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Junco on the Move

Written by KBO on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, Birds & Birding, Conservation, Field Notebook.

Oregon Junco_Photo (C) Jim Livaudais22 July, 2013

By Brandon Breen, KBO Science Communications and Outreach

An Oregon Junco originally banded in the Central Valley of California (on 19 January, 2008 by Point Blue Conservation Science, formerly PRBO) reappeared four and a half years later, on 10 October, 2012, at a Klamath Bird Observatory banding station located 20 miles east/northeast of Ashland, Oregon.

The junco was recaptured at 5,000 ft elevation in an alder-dominated riparian thicket at Johnson Creek; the surrounding landscape is mature conifer forest managed by the Bureau of Land Management. This area is one among many that this junco depends on as it travels widely in search of food, shelter, and suitable habitat for raising young.

New information on bird movements, both within and between countries, is necessary for bird conservation and sheds additional light on the remarkable life histories of migratory birds.

 

KBO Speaks to Jefferson Exchange about the State of the Birds on Private Lands

Written by KBO on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, Conservation, KBO Partners, Press Room.

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John Alexander and Jaime Stephens from Klamath Bird Observatory and Marko Bey from Lomakatsi Restoration Project spoke with the Jefferson Exchange radio program about the status and health of bird populations in the United States. Their conversation follows the release of the 2013 US State of the Birds Report on Private Lands, which draws attention to the considerable extent to which native bird populations depend on private lands. In southern Oregon and northern California, Klamath Bird Observatory and Lomakatsi Restoration Project are teaming up with other organizations and private landowners to restore oak ecosystems on private lands for the benefit of wildlife, including numerous bird species such as the Oak Titmouse and Black-throated Gray Warbler.

Listen to the full radio interview here:

2013 State of the Birds Report: Bird Populations Depend on Private Lands

Written by KBO on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, Conservation, KBO History, KBO Partners, KBO Science, Press Room.

A new national report released today by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, and contributed to by local science-based non-profit Klamath Bird Observatory, highlights the considerable extent to which native bird populations in the United States depend on private lands. Significantly, the 2013 State of the Birds Report on Private Lands also demonstrates that conservation action on private lands is not just for the birds; landowners and the general public benefit from conservation actions that result in cleaner air and water and more resilient and productive landscapes.

 

Throughout our nation, some two million ranchers and farmers and about 10 million woodland owners look after 1.43 billion acres, or roughly 60% of the land area of the United States. These private lands support more than 300 forest-breeding bird species, and several grassland birds have more than 90% of their distribution on private lands. Waterfowl also depend heavily on private lands. Innovative conservation partnerships are changing the face of private lands conservation as private landowners see real benefits and neighbors follow suit through so-called “contagious conservation.” 

In our own backyard, Klamath Bird Observatory is partnering with Lomakatsi Restoration Project, US Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and private landowners, and using birds to guide restoration on 2,000 acres of private oak woodlands in southern Oregon and northern California. This unique collaboration—the Central Umpqua-Mid Klamath Oak Conservation Project—received the 2012 Department of Interior Partners in Conservation Award and is restoring one of the West Coast’s most imperiled and biologically rich habitats, benefiting Oak Titmouse, Acorn Woodpecker, and Black-throated Gray Warbler. (To learn more about oaks ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest, download Klamath Bird Observatory and American Bird Conservancy’s Land Manager’s Guide to Bird Habitat and Populations in Oak Ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest, as well as the supplemental guide that features species accounts.)

 

Klamath Bird Observatory advances bird and habitat conservation in the Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion and beyond, and has contributed to the high-profile annual State of the Birds reports since the initial report in 2009. Klamath Bird Observatory believes that bird conservation is relevant to every American because the same landscapes that support diverse and abundant bird communities also provide vital services to humans.

 

John Alexander and Jaime Stephens from Klamath Bird Observatory, and Marko Bey from Lomakatsi Restoration Project, will discuss the 2013 State of the Birds Report on Private Lands on Jefferson Public Radio’s news and information program Jefferson Exchange on Wednesday, July 10th from 9:00am until 10:00am. Tune-in to learn more about what birds tell us about the state of the environment; how these local organizations are working with private landowners to provide benefits for landowners, wildlife, and society; and how America’s famous land ethic—articulated by Aldo Leopold—is being realized.

Access this Press Release in PDF Format by clicking here.  To listen to the Jefferson Exchange interview with John Alexander, Jaime Stephens, and Marko Bey by clicking here.

Registration Open for KBO Summer Camps

Written by KBO on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, KBO Education.

Registration Open for KBO Summer Camps
Calling all kids! Come have fun while learning about science and the natural world through Klamath Bird Observatory summer camps at ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum. We will play, explore, and learn together! Read descriptions of the week-long summer camps below, and register on the ScienceWorks website. Sign up before spaces fill!

The following camps will be led by KBO Educator Jeanine Moy:

Wild Birds & Radical Raptors, July 15 – July 19 (EXPLORERS 2nd-3rd graders, full day)

Join KBO to explore the wild and wacky world of birds!  Did you know that Peregrine Falcons can fly up to 240 miles per hour? Or that the Arctic Tern has a 7,000 mile migration from pole to pole?  We will learn how to hoot like an owl, take apart owl pellets, and watch birds in action with a visit from Badger Run and a field trip to KBO’s bird banding station.  You don’t want to miss this camp; it’s a hoot!

Avian Artists, July 22 – July 26  (SEEKERS K – 1st grade, 9am-12pm) and August 19 – August 23 (EXPLORERS 2nd – 3rd graders, full day)

Did you know that the blue in a birds’ feather is not from a pigment but from a microscopic structure? And now scientists have used this knowledge to make lasers? Birds have inspired artists, scientists and engineers for centuries, and now it’s your turn! Campers will meet birds of all colors, shapes, and behaviors to inspire paintings, sculpture, music and their own practical inventions. Campers will explore a different type of bird-inspired beauty, biology, or building each day.

Habitat Detectives, July 29 – August 2 (CHALLENGERS 4th – 6th graders, full day)

Do you like puzzles, riddles and mysteries? During this week-long mystery we will conduct a Secret Songbird Search, a Turkey Vulture Scavenger Hunt, and a Waterfowl Wander in order to find our final treasure on Friday. We will explore the diversity of habitats in the Ashland watershed. As we gather and record “evidence,” we will learn about the scientific process, local bird species, and uncover clues to a fun celebratory surprise! This camp includes a series of walking field trips.


Pub Talk with John Alexander

Written by KBO on . Posted in Klamath Call Note.

May 21, 2013; 8-9:00 p.m
Featuring John Alexander, Executive Director, Klamath Bird Observatory
The Playwright Public House
258 A STREET
Ashland, OR 97520

In this ScienceWorks Pub Talk, John will review the history of conservation policy in the United States, summarize the state of the birds in our nation, and discuss how Klamath Bird Observatory improves conservation in our own backyard, the Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion.

The United States has a history of progressive conservation policies, with roots tracing back to Aldo Leopold’s famous essay, The Land Ethic. These policies aim to conserve entire ecosystems, however, achieving the grand vision of ecosystem conservation proves challenging. Klamath Bird Observatory, based here in Ashland, is overcoming this challenge through key partnerships and the use of applied scientific research. Working nationally, Klamath Bird Observatory has collaborated with leading conservation organizations to produce annual State of the Birds reports. These reports summarize the health of our nation’s birdlife and recognize birds as indicators of our environmental, economic, and social well-being. Working locally in the Klamath-Siskiyou Region—a globally recognized hotspot for biodiversity—Klamath Bird Observatory provides land managers with the scientific findings necessary to manage for entire communities of native birds, themselves indicators of the health of the environment as a whole.

We hope to see you there!

 

White-eyed Vireos Visit Costa Rica

Written by KBO on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, Birds & Birding, Conservation, Field Notebook.

By Pablo “Chespi” Elizondo, Costa Rica Bird Observatories Executive Director

Background: Klamath Bird Observatory and USDA Forest Service Redwood Sciences Laboratory have a long-running international capacity building program that is supported by the Forest Service’s International Programs.  Costa Rica Bird Observatories is one of the most notable success stories.  Emerging from monitoring effort that began over 20 years ago in Torutgeuro, Costa Rica Bird Observatories is now a fully-fledged and sustainable program.   Costa Rica Bird Observatories includes 13 field locations where long-term monitoring efforts are ongoing, a support network for coordinated banding efforts throughout Costa Rica (Red de Anilladores de Aves de Costa Rica), and an international capacity building program of its own, that is working towards developing monitoring efforts throughout central and south America as part of the Western Hemisphere Banding Network (Red de Anilladores de Aves del Hemisferio Occidental).

The White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) is a migratory bird that breeds in the southeastern United States from New Jersey west to northern Missouri and south to Texas and Florida.  This species winters in eastern Mexico, northern Central America, Cuba, and the Bahamas.

White-eyed Vireos rarely occur in Costa Rica. Garrigues and Dean (2007) indicated that there were very few records for Costa Rica, “… one record for the Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí area (Jan 2004); and one report of a bird seen and heard in Monteverde (March 1997).” eBird only shows two other records (one from 2012, and one from 2010) (eBird 2013).

This year at Costa Rica Bird Observatories we captured three individual White-eyed Vireos in Tortuguero, one at our Airport station (Nov-19-2012) and two at the Caribbean Conservation Corp station (Nov-11 and Dec-14 2012).  Two of the individuals were unknown age, but suspected to be young birds, and one was confirmed to be a hatch year bird by observed molt limits between newly grown formative (i.e., 1st adult) and retained juvenal (i.e., fledgling) feathers. There have been additional White-eyed Vireo observations in Tortuguero this winter; Daryl Logh, a well know birdwatcher from Casa Marbella, has seen this rare vireo a couple of times this year.

Ornithologists suggest that individual birds that stray beyond their wintering range (i.e., vagrants) such as White-eyed Vireos in Costa Rica, are predominantly young birds.  Our capture data collected over the past 20 years in Tortuguero provide plenty of additional evidence that rarities and vagrant birds are usually younger individuals. For example, 6 out of 6 Black-throated Blue Warbler and 8 out of 8 Yellow-breasted Chats, both rarities to the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica and captured at our Totuguero stations, have been young birds.

Literature cited

eBird. 2013. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird, Ithaca, New York. Available: http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed: April 4, 2013).

Garrigues, R. and R. Dean (2007). The Birds of Costa Rica. Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press.

Hopp, Steven L., Alice Kirby, and Carol A. Boone. 2010. White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus), Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=506316

North Pacific LCC Webinar, March 12

Written by KBO on . Posted in Klamath Call Note.

How will climate change affect bird distribution and abundance in the Pacific Northwest? This is a question that KBO Executive Director John Alexander will address as he and Sam Veloz (PRBO Conservation Science) lead a webinar for wildlife managers from 10:30am to 11:30am PST on Tuesday, March 12th.

During the webinar you will learn how to use a readily accessible decision support system that draws from various, high quality data sources to model likely bird responses to climate change. This webinar will aid wildlife managers with climate adaptation planning efforts.

To join the webinar click here for video access and then call 1-866-628-1318 (passcode: 6959549) to hear the presenters.

New Birding Book by Harry Fuller

Written by KBO on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, Birds & Birding, KBO Family.

By Brandon Breen, KBO Outreach and Communications Specialist, posted on 6 February 2013

Harry Fuller’s new book, “Freeway Birding: San Francisco to Seattle,” is aimed at the traveling birder who may have half an hour or half a day to bird along the way. The book describes dozens of locations within 20-minutes drive of the major north-south freeways in the region, and includes over 100 useful maps. The Mail Tribune recently ran this excellent article about the book.

The Klamath Bird Observatory is pleased to be hosting Harry Fuller’s first book signing event from 630-730pm on Wednesday, February 27th at the KBO Offices (320 Beach St., Ashland, OR). We hope to see you there. The book, published by Living Gold Press, is available for $21.95 and proceeds from this event will be donated to the Klamath Bird Observatory. Light refreshments will be provided.

Harry Fuller is an experienced birding guide in the Pacific States and a KBO Board Member. This is Harry’s first book.

 

KBO Has Filled Five Bird Monitoring Internships

Written by KBO on . Posted in Klamath Call Note.

Posted by Brandon Breen, on Jan. 3rd, 2013

The Trinity River in nothern California, photo by Ian Ausprey
**These positions are now filled**
Position Title:  BIRD MONITORING STUDENT VOLUNTEER INTERNSHIPS
Stipend: $750/month and housing will be provided

Position Description

The Klamath Bird Observatory (www.klamathbird.org) is seeking five interns (April – July) to participate in the bird monitoring component of a large river restoration project in northern California. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain exposure to an array of ornithological field methods while working on a high profile restoration project in a beautiful part of the world.

Job Duties

Duties will include nest searching/monitoring, spot map surveys, and vegetation surveys. Additional duties include: managing and entering data, maintaining equipment, and completing other tasks as required. Exposure to other aspects of the project, including point count and riverine float surveys, is possible and will be contingent upon logistics and personal aptitude. Field training on protocol methodology, bird identification, and orienteering will be provided early in the field season.

Basic Qualifications

Applicants should demonstrate a strong interest in birds, natural history, and field biology, and should be prepared to work long days in the field in hot and inclement weather, follow prescribed protocols, be meticulous in collecting and recording data, be in good physical condition, work well both independently and closely with others, possess good communication skills, and have a valid Driver’s License. Applicants must be willing to work in areas rife with poison oak, Himalayan Blackberry, and biting and stinging insects, with the potential to encounter rattlesnakes, black bears, and cougars.  It is essential that the applicant be comfortable and capable of working independently both at remote sites and in developed areas where interaction with the public is likely. Desired qualifications include: experience with ornithological field methodologies, camping, and orienteering.

To apply, send cover letter (including dates of availability and whether you have a personal vehicle), resume, and contact information for three references to Jaime Stephens (jlh AT klamathbird.org). Snail mail applications are also accepted: Klamath Bird Observatory, PO Box 758, Ashland, OR 97520. Applicants will be evaluated beginning January 7th and on a continual basis until all positions are filled.

A Swan Has Sung, Remembering Rich Stallcup

Written by KBO on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, Birds & Birding.

By Harry Fuller, on 25 Dec., 2012 (This article first appeared on Harry’s Towheeblog)

For anybody who’s birded in the Bay Area in the past 50 years, there has always been one human name that was respected, even beloved. Rich Stallcup. Sadly he just died from leukemia. Among his many achievements was co-founding of the Pt. Reyes Bird Observatory some 48 years ago. Rich was as much bird as man, having dropped out of school at 14 to go birding. He never went back to school and he never stopped studying birds.

For those of us who had the joy and wonder of watching Rich in the field it was unforgettable. Sharp of eye and ear, softly smiling, tireless in explaining to those of us who could see only part of the picture.

I love to tell of the time I showed up for one of his field trips at Five Brooks near Pt. Reyes. Standing in the parking lot I watched him drive up, open the trunk of his jalopy, stick his head in to arrange his gear and begin calling off birds from their chips notes. Rich had 14 species, with his head in the trunk, never once glancing up.

At one time his beat-up vehicle sported a bumper sticker that read, “Let the buffalo roam, whistle back the swan.”

If only there was a way to whistle back the swan-like soul of Rich Stallcup.

One of his famous dicta: “Sure you’ve seen lots of Robins, but have you ever seen THAT Robin?”

Every living thing from grass to Grasshopper Sparrow was imbued with vitality and complexity when you got to share the vision with Rich Stallcup.

Rich’s quiet demeanor, gentle knowledge and keen love for all things wild and natural was infectious. His deep knowledge of American birds was a resource every other birder valued. When there was some disagreement over a difficult identification of some rare or puzzling bird, the ultimate, accepted judgement would hinge on, “What does Richie think?”

Dick Ashford is a friend of mine and President of the Klamath Bird Observatory, one of many institutions inspired by PRBO, one of Richie’s great contributions to bird science. Here is how Dick remembers his friend, Rich Stallcup: “I (we) lost a dear friend over the weekend. Rich Stallcup was my longtime friend and mentor, my guide into the “field of wonder” (Rich’s term for the natural world). For years, I have begun my talks with one of his quotations, “There are no experts, no masters, just students. It is as it should be”. When I called Rich to ask his permission to use it, he choked up. I am choked up as I write this. I have wonderful stories to share, and memories to keep…”

Below is an apt tribute written by Jon Winter, another wonderful birder who taught the first bird class I ever took. That would have been 1978, a night course at College of Marin.

“Rich has the soul of a poet, the mind of a scientist, and the spirituality of a shaman. This is not a combination of talents often found in a birder. If Rich hasn’t seen the vision, he sure as hell knows where to look for it while the rest of us mortals are stumbling around trying to find out what the hell it is all about. You always felt like a contact hitter when birding with Rich. You always knew at any moment he could put one out of the park. I suspect that it is the same feeling professional athletes get when they are in the same game with a Barry Bonds, a Jerry Rice, or a Michael Jordan. You know that you are in the presence of someone extraordinary; someone that has an ability that completely transcends that of an ordinary player. Rich’s influence goes well beyond just identifying birds, he has become a part of the flow of life itself, part of the essence of what animates the natural world, and he understands that world from that very unique perspective. Placed in that context, the ability to identify birds isn’t really very important, it is all rather clinical. To those who have been fortunate enough to know him, Rich leads you to a higher purpose through birding; an understanding of your spirit.”

Here’s one more memory of Rich, the consummate birder and teacher, from Doug Shaw of Santa Rosa, CA: “I remember some years back I ran into Rich with a small group of about 6 birders at Point Reyes walking back to the parking lot from the lighthouse during Fall Migration. A couple of us asked him Anything Good? and got the Rich stare. He kindly responded, “all birds are good,” which gave us a different outlook on the chasing aspect of birding. I have remembered that quote many times over the years. Also, if another birder reported some thing out at the point that was misidentified he was always very respectful and would kindly educate you rather than criticize you.”