding, Trips & Events.

Klamath Bird Observatory is going on a 4-day trip to Burbank, California, where we will explore the wonders of Bear Divide led by Dr. Ryan Terrill, April 24th – 27th, 2024. There are only a handful of places in the United States where you get to experience bird migration in a new way. Calling Bear Divide a migratory hot spot would be an understatement. Every year — roughly between March 15 and June 15, with peak migration between April 10 and May 20 — thousands of birds funnel through the narrow pass.

“It really is overwhelming to stand on the road and have 5,000 birds of 80 species fly by your knees in a morning,” Dr. Ryan Terrill said.

It’s also one of the only morning “flight spots” on the West Coast (out of very few in the entire world), offering learning opportunities, such as how timing, weather, climate, sex, age, and other factors affect migratory patterns. The area attracts as many as 13,000 tanagers, orioles, buntings, grosbeaks, and warblers on a single day.

Trip Details:

Wednesday evening at Hotel Lexen, we will have a small group get-together to go over the week and have time to mingle. The group will leave for Bear Divide by van from Hotel Lexen Newhall in downtown Santa Clarita at 5:30 am on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings. We plan to stay there for several hours or until migration slows.  Optional additional birding excursions will be offered in the afternoons, or you can explore the area at your leisure. A special presentation by Dr. Ryan Terrill is planned for Thursday evening.

Included: breakfast and lunch, transportation to Bear Divide, and optional excursions

Not included: airfare, airport transfers, hotel, dinners.

Trip Cost: $1500 per person.

Travel arrangement notes:

Flights: We recommend flying into Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), which is significantly closer to Hotel Lexen than LAX. Please note that ultra-low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines offers direct flights from Medford to Burbank on Wednesday, April 24th, and back on Saturday, April 27th. (KBO does not endorse Avelo or any other airline.)

Hotel: KBO has reserved a block of rooms at Hotel Lexen (24219 Railroad Ave, Santa Clarita, CA) for participants. You will provide payment to the hotel on your arrival Wednesday. The cost of a reserved room is $550. You can call and reserve your own room at Hotel Lexen or another hotel nearby if you want.

Opportunities for the 2024 Field Season with Klamath Bird Observatory

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Klamath Call Note.

Stationed in Ashland in southern Oregon’s beautiful Rogue Valley, Klamath Bird Observatory utilizes the role of birds as indicators to conduct high-caliber science to inform and improve natural resource management. Through our work conducting avian research, we have a wide variety of field technician positions available for the 2024 field season that span across the Pacific Northwest and range from long-term monitoring to species-specific studies. Our field technician positions offer an exciting opportunity to conduct on the ground research, develop a comprehensive understanding of avian research methods, and contribute to the collective knowledge of bird conservation. Listed below are some of the unique opportunities that we have lined up for our upcoming 2024 season.

Riparian Bird Monitoring

Klamath Bird Observatory is seeking a Field Technician position in our bird monitoring and research program at riparian restoration sites along the North and South Forks of the Salmon River in northern California. Primary duties are spot-mapping surveys to delineate territories of riparian songbird species, observing pairs to determine the reproductive stage (Vickery Index), conducting vegetation surveys, and data entry. Some training may occur in Ashland, OR, before fieldwork near Sawyers Bar and Forks of Salmon, CA. Field work will start ~April 29th and continue until ~July 12th (exact dates to be determined). More information can be found here.

Vesper Sparrow Field Technician

As part of our Oregon Vesper Sparrow research program, we are conducting an inventory of the size and distribution of Vesper Sparrow populations in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument to assess population status and potential conservation actions for this imperiled subspecies. Klamath Bird Observatory is seeking to fill a Field Technician position to conduct transect surveys in meadow and oak-prairie habitat in the Monument and complete associated data entry. The Field Technician will survey for Vesper Sparrows by sight and sound in different locations in and around the Monument, sampling along off-road transects following standard protocols. Field work will start ~April 29th and continue until ~July 3rd (exact dates to be determined). More information can be found here.

Banding Internship

Klamath Bird Observatory seeks highly motivated individuals to participate in our long-term landbird monitoring program. This position requires independent drive and patience for the travails of fieldwork but also affords a fantastic opportunity to build practical experience in field biology and master a variety of bird monitoring and research skills in a beautiful part of the country. Training and duties will include mist netting and banding of passerines and near passerines; bird surveying; data quality assurance, entry, and management; and public outreach and education participation. Non-field duties include study and discussion of banding curriculum, equipment maintenance, field station upkeep, and data entry. Field work will begin May 1st and continue until October 31st with an option to start August 1st. More information can be found here.

Point Count Technician

We are hiring seasonal field technicians for the 2024 breeding season to complete avian point count surveys throughout the ecologically diverse and beautiful southern Oregon, eastern Oregon, and/or northern California regions. Technicians will conduct work related to multiple projects, including monitoring the effects of oak and conifer forest restoration on species distributions and long-term monitoring on both private and public lands. Primary responsibilities will include conducting multispecies avian point count surveys, vegetation sampling along off-road transects following standard protocols, and associated data entry. Field work will take place April 29th through July 19th. More information can be found here.

Loggerhead Shrike Field Technician

We are also seeking a Field Technician to monitor territories and nests of Loggerhead Shrikes at the Boardman Conservation Area near Boardman, OR. Primary duties include surveying grids in sagebrush habitat to locate shrike territories (up to 8 miles off-trail hiking per day), finding and monitoring shrike nests, completing vegetation surveys at nest sites, and data entry. The best-qualified applicants will also have basic ArcGIS skills (e.g., importing GPS points and creating territory maps). Shared field housing is available in Ione, OR. The field season will take place from April 1 – June 30. Click here to learn more.

Save the Date – Bear Divide Trip with Dr. Ryan Terrill

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, Birds & Birding, Trips & Events.

Join KBO’s Science Director for an avian awe-inspiring experience, a spectacle of spring bird migration that is on full display at Bear Divide in the western San Gabriel Mountains. Bear Divide’s topography is a funnel for long-distance migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway. Visitors and scientists can see and study migratory birds up close and personal.

Led by Dr. Ryan Terrill, a collaborative group of scientists is counting thousands of birds each spring morning as they pass over a low saddle in the mountains on their way north. The Pacific Coast has previously lacked a place to monitor diurnal bird migration similar to well-known East Coast migration hotspots like Cape May, and the data we collect will help us understand how well birds are doing as they respond to changing habitats and climates.

You can watch a video of Ryan’s presentation to the Pasadena Audubon Society in 2022 here to learn more about Dear Divide. 

The trip will take place from April 24 to 28, 2024—price to be determined. Registration opens on February 5th.

Day in a Life of a Point Counter

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, Field Notebook.

Day in a Life of a Point Counter

By Sam Webb

Lava Beds National Park by Sam Webb

There were still a few stars in the sky when I hit the trail, but the horizon was starting to lighten, and it promised another beautiful sunrise. I hiked for about 20 minutes, listening for any late owls calling or the Common Nighthawks announcing the dawn with their distinct Peent! sound. Checking my GPS, I walked another few meters before setting down my backpack and pulling gear out. Although no landmarks are around, I had just reached the first point that I will be surveying for the day.

For the past several weeks, I have been living in the gorgeous Lava Beds National Monument in Northern California to conduct avian monitoring surveys for Klamath Bird Observatory. The point that I have just stopped at is part of a point count route that has been visited every three years since 2007 as part of a collaboration between the Klamath Inventory and Monitoring Network and Klamath Bird Observatory. Point counts are a widely used method for surveying birds where observers visit specific locations or points and count every bird they detect within a standardized period of time. These surveys usually take only a few minutes to complete, meaning that observers can collect data at many locations in a single morning. Data from point count surveys are frequently used to determine changes in bird populations over time, which are often linked to environmental changes and may be used to inform land management practices.

I finished filling out the top of the data form on my clipboard, set up my timer to beep once every minute for five minutes, and positioned my binoculars to be easily accessible. Just a few moments before I began the survey, I used my laser-rangefinder to determine the distance to some of the juniper trees. Then, 15 minutes before sunrise, I hit start on the timer and began to listen intently.

California Quail by Sam Webb

All around me, the birds are waking up and starting their morning chorus songs. I furiously write down a Morning Dove that is singing near one of the trees I had measured the distance to, about 32 meters away. I watched a couple of Lark Sparrows chase each other between the rocks, and just as I finished writing them down, a Western meadowlark began its echoing song. I write almost nonstop for 5 minutes, pausing only to tune into a new song or briefly glance through my binoculars at a bright male California Quail perching on a nearby sagebrush. The timer beeps one last time at me, and the survey is done. I reviewed the datasheet before selecting the next point in the GPS and setting it off. I had 11 more points to visit and wanted to get to them before the bird activity slowed down for the day.

After reaching the 12th and final point, I perched on a rock, overviewing the valley, eating my lunch, and admiring the park. Slowly, I make my way back through each point I just visited, recording data on the habitat, identifying what shrubs and trees are present, and taking notes on the composition of forbs and grasses. When I was finally done, I reviewed the data from the day. Some highlights were a pair of Bullock’s Orioles that were busily weaving together their nest, a stunningly brilliant Mountain Bluebird that started his song almost before any other birds were up, and a Pinyon Jay that swooped by, curious about what I was doing out there. I finished packing up and began to head back to my vehicle. Done for the day, I took my time hiking back, pausing to enjoy the park and wildlife all around me. The data I collected will be provided to the Klamath Inventory and Monitoring Network to help inform decisions on management practices so that this gorgeous park can continue flourishing and support a vast host of plant and animal life.

Sam Webb by Sam Webb

The Klamath Inventory and Monitoring Network is a group of six national parks in the southern Oregon and northern California region that works to provide reliable scientific information about the parks and their key resources to park managers, researchers, and visitors. More information on this program can be found here.

If you are interested in becoming a field technician for Klamath Bird Observatory, you can look at current job openings here. 

To support this program and other aspects of Klamath Bird Observatory’s work, you can click here to donate. 

Cover photo: Common Nighthawk by Frank Lospalluto at Lava Beds National Monument

Feel the Warmth

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, Trips & Events.

These gloomy days have us at Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO) looking forward to a sunny summer. Especially during the ten days, we will spend in Brazil exploring the culture, eating local food, hiking through beautiful scenery, and learning about the native fauna. This trip not only will feel good on your skin, but it will make your heart feel good. By traveling to Brazil, you will be supporting Mantiquera Bird Observatory’s (OAMa) banding program for an entire year and KBO’s intern exchange program.

A fun, adventurous, and engaging way to support bird and habitat conservation beyond borders

The trip will be held August 20-29, 2024. The cost is $5750 per person, including in-country transportation, single-occupancy lodging, and meals with limited alcoholic beverages – the flight to Brazil is not included. The cost with a double occupancy discount is $5250 per person. Trip activities include moderate walking, sometimes on uneven trails, and away from facilities for half to full days.

A $ 3,500 deposit is required to reserve your seat. Final payment is due 6 months before departure. Both the deposit and final payment are non-refundable. A portion of the cost directly supports the intern exchange program between the two bird observatories and is tax-deductible. The maximum trip size is 11 participants; some activities will be split into smaller groups. We reserve the right to cancel before February 20th if the trip does not have a minimum number of attendees.

Click here to see a full itinerary and more information. If you have questions, you can email Elva at ejm@klamathbird.org.

Ducks and Hawks Trip 2024

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in uncategorized.

The title sounds like a board game for the entire family, but early March is usually that time of year when both waterfowl and raptors are present in the Klamath Basin. Please join KBO board members Amanda Alford and Dick Ashford for an all-day outing on March 9th, when we’ll look at everything “the basin” has to offer. Amanda and Dick will have scouted a route that will give us our best chances of seeing the varied birdlife for which the Klamath Basin is famous. And we’ll have lots of fun doing it! This trip will be limited to just 10 attendees, and we will carpool (a must!) in 3 vehicles of 4 people each.

Please be sure to dress comfortably and bring lunch and liquids. Much of our birding will be from the roadside, and walking will be minimal.

Because this outing is so popular, early signup is recommended. Your seat will be confirmed upon receipt of your non-refundable, tax-deductible contribution of $75 per person.

This trip is full.

Make a positive change this January at the Medford Co-op

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Klamath Call Note.

Fly into your New Year resolutions by shopping at the Medford Co-op in January. To start off the year Klamath Bird Observatory will be the Positive Change recipient at the co-op. All you need to do is shop at the co-op and tell your checker you want to round up for KBO.

The Positive Change program raises money for local non-profit organizations working to better our community. The Medford Co-op believes in the power of change and the power of community.

Thank you to the KBO community for your continued support!

 

 

Don’t shop at the Medford Co-op, but want to support Klamath Bird Observatory? You can make a donation here.

Tomorrow International Partnership Potluck

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, Conservation, KBO Science, Trips & Events.

Join us for a delightful evening with KBO and Mantiqueira Bird Observatory (OAMa) at a potluck on November 30th from 4 to 7 pm. Discover the incredible work OAMa is accomplishing in Brazil for bird conservation as founder Luiza Figueira shares the importance of international partnerships. Engage in lively conversations with KBO staff and board members, and be the first to learn about the exciting 2023 fundraising trip to Brazil and the plans for 2024.

And there’s more! Look forward to a special guest appearance by the neighborhood screech-owl. This is a free, in-person event located at 114 Granite St., Ashland, OR. Come savor delicious food, make new friends, and immerse yourself in captivating stories. We can’t wait to share this enriching experience with you!

Schedule:

4 pm: Meet the neighborhood screech owl, plus enjoy refreshments and food

5 pm: Presentation by Luiza and stories from Brazil

6 pm: Conversation, refreshments and food

Cover Photo: Screech-owl by Frank Lospalluto

Registration is recommended but not required.

This Giving Tuesday

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Klamath Call Note.

As the seasons shift and daylight wanes, we are excited to share with you some of the extraordinary work Klamath Bird Observatory has been involved in this past year throughout the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion and beyond! We also write to ask for your continued support — birds link us together across borders as we all share delight in their beauty and concern for their decline. With help from our supporters, KBO will continue building unique partnerships that strengthen our ability to advance bird and habitat conservation and address our collective concerns.

KBO staff work hard to understand what birds tell us about the natural world, and we use this knowledge to foster healthier habitats and a more sustainable future. For example, the Klamath-Siskiyou Oak Network (KSON) is a regional collaboration working to conserve oak habitats that serve as a vital resource for bird populations. Under KBO’s leadership, KSON’s Upper Rogue Oak Initiative is bringing together over 15 partners to restore over 3,000 acres of private and public lands. Working with partners strengthens our work on behalf of birds, and in-turn, our collaborative restoration work is also focused on ensuring greater water and fire security for our surrounding communities.

This year, we welcomed our first intern through KBO’s Birds and Banders Beyond Borders exchange program with Mantiquiera Bird Observatory in Brazil. Otavio, a young professional, spent six months with KBO, receiving his trainer certification and getting him many steps closer to starting a bird observatory in Brazil. Your donations have helped make this possible.

Your generous donations have contributed to bringing these new projects to fruition. Together, we are fostering positive change for birds, ecosystems, and people across the Western Hemisphere. Your continued support ensures progress in our shared efforts to protect birds and their habitats. We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your donation to the Klamath Bird Observatory.

Support bird and habitat conservation today

Brazil Trip Dinner Party

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Klamath Call Note.

Join us on November 30th from 4-7 pm for a dinner party potluck-style with the past attendees of the fundraising Brazil trip at a home in Ashland, OR. They are eager to share their personal stories and photos. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the upcoming August 20th-29, 2024 trip. This is a free potluck-style dinner with food provided by past trip attendees.

You can learn more about the Trip to Brazil here.