At the Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO), we are a proud partner of the Klamath Siskiyou Oak Network (KSON), which collaborates with the community and partners within the Klamath Siskiyou Bioregion to promote the restoration and conservation of oak habitats. This week, we have two exciting announcements: a new website (https://oakalliance.org/partnerships/kson/) and The Prairie, Oaks, and People Investment Strategy is now LIVE!
The Prairie, Oaks, and People Investment Strategy offers an action oriented five-year strategy, with $304.2 million of ready-to-implement projects. Developed by partnerships across the Pacific Northwest, this effort brings together tribes, conservation organizations, community groups, private landowners, businesses, and government agencies in a nonpartisan commitment to conserve the oak and prairie landscape while advancing key natural disaster risk reduction strategies. The strategy identifies priority areas for investment, the strategic use of funding to achieve critical outcomes, and key sources of funding support. It highlights these landscapes’ economic, cultural, and ecological values, the importance of working lands and private landowners, elevates tribal priorities, and calls attention to the benefits of collective action and leveraging funding support. The plan includes cost estimates for needed restoration and wildlife risk reduction strategies, land protection, species recovery, and long-term land management capacity, ensuring that investments deliver durable and high impact results.
Cat ownership has become a defining feature of American households in recent decades. According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), between 2023 and 2024, approximately 46.5 million U.S. households owned at least one cat, representing about 35.4% of the total 131.43 million households. However, as the popularity of cat ownership soars, so does the impact on local ecosystems—particularly bird populations. By exploring this dynamic and promoting solutions like catios, we can strike a balance between caring for our cats and protecting the natural world.
The Impact of Free-Roaming Cats on Bird Populations
While cats bring extensive and lifelong joy to their owners, the ecological cost of free-roaming cats is staggering. According to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, an estimated 2.4 billion birds in the United States fall prey to domestic cats each year. Free-roaming cats—both domestic and feral cats allowed outdoors—hunt for sport due to instincts, even when well-fed, and this behavior poses a direct threat to vulnerable bird species. Grassland birds are particularly at risk due to their size and ground-nesting habits.
This loss affects not only birds but also the intricate ecosystems they support. Birds play crucial roles in pollination, pest control, and seed dispersal, making their survival essential for maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
Why Protecting Local Bird Populations is Essential
Local bird populations are not just part of a scenic backdrop—they are integral to the health of our environment. Birds help control insect populations, reducing the need for chemical pesticides. They also act as natural seed spreaders, aiding in reforestation and maintaining plant diversity. Furthermore, birds like the iconic Western Bluebird and the endangered Yellow-billed Cuckoo are cultural and ecological treasures to the Western and Northwestern parts of the United States.
Losing bird species disrupts these ecosystems and diminishes our connection to the natural world. Conservation efforts are critical to preserving this balance, and mitigating the threat of free-roaming cats is crucial.
Fox sparrow jumping through brush. Photo by Frank Lospalluto.
What is a Catio?
A catio is an enclosed outdoor space specifically designed for cats, allowing them to safely and securely experience the outdoors. It provides a controlled environment where cats can enjoy fresh air, the natural elements, and the sights and sounds of nature without the risks associated with free-roaming and the adverse effects cats can potentially have on bird populations.
The primary function of a catio is to provide a safe and secure option for your feline friends to explore the outdoors, giving you peace of mind and honoring the natural habits and wildlife. Catios come in various shapes and sizes to suit different needs and spaces. Some types of catios include:
Window Box: A window box catio is perfect for apartments and condos attached to a window. It allows cats to safely enjoy the outdoors from an elevated perch.
Free-Standing Catio: A freestanding catio is an independent structure that can be placed anywhere without drilling into the home, making it ideal for renters. It can also be connected to the home using cat tunnels.
Drilled-in Catios: A drilled-in catio is a permanent structure attached to the home. It offers secure and seamless cat access through a window or door, enhancing stability, convenience, and safety.
A Win-Win Solution: The Benefits of a Catio for Cats
One practical and increasingly popular solution to protect birds while ensuring cats remain happy and safe is installing an enclosed outdoor space, often called a “catio.” These spaces offer numerous benefits for cats, allowing them to enjoy sunlight, observe birds and other wildlife, exercise in a secure environment, and engage in their natural instincts. Additionally, they help minimize risks like traffic accidents, predation, and disease exposure. By catering to a cat’s curiosity and hunting instincts, these enclosures also significantly reduce harm to local bird populations.
Cat enjoying fresh air sitting safely inside a catio.
How Catios Contribute to Local Bird Conservation
These enclosures directly reduce the hunting of birds and other wildlife by providing a secure outdoor area for cats. With fewer free-roaming cats in natural habitats, local bird populations have a better chance to flourish. Adding a patio can turn a yard into a mini wildlife haven, where birds can forage and nest safely while cats explore, play, and follow their instincts without posing a threat. For those focused on conservation, this simple measure can have significant and lasting positive effects for the birds and our feline friends!
How to Get a Catio: Hiring a Professional vs. DIY
Building a catio is an accessible project, whether you prefer hiring a professional or are a DIY enthusiast.
Hiring a Professional: For those seeking expertise, convenience, well crafted design, and quality materials, Cattopia specializes in designing and installing custom made catios. Professional builders create tailored solutions that fit your space and aesthetic, ensuring a durable and visually appealing result while ensuring your cat’s safety, security, and enrichment. While this option can be more expensive, it often comes with the benefit of stress-free installation, convenience, and professional-grade craftsmanship that will last through the ages.
DIY Options: Building a catio yourself can be fun and rewarding for more budget-conscious cat owners. Simple kits and online tutorials provide step-by-step guidance, and you can customize the design to suit your yard or balcony. Basic materials like wood, mesh, and screws can be found at most home improvement stores, making this a cost-effective option. However, when choosing this option, you often lose out on quality, durability, craftsmanship, and ultimate safety.
Whether you choose a professionally built catio or a DIY approach, the investment benefits your feline friend and local wildlife.
As cat ownership continues to rise in America, so does the responsibility of pet owners to consider the ecological impact of their feline friends. By understanding the relationship between cats and bird populations, embracing solutions like catios, and promoting conservation efforts, we can ensure that our beloved pets coexist harmoniously with the natural world and that bird populations remain safe.
Taking action—whether by building a catio or educating others about its benefits—can make a meaningful difference for our bird populations. Together, we can protect our shared environment while giving our cats a happy and healthy life.
Every year, KBO hosts and attends several events, and there is always more we wish we could do. To increase our outreach capacity, KBO is now accepting outreach volunteers. These volunteers could help table at events like Earth Day, assist in Bird Walks at local parks, and assist with field trips to banding stations. For these positions, we are looking for volunteers who are eager to share their love for the natural world, have good communication and people skills, and want to help communicate the vital work KBO does for bird conservation. To volunteer, you do not need to be a bird expert; you just need an eagerness to learn.
Eurasian Wigeon and Coot photo taken by Frank Lospalluto
*Our Save the Date had reported the wrong dates, apologies*
Hawks and Ducks sounds like a title for a family-friendly board game, but early March is that time of year when both waterfowl and wintering raptors are present in the Klamath Basin. Please join KBO board members Amanda Alford and Dick Ashford for an all-day outing on March 8th, when we’ll look at everything “the basin” has to offer. We will follow a route that maximizes our 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 11 attendees, and we will carpool (a must!) in 4 vehicles of 4 people each, with each car driven by one of our A+ hawk team co-leaders.
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 $50 per person. Register below, we ask that each person register individually.
Join us on February 24th at 6 pm.Rescheduled to March 3rd at 6 pm. Virtual Only. for a presentation on Bear Divide by KBO’s Science Director Dr. Ryan Terrill. Bear Divide is a recently discovered migratory bird concentration point near Los Angeles, CA. It is one of the only places in the western United States where you can see bird migration during daylight hours. 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 offers a unique learning opportunity, 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. One of the fascinating aspects of Bear Divide is the sheer variety of bird species it attracts. From the diminutive hummingbirds to the impressive birds of prey, each species adds a unique dimension to the study of migration. Dr. Ryan Terrill will discuss the discovery, implications, and ongoing research at this fascinating and unique hotspot for bird migration.
This is a free event hosted via Zoom. Register below.
Did you know KBO is taking a trip to see this migration in action from April 23rd to April 26th, 2025? You can learn more about this vacation for the birds trip here: https://klamathbird.org/callnote/experience-bear-divide/
Join the Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO) to celebrate International Women in Science Day. We will host a presentation by Luiza Figueira, the founder and Executive Director of the Mantiqueira Bird Observatory (OAMa), on February 10th, from 5:30 pm to 7 pm.
Luiza will be sharing her journey in developing the bird observatory, their success, and the organization’s future. Many of you may recognize Luiza. She was a KBO intern and research scholar from 2015- 2017 after which she started OAMa. One of KBO’s goals with our banding training program is that our interns will take what they have learned and start their bird research program, and that is what Luiza has done! Now, OAMa and KBO have an international internship exchange program, Banders Beyond Borders, that is looking to expand the professional development of our interns’ experience by having both organizations host and train them. Giving those interns a unique and invaluable experience.
We want to share that experience with you! Luiza will also be discussing the joint OAMa and KBO 10-day Birding Conservation Trip to Southeastern Brazil, August 13th – 22nd, 2025. Luiza will be present over Zoom, but in person, we will have KBO’s Director of Conservation Jaime Stephens and Board President Shannon Rio to help answer questions about the trip. Shannon is excited to share her experience from the trip when she went in 2023, so much so she is going again this year.
This presentation is for anyone interested in supporting women in science, learning about bird and habitat conservation in Brazil, or learning more about the international trip. We have moved to this presentation to all virtual. There will be a social from 5:30 – 5:45 and the presentation will start at 5:45 p.m.
Join the Redwood Region Audubon Society on Thursday, January 16 at 7:00 p.m. for a program entitled “To Southern California, Brazil, and Back: First GPS Tracking of Oregon Vesper Sparrow and Western Purple Martin Migration” by Sarah Rockwell. One of the biggest challenges in identifying ways to help migratory birds is that we don’t know where they are most of the year. Without this basic information, it is challenging to identify and prioritize conservation actions. Archival, lightweight GPS tags placed on small songbirds have been available for about a decade, and they are revolutionizing our understanding of bird migration and migratory connectivity. The Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO), along with partners at USFS, USGS, Cape Arago Audubon, and Avifauna Northwest, is using these GPS tags to track the migratory routes and overwintering locations of both Oregon Vesper Sparrow and Western Purple Martin, two imperiled subspecies unique to the Pacific Northwest. These are the first studies with these subspecies—the first to track them with GPS technology year-round! These birds have returned with fascinating information, revealing discoveries about their incredible journeys, including unexpected lengthy fall stopovers, and for Purple Martins, winters on the beach in southeastern Brazil. In this talk, Sarah will share photos and maps from this research, and give a peek into the amazing window we now have into the incredible voyages these birds undertake.
Dr. Sarah Rockwell is a Senior Research Biologist at KBO, where she manages several research programs studying the ecology of bird species of conservation concern, and monitoring birds at riparian, oak, and coniferous restoration sites. Sarah manages KBO’s Oregon Vesper Sparrow research program, studying nest success, survival, and habitat needs to better understand the causes of their decline and potential conservation actions. Sarah joined KBO in 2013 after completing her PhD at the University of Maryland and Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, where she studied the ecology of the then-endangered Kirtland’s Warbler in her home state of Michigan. She earned her BA in Biology in 2002 from Kalamazoo College, where she fell in love with birds during her study abroad experience in Ecuador. She lives in Ashland, Oregon, with her husband and four-year-old daughter.
Programs are held at Six Rivers Masonic Lodge, 251 Bayside Road, Arcata, or via the Zoom link. Drinks and goodies are served at 7:00 p.m., the program begins at 7:30.
This presentation will acquaint you with how to go to the refuge and what you might see when you get there. Maps of the refuge will be provided. A book will be featured that invites you to take some young person (or any age person) to the refuge to learn about the wonders of the waterfowl refuge. Klamath Refuge was designated the first waterfowl refuge in 1908. The presentation is hybrid and will be held on January 28th at 5:30 pm in the KBO office in Ashland.
You are also invited to join Shannon Rio on an all day outing to the Klamath Refuge on Sunday, February 2nd. The outing is limited to 14 people.
Common Waterbirds of the Klamath Basin is a book of photos with light-hearted script. It will be for sale for $25 and is meant to be a guide to identify and learn about the unique waterfowl that visit this magical refuge.
We will also introduce you to one of the most successful conservation programs ever created: the Federal Duck Stamp. The purchase of the Duck Stamp provides funds for the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, which supports the National Wildlife Refuge System. To support all birds, the Klamath Bird Observatory has been producing a Conservation Science Stamp that is sold with the Duck Stamp to raise funds to conserve all species. The stamps are for sale online here, or you can purchase one during the event.
Courtesy rates are available now at the historic Ashland Springs Hotel in downtown Ashland. Our group is being offered the prevailing government per diem rate (currently $110). This rate is available on a first come first served basis and is secured for February 17th – 21st by requesting “Klamath Bird Observatory” group rate over the phone. Please book a room as soon as you can to take advantage of current room availability and our group’s rates.
Schedule and Agenda
The schedule and agenda are yet to be determined, but will include discussions around:
If you love tropical birds and hiking in the mountains, listen closely. Over the course of ten days, you will be exploring wildlife and natural landscape, birding with local ornithologists, visiting national and state parks, and getting involved with local conservation efforts to protect birds and habitats at Atlantic Forest. If that wasn’t enough, the cost of this special trip will help fund the intern exchange program between KBO and OAMa and support the continuation of the bird monitoring program on the Mantiqueira Highlands in Southeast Brazil!
The Prairie, Oaks, and People Investment Strategy offers an action oriented five-year strategy, with $304.2 million of ready-to-implement projects. Developed by partnerships across the Pacific Northwest, this effort brings together tribes, conservation organizations, community groups, private landowners, businesses, and government agencies in a nonpartisan commitment to conserve the oak and prairie landscape while advancing key natural disaster risk reduction strategies. The strategy identifies priority areas for investment, the strategic use of funding to achieve critical outcomes, and key sources of funding support. It highlights these landscapes’ economic, cultural, and ecological values, the importance of working lands and private landowners, elevates tribal priorities, and calls attention to the benefits of collective action and leveraging funding support. The plan includes cost estimates for needed restoration and wildlife risk reduction strategies, land protection, species recovery, and long-term land management capacity, ensuring that investments deliver durable and high impact results.
This presentation will acquaint you with how to go to the refuge and what you might see when you get there. Maps of the refuge will be provided. A book will be featured that invites you to take some young person (or any age person) to the refuge to learn about the wonders of the waterfowl refuge. Klamath Refuge was designated the first waterfowl refuge in 1908. The presentation is hybrid and will be held on January 28th at 5:30 pm in the KBO office in Ashland.