Skip to main content

BLOG

Birds & Birding

Final Bird Banding Event of the Year!

Join us for this extraordinary final family-friendly bird banding outing of the year! This fundraiser for our renowned banding program includes an opportunity to meet and chat with KBO’s new Banding Program Manager, Lucinda Zawadski, PhD., Martín López Aguilar from Mexico, and the KBO interns. You will learn about the importance and unique contribution of bird banding to science and see some of Oregon’s birds up close. You will also get to experience one of our field stations on beautiful Upper Klamath Lake and observe science in action, including mist netting and data collection, AND interact with the biologists. After the field station visit, we have a unique opportunity to bird from the deck of Rocky Point Resort with Lucinda and Martín, with light refreshments provided by Rocky Point. WHEN: Thursday, September 28th, 6:30 a.m. to approximately 1 p.m. (inclusive of drive time to and from Ashland).

Let’s Talk Bird with Shannon Rio

Join Shannon Rio for three weeks of classes, chatting about our local birds and ending with a field trip. Powerpoint presentations will include, for example, a deep dive into a specific group of birds like woodpeckers and learning fun bird factoids. We will explore the use of a variety of bird guides and info books. This class is collaborative and interactive and meant to be fun. We will meet at noon for 1 1/2 hours, so bring a sack lunch along with your curiosity. Please bring your favorite guidebook for referencing the species we are learning about and sharing with the group. The class will be capped off with an all-day outing to use what you have learned. The dates are September 11th, 18th, and 25th and the fee is $0-$100 donation.

Fall FUNdraising and Outreach Events

 The Klamath Bird Observatory board members are excited to introduce our fall outreach and FUNdraising events. Open for registration now is Shannon’s Let’s Talk Birds series. These inperson presentation will be held in the KBO office Monday September 11th, 18th, and 25th wrapping up with a field trip on Saturday September 30th or Oct 1st. We are also announcing Save the Dates for a Great Grey Owl presentation by Harry Fuller, Ashland History walk’s with Jeff LaLande and several trips with Dick Ashford.

Bird Conmigo August 12th

Join us on August 12th at 9 am for Bird Conmigo. Birding with friends and family is a great way to connect. We will be exploring Bear Creek Park. Many of the birds seen there you can find in your backyard. Klamath Bird Observatory will provide binoculars and Spanish/English guidebooks. This event is free and Spanish/English bilingual. 

Visit a KBO Banding Station

Take a trip to the Upper Klamath to a KBO banding station on Friday, July 21st. There you will get to meet this year’s banding crew and learn about the importance of bird banding. The fee from this FUNdraiser helps pay for the cost of running our six banding stations. This event is a family-friendly event.

“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 a renowned birder and KBO board president Shannon Rio and historian/author Jeff LaLande. The car-pool route will include various “History Stops” (but relatively little actual walking) at such important places as Railroad Tunnel #13, 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 – returning the “back way” (through the upper-most Bear Creek Valley) to Ashland by mid-afternoon.

Spring Birding at Rocky Point and Fort Klamath Wood River Day Use Area with Shannon

This walking and birding outing will take us to Upper Klamath Lake for spring migrants and water birds. After exploring that area, we will visit Fort Klamath to picnic and bird and walk the Wood River Day Use Area. Expect to see White Pelicans, Bald Eagles, White-headed Woodpeckers, and many other mountain species. Also, expect glorious views of the lake and the landscape at this elevation of 4-5000 feet. Saturday, June 3rd, 7:30 am – 5 pm.

Upcoming Birding Trips

Join Klamath Bird Observatory for birding this summer. We have a variety of trips available, and all bird likers welcome. Shannon will be taking a trip to the Klamath area on June 3rd 7:30 am – 5 pm. We are also excited to announce this summer’s bilingual bird walk series happening at Bear Creek Park in Medford. Lastly, don’t forget to mark you calendars for “Up to the Siskiyou Crest (and Back)”: A History-and-Birding Auto Tour, happening July 2nd. Registration for the history tour will open in early June. Registration for the bird tour in Klamath and Bird Conmigo are open NOW.

Start the new year off right, with HAWKS!

Looking for a New Years’ resolution? How about learning more about nature? Start by joining Dick Ashford for a talk and outing about hawks, some of nature’s most graceful creatures.  The talk will be hosted in person at the Klamath Bird Observatory office in Ashland, OR on January 5th, 6 pm – 8:30 pm.  Then, enjoy a day-long outing to the Klamath Basin on Jan 7th. We’ll depart Ashland at 8 AM and return around 5-ish. To afford everyone the best possible experience, attendance is limited. We will carpool (a must!) in 4 vehicles of 4 people each. Your seat will be confirmed upon receipt of your non-refundable, tax-deductible contribution of $75 per person. 

Come learn about why you should travel to Brazil with KBO

It is still 2022, but we are planning for 2023! In April, KBO will be traveling to Brazil to spend time with Mantiqueira Bird Observatory (OAMa)  and their fantastic team, Luiza and Pedro. Join us for a 10-day trip exploring the beauty of the Brazilian cloud forests, seeing exotic birds, discussing bird conservation with scientists from Brazil and KBO, bird banding in action, and eating delicious food. By attending this trip, you are donating to the intern exchange program between KBO and OAMa. Your donation helps cover the cost of travel, visa fees, stipend, and much more for an intern. Luiza will be hosting a presentation on November 20th at 5 pm to showcase all the amazing this we will see and do in Brazil and about OAMa.