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Author: Elva Manquera

Conservation Stamp Set

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, Conservation, KBO Partners.

Each year, KBO offers a Conservation Stamp Set for purchase with proceeds supporting both national and regional conservation efforts. The two-stamp set includes:

1) The Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (the Duck Stamp), and

2) KBO’s Conservation Science Stamp.

The stamps feature art from Richard Clifton and Gary Bloomfield.

CLICK HERE to order your stamps now!

Perks: With the stamps you receive free access to National Wildlife Refuges that charge fees and discounts on some KBO events.

The Federal Duck Stamp is among the most successful conservation tools ever created. Duck Stamp sales contribute directly to habitat conservation on our National Wildlife Refuges. KBO’s Conservation Science Stamp builds on this success by bringing additional support and attention to our regional science-driven conservation efforts.

By purchasing this set of conservation stamps, birders and hunters alike contribute directly to conservation efforts that benefit all birds. Together we are a powerful voice for conservation and together, by purchasing the Conservation Stamp Set, we are saying:

We believe conservation of non-game birds, gamebirds, and endangered species is a priority for our society.

Klamath Bird Observatory’s 2021-2022 conservation science stamp features our partner Avian Knowledge Network (AKN). The AKN’s mission is to support a network of people, data, and technology to improve bird conservation, management, and research across organizational boundaries and spatial scales. We envision a world where bird populations thrive through conservation and management informed by a network of avian knowledge. AKN does this by providing science-based information about bird populations and habitats to inform natural resource management planning and to advance ecosystem conservation. To learn more about the AKN visit Avian Knowledge Northwest, a regional node of the AKN.

 

Using Motus Technology to Inform Conservation of the Oregon Vesper Sparrow

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

 

Handheld radio telemetry antenna detects tagged birds away from the main Motus station.

Fall 2020 saw the installation of the very first Motus station in Oregon at the Vesper Meadow Restoration Preserve in partnership with the Vesper Meadow Education Program. The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is a collaborative research network using automated radio telemetry stations to study the movements of small organisms. Tags are small enough to be carried by birds, bats, and even bees. Motus tags emit a radio frequency that can be detected by a nearby Motus station anywhere in the world, and the number of stations is quickly growing.

Motus LifeTag

We are using Motus technology to enhance our ability to track movements of the at-risk Oregon Vesper Sparrow. In 2021, we searched for nests of this ground-dwelling bird at Vesper Meadow, and placed Motus- compatible LifeTags on 12 Oregon Vesper Sparrow nestlings that were nearly ready to fledge. LifeTags are solar-powered and emit a signal every few minutes during daylight hours for the lifetime of the bird. The automated “resighting” and location estimation from this new technology will help us study habitat use, movements, and survival of young birds during the post‐fledging period when they are particularly vulnerable, and explore dispersal of birds returning to nearby meadows next spring. We also set up an array of 18 Motus nodes around the edge of Vesper Meadow to supplement our main Motus station there. Four of the nodes formed a mini-grid around two of the nests with tagged nestlings, and this will serve to pilot the use of this technology to track precise fledgling locations and habitat use. We collected tens of thousands of detections of our tagged fledglings from the node network over the months of June-October – and likely a lot of radio frequency “noise” from other stray signals – and we look forward to sorting through and analyzing those data this winter.

Adult Oregon Vesper Sparrow at the Lily Glen field site. (c) Frank Lospalluto

The Oregon Vesper Sparrow is a subspecies of conservation concern, and it has been petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act due to its low population size and declining trend. We have noted low rates of fledged young returning to our field sites at Lily Glen and Vesper Meadow for their first spring as breeding adults. Motus technology will help us determine the cause – are young birds having trouble surviving the vulnerable post-fledging stage, or their risky first round-trip migration and winter? Or are they simply moving away from the meadows where they were born and choosing other nearby meadows to try raising their own young? A handheld radio telemetry antenna will allow us to more easily locate any tagged birds that disperse away from our main field sites to other nearby meadows next spring.

In addition to enhancing our Vesper Sparrow research, the Motus station at Vesper Meadow has detected two Lewis’s Woodpeckers migrating from MPG Ranch lands in Montana, one Swainson’s Thrush that was banded in interior British Columbia, and a Western Sandpiper and Semipalmated Plover from coastal British Columbia – so the station is assisting other researchers with their migration tracking projects as well! Our Motus station, node network, and tagging effort were made possible by the USFWS, MPG Ranch, Oregon Wildlife Foundation, and private donations.

Click here to learn more about our work with the Oregon Vesper Sparrow.

Seasonal Point Count Technician Positions- Now Open!

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, KBO Science.

Salmon River

The Klamath Bird Observatory is seeking seasonal field technicians from May 2nd through July 15th (some positions available through July 29th), to complete point count surveys throughout the diverse and beautiful regions of southern Oregon, eastern Oregon, and/or northern California. Technicians will work for multiple projects consisting of monitoring effects of oak and stream restoration and long-term monitoring in both private and public lands. Surveyors will work in the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon Caves National Monument, eastern Oregon sagebrush habitat, and more. Applicants should be able to identify a large variety of Western birds as they may be working in a range of habitats including oak woodlands, riparian areas, coniferous forests, montane meadows, and shrub-steppe.

To learn more about the position and apply click here!

 

Keeley Kirkendall

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in KBO Board.

Keeley brings a lifelong interest in problem-solving, community service, and the natural world to his work on the Klamath Bird Observatory board. He began his career as a consulting chemical engineer, then earned an MBA in Finance and moved into the financial industry. He spent much of his career lending and investing in the development of affordable housing nationwide.

Since retiring in 2010, he has stayed active in nonprofit and volunteer work. He served for six years on the board of ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum in Ashland, including two years as Board President, helping promote science education for people of all ages. He has also volunteered with the Small Business Development Center in Medford, working with local entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses, and has served on several nonprofit boards focused on affordable housing and community development.

He joined the Klamath Bird Observatory board because of his strong belief in the importance of conservation and education, and his desire to help advance bird and habitat conservation through science, education, and partnerships.

Elva Manquera-DeShields, MS

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in KBO Staff.

SCIENCE COMMUNICATION, OUTREACH, AND COMMUNITY CONSERVATION MANAGER Elva joined KBO in December 2021. She works closely with the KBO team to communicate their work across social media platforms, websites, and news outlets. She leads outreach projects involving the local and international community with bird conservation. 

Elva received her Bachelors of Science in Zoology from Oregon State University in 2012. where she became passionate about conservation during her work with amphibian diseases. She got her Master’s of Science from Southern Oregon University in Environmental Education. During her masters, Elva interned at KBO helping to organize the 2018 and 2019 Wings and Wine Gala. Before returning to KBO she was the program manager of another local nonprofit. 

Martín López Aguilar

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in KBO Staff.

LEAD BANDER – Martin started as an intern in KBO’s banding program in 2017. Now he trains the next generation of bird banders and manages five banding stations in the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion. Martin studied Natural Resources and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Guadalajara (Jalisco, Mexico). He started his journey interested in agriculture and ecology and biology became his profession and passion. Martin has been a hummingbird and passerine bander since 2016 and is focused on bird and habitat conservation in western North America. He believes that teaching is an essential element of conservation.
– Birds don’t recognize political boundaries, just healthy habitats to thrive. 

Tom McLaren, MS

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in KBO Staff.

Point Count Project Lead – Tom McLaren joined KBO in October 2022 to support the Point-Count Program focused on the long-term monitoring of bird populations.

Tom received his MS in Biology from the University of Colorado Denver in May 2022. His research focused on understanding Clark’s nutcracker habitat use in Yellowstone National Park, particularly concerning the species’ coevolved mutualism with whitebark pine. Additionally, Tom performed analyses to determine the effectiveness of a long-term monitoring protocol for Clark’s nutcracker in the park. Since graduating from Montana State University with his BS in Fish and Wildlife Management, Tom has worked for various agencies including the National Park Service, California State Parks, and Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. Tom’s work has taken him to many exciting areas across the Rocky Mountain Region and the Northwest.

Click here to contact Tom McLaren

Elijah Hayes

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in KBO Staff.

Elijah Hayes discovered birding in a college ornithology class and has been hooked ever since. After an eventful season with KBO, during which he did nest searching, point counts, and banding, Elijah joined the crew as a full-time field technician and will assist with a number of projects throughout the field season and beyond. Elijah has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the Oregon Institute of Technology.