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.
Join us on February 24th at 6 pm 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.
Join KBO on January 28th for a presentation by Shannon Rio on waterbirds of the Klamath Basin. She will be introducing her new waterbird book and ways to explore the picturesque Klamath Basin. This is a free hybrid presentation hosted at the KBO office in Ashland. The following weekend on February 2nd Shannon will be taking a group out to the basin to explore the waterbirds that are spending their winters there. This event is free and open to all ages.
oin us on an adventure to support bird science conservation beyond borders!
Register Now for the III edition of our Fundraising Field Trip: 13-22 August 2025.
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!
It is estimated that only 3,000 individuals of this declining subspecies remain. The small population size of the Oregon Vesper Sparrow is well-documented, but the causes of its at-risk status are not. As with all migratory birds, population trends may be caused by factors on their breeding grounds, wintering grounds, or migration stopover areas.
Since 2018 Klamath Bird Observatory has been trying to understand the cause of this subspecies’ decline. Getting a snapshot of how many of these birds there are in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument – and where they are – is important baseline data. This information will be especially important if the Oregon Vesper Sparrow is listed as federally endangered or threatened – it is currently in review with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for potential listing under the Endangered Species Act. Read todays article to learn about how many KBO found.
Come learn about the shared birds of southern Oregon and the western region of Mexico with Martín López Aguilar from Jalisco, Mexico. The presentation and bird walk will take place on November 23rd, from 9 am – 11 am, at the Talent Library. After his presentation on the migratory birds that connect us Martín will lead a bird walk at Lynn Newberry Park. Binoculars will be available to borrow. This presentation will be in Spanish and English.
Venga a aprender sobre las aves compartidas del sur de Oregon y la región occidental de México con Martín López Aguilar de Jalisco, México. La presentación y caminata de aves se llevará a cabo el 23 de noviembre, de 9 am – 11 am, en la Biblioteca de Talent. Después de su presentación sobre las aves migratorias que nos conectan, Martín guiará una caminata en el Parque Lynn Newberry. Se prestarán prismáticos. Esta presentación será en español e inglés.
Join Frank Lospalluto for a haunting good time on the 25th at 5 pm. We will be traveling the Keno Access Rd. looking for Great Grey Owls and other silent predators of the night. The night will start at Rite Aid in Ashland to organize the carpool.
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. We will also be introducing you to one of the most successful conservation programs ever created, the Federal Duck Stamp. 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.
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.
KBO is excited to be at not one but two World Migratory Bird Day events this year. We will be at Rogue Valley Bird Day this Saturday, May 11th, 8 am – 12 pm at North Mountain Park in Ashland. The day will be chock-full of activities to participate in, with organizers offering bird walks every 15 to 30 minutes from the nature center pavilion; adult’s and children’s binoculars will be available for loan. Check out an article in the Rogue Valley Times about this weekend’s event or visit the Rogue Valley Bird Day website.
The second World Migratory Bird Day event is on May 18th, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at Veterans Park, in Klamath Falls. See you there!
