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.
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.
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 the Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO) in celebrating International Women in Science Day. We will host a presentation by Mantiqueira Bird Observatory (OAMa) founder and Executive Director Luiza Figueira on February 10th, from 5:30 pm to 7 pm. 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. It is free and will have a hybrid option. The in-person portion will be held at the KBO office in Ashland, and we will have light refreshments. There will also be a Zoom option for those unable to attend in person. The Zoom presentation will start at 5:45 p.m.
Join Dr. Sarah Rockwell for her presentation at the Redwood Region Audubon Society January 16 at 7:00 p.m. The program is entitled “To Southern California, Brazil, and Back: First GPS Tracking of Oregon Vesper Sparrow and Western Purple Martin Migration”. This presentation will be hosted on Zoom and in person. Zoom link can be found in this article
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.
Start 2025 of right with one of KBO’s famous Hawk outings with Dick Ashford and Amanda Alford. On Jan 16th, we’ll enjoy a 6-8:30 PM lecture in the KBO “Spa” then enjoy a day-long outing to the Klamath Basin on Jan 18th or Jan 25th. In each case, we’ll depart Ashland at 8 AM and return around 5-ish. We will carpool (a must!) in 4 vehicles of 4 people each. Reserve your spot and register today!
