Author: Elva Manquera
KBO is Hiring!
Biologist—Informatics and Data Science Program
The biologist will contribute to KBO’s growing Informatics and Avian Data Science Program. Biologists support the Avian Knowledge Network, work with partners to scope and develop data-driven decision support tools, and are involved in data analysis, reporting, and publications. The Avian Knowledge Network is a partnership-supported cloud-based data repository that provides data management and analytical tools. The primary responsibilities of the biologist will be to manage databases and associated metadata to support KBO research and monitoring, advise program partners on avian survey methodologies and study design, and provide support and training for data management in the AKN. The biologist will work closely with other members of a team. Depending on qualifications, the biologist may also contribute to study design, statistical analysis, report and manuscript writing, and development of interactive decision support tools.
You can read the full job description here.
Cover photo orange-crowned warbler by Frank Lospalluto
Join us in learning about water birds of the Klamath Refuge and the Federal Duck Stamp
Introduction to the common water birds of the Klamath Refuge and how the Conservation Science Stamp Set supports their conservation
This presentation is to 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.
Common Waterbirds of the Klamath Basin is a book of photos with light-hearted script. It will be for sale for $25 and it is meant to be a guide to both identify and learn about the unique waterfowl that visit this magical refuge.
We will also be introducing 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 that 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.
The presenters will be Shannon Rio and Elva Manquera-DeShields. This is a hybrid presentation at the Klamath Bird Observatory office in Ashland on September 30th at 6 pm. This is a free presentation and registration is below.
Patty Buettner Memorial Hawk Watch
The Patty Buettner Memorial Hawk Watch will be on Saturday, September 28, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, at the Modoc Rim stationary viewing area, above nearby Hagelstein Park, north of Klamath Falls.
This event has been a tradition for many years, observing the migrating raptors moving southward using the updraft caused by daily eastward blowing wind currents along the escarpment seen adjacent to Hwy 97 and Upper Klamath Lake. Among the more common raptors are: Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned Hawks, Bald Eagles, Northern Harriers, falcons such as Prairie, Peregrine, American Kestrel, Golden Eagle, Turkey Vultures, and others. Passerines and songbirds move through also. There have been large groups of Lewis’s Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, California Scrub Jays, Mountain Chickadees, smaller groups of Band-tailed Pigeons, and even some wayward Acorn Woodpeckers. As for raptors, occasionally, a Broad-winged Hawk will move through, but that is quite rare and very exciting! And Northern Goshawk sometimes too! The chance to see an unusual bird requires constant scanning and identifying each and every bird going through. With several observers, the chance of getting by the group is low.
The location is at the edge of the rim overlooking Upper Klamath Lake. It requires a short hike through the brush, from the parking area, which is accessed via a steeper grade of wash-boarded gravel road starting near Hagelstein Park. While standing most of the time constantly scanning, the reward is seeing birds in the distance and attempting to ID, and although closer views are fleeting as they fly overhead or off to the side, on good days it can be rather busy, and there is constant discussion of raptor characteristics, overall shapes, and plumages. Since there are numerous observers scanning, taking a break, and scanning from a campchair is welcome, then standing when a bird of interest approaches can help. There are times when it’s not so busy, so time for drinking water, eating, sitting for a bit, or talking about raptors. Or, you can just continue to scan and maybe be the first to spot another approaching bird of prey!
Details
Due to the primitive location, there are no restrooms. A hat, sunscreen, and plenty of water are musts. Lunch and snacks are necessary, and a chair is recommended. There are plenty of people there to assist if one can’t carry everything. Be aware that it is a primitive site, this is a stationary event, in an open area exposed to the elements. A scope is necessary to see raptors from a distance initially, but with closer views, binoculars are good. It is possible to meet at Hagelstein Park and carpool from that location.
If interested in participating, please contact: Kevin Spencer for more details: rriparia@charter.net
Support Klamath Bird Observatory’s Avian Internship Memorial Fund
Since this is an event named in Patty Buettner’s honor, there is an ask to donate in her honor, to the Klamath Bird Observatory. KBO was a part of her early career as a biologist here in the Klamath Basin. Building on her passion for monitoring and habitat restoration and protection of wildlife. She was involved in the initial groundwork with the Klamath Bird Observatory in the Klamath Basin.
If you are interested in donating any amount in her honor you can donate to the Avian Internship Memorial Fund. The Avian Internship Memorial Fund (AIM Fund), was started by the friends and family of Patricia Buettner (Patty). The AIM Fund helps support KBO’s long-running internship programs. Klamath Bird Observatory’s internship program offers a positive learning experience for students. Our interns also make considerable contributions that help the international bird conservation community advance bird and habitat conservation.
Project Phoenix Webinar
Join Klamath Bird Observatory and the eBird NW Steering Committee to learn more about a new community science project, Project Phoenix on August 23rd at noon PCT. In the age of mega-fires, people and wildlife are increasingly exposed to hazardous smoke. Although birds are highly sensitive to air pollution, we know very little about how smoke affects birds. Learning more is critical to inform bird conservation in a rapidly warming world and you can help us.
Project Phoenix is open to all birders and bird enthusiasts – regardless of previous birding experience. They welcome and encourage beginner birders to participate. If you’re a beginner, welcome!
Register in advance for this online meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpfu2urz8pHtMprWpiAhWqJ7vh6srHQQOi
Blue Bags Available at Wild Birds Unlimited in Medford
Wild Birds Unlimited in Medford is a friend to birds and a Klamath Bird Observatory business sponsor. Now, not only can you buy bird seed and bird-friendly coffee at Wild Birds Unlimited, but you can also pick up your Bottle Drop blue bag for KBO. Helping you achieve three of the 7 simple actions to help birds; birdifying your yard, drinking bird-friendly coffee, and recycling.
These blue bags allow you to recycle your cans and bottles with an Oregon deposit and donation to KBO. All you need to do is pick up a blue bag, fill it with bottles and cans with Oregon deposit, and then drop it off at a Bottle Drop location. They do the rest!
Already use Bottle Drop then you can donate directly from your account online.
Do you have a business and want to become a KBO business sponsor? Check out how here.
New Conservation Science Stamp
With the release of the new Federal Duck Stamp comes a new Klamath Bird Observatory Conservation Science Stamp. The Duck Stamp is one of the most successful conservation initiatives in history. Since 1934, some $800 million has gone into that fund to protect more than 5.7 million acres of habitat on refuges. Conservationists buy duck stamps because they know that 98 percent of the cost goes directly to conserve wildlife habitat vital for many birds, fish, mammals, plants, and you and your family – and future generations. When you add on a Klamath Bird Observatory Conservation Science Stamp you are also supporting bird conservation partnerships, monitoring, and education.
This year’s Conservation Science Stamp highlights the Lewis’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis). The Lewis’s Woodpecker is a US Fish and Wildlife Service Bird of Conservation Concern and a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Oregon and other western states. Its population has suffered a 72% population decline. This species of woodpecker stands out with its unique coloring and behavior. It relies on 
flycatching insects during its breeding season and stores acorns for its non-breeding seasons. Lewis’s Woodpeckers have been impacted by habitat loss and the decline of insect populations at breeding sites and along avian migration routes. The funds raised from this stamp will support KBO’s role in partnership-driven restoration work in oak woodlands, a critical habitat for this species, and research to uncover mysteries about its migration and identify opportunities for better-focusing conservation efforts throughout the Lewis’s Woodpeckers full annual cycle.
Want to support these programs but don’t want to buy a stamp, you can purchase a t-shirt or donate to Klamath Bird Observatory.
NEWS RELEASE: Local Oak Partnerships Build Resources for Private Landowners
CONTACT:
Jaime Stephens, Director of Conservation, Klamath Bird Observatory, jlh@klamathbird.org, 541-944-2890
Steve Denney, Coordinator, Umpqua Oak Partnership, stevedenn@mydfn.net, 541-671-1803
In partnership with the Umpqua Oak Partnership (UOP), the Klamath Siskiyou Oak Network (KSON) has released version 3.0 of “Restoring Oak Habitats in Southern Oregon and Northern California: A Guide for Private Landowners”. The funding for this landowner guide was from the Secure Rural Schools Title II program administered by the Bureau of Land Management Western Oregon Resource Advisory Committee.
Our region holds onto Oregon’s largest remaining section of oak habitat. With the majority of it owned by private landowners. Since 2017, southern Oregon and northern California landowners have protected and restored more than 5,000 acres of oak and prairie habitat.
Northwest oak and prairie landscapes are among the most drought-tolerant, wildfire-resilient native habitats in North America and oak trees play a key role in the ecosystem. If they are not restored, protected, and maintained, important natural processes could be lost forever. With over 300 species of wildlife using oak habitats during their life cycle, continued habitat loss and degradation will result in more of these species becoming vulnerable. Currently, 45 of those oak-associated species are already considered to be ‘at-risk’. Additionally, overstocked and unmanaged oak stands present an increased risk of unnaturally severe wildfire which not only results in habitat loss but threatens residences and rural communities.
“As both a landowner located in the Umpqua Basin and one of the authors, I am excited to see this new version of the landowner guide for managing oak habitats. This version of the guide has been updated to include the latest information on managing and restoring oaks and will be a valuable resource for landowners whether you own less than one acre or thousands of acres”. – Steve Denney, Umpqua Oak Partnership Coordinator.
This landowner guide describes how to apply conservation practices for Oregon white oak and California black oak habitats on private lands in southern Oregon and northern California. The document discusses the importance and history of oak habitats across three ecoregions and provides detailed conservation guidelines for oak habitat restoration, integrating Western science and Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
The guide includes supplemental resources for the restoration-minded private landowner, including a list of organizations that will assist with private land restoration as well as step-by-step instructions for monitoring birds on your land to track the return of wildlife following oak restoration activities. An exciting opportunity exists for landowners and conservation partners to work together to restore native oak systems and their diverse wildlife communities to reverse these trends.
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The Klamath Siskiyou Oak Network (KSON) is a regional collaboration between local agencies, tribes, and non-profit organizations that works to conserve oak ecosystems on private and public lands in southern Oregon and northern California. Since 2011, KSON partners have accomplished thousands of acres of strategic ecological restoration to enhance oak habitat, build climate resilience, bolster cultural resources, and reduce wildfire risk to the ecosystem and communities.
The Umpqua Oak Partnership (UOP) is a collaborative regional partnership of landowners, tribes, agencies, and organizations working together to preserve and promote healthy oak habitats in Douglas County. UOP’s mission is to work to bring people together around oaks, help keep farms and ranches in the family, connect landowners to programs and funding, and share information.
Take Two! Bird Banding in the Field with KBO
An Opportunity to Support Future Scientists
Join us for a full-day immersive birding and learning experience with KBO in the stunning Upper Klamath Lake region. You will be observing bird banding up close with KBO biologists and the KBO international interns in the morning and later venturing on a 2-3 hour bird walk with Shannon Rio.
This is a special opportunity to meet our scientists and learn about (and support!) KBO’s international scientist-in-training program. You will also have the unique opportunity to see many resident and migratory birds up close and appreciate details you may never see in the wild. Please join us for a day of adventure and learning and support the young scientists of the future!
WHEN: Wednesday, July 10th, 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (including drive time to and from Ashland).
WHERE: Upper Klamath Lake
TRIP LEADERS: Lisa Michelbrink and Shannon Rio, KBO Board Members
COST: Cost is $65 per person
This is a fundraiser to support KBO’s international bird banding training program. If you cannot attend, please consider donating to this special KBO program. Carpooling from Ashland is essential. Please let us know if you are interested in being a driver. We are limited to 4 cars. Please bring a water bottle and snacks. Lunch will be provided. Be prepared for insects/mosquitos, but please NO deet. You will be instructed on the appropriate use of repellant if needed on the day of the event. Dress for the weather in layers as the morning will be cool. No birding experience is necessary. Bring binoculars if you have them. Binoculars can be provided if needed.
“Up to the Siskiyou Crest (and Back)”: A History-and-Birding Auto Tour
Whether you’re a newcomer to the region or an old-timer, participate in a fun- and information-filled auto tour led by historian/author Jeff LaLande and noted birders Frank Lospalluto (a KBO consultant) and Stacy Taeuber (a KBO Board member).
Lots of history: The car-pool route will include various “History Stops” (but relatively little actual walking) at such important places as Railroad Tunnel #13 (site of the infamous and tragic DeAutremont Brothers’ botched train robbery of 1923); the old Siskiyou Pass; Grouse Gap shelter (just past Mt. Ashland); the 1850s-1860s “Mountain House” stage stop; the 1846 Applegate Trail; the Hill-Dunn cemetery; and other spots — i.e., returning the “back way” (through the upper-most Bear Creek Valley) to Ashland by mid-afternoon.
Birding among the wildflowers! Along the Siskiyou Crest, we’ll hike a short stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail near Mt. Ashland. Wildflowers – lupine, gilia, Oregon sunshine, corn lily, and many other species may be in profusion, and we will identify and enjoy as many of the flowers and trees as we can. Various raptors should be spotted, as well as many other birds – ranging from migrant Green Towhees, along the section of the Pacific Crest Trail, to Bullock’s Orioles and Acorn Woodpeckers down at Emigrant Lake’s historic Hill-Dunn cemetery. We’ll also encounter and discuss lots of fascinating geology along the way.
Note: This event is limited to 25 people. We will travel in a car-pool “caravan” of up to personal vehicles (with up to four people in each vehicle). Bring your binoculars, lunch, drinking water, or other beverages, and your questions for Frank, Stacy, and Jeff. And feel free to share your knowledge about what we see!
When: Sunday, July 14, 8:30 AM. (We will be back in Ashland by no later than 4:30 and likely well before that.)
Where: Meet at the Rite Aid parking area (off Ashland Street, past Tolman Creek Rd) in the lot’s northeast corner. (Car-pooling will be necessary to keep the group to as few vehicles as possible.)
Minimum donation: $50 per person