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 Taubner (a KBO Board member). When: Sunday, July 14, 8:30 AM. (We will be back in Ashland by no later than 4:30 and likely well before that.) Minimum donation: $50 per person. Join us in looking up, down, and all around.
In 2023, KBO with with research colleague Linda Long, Frank Lake, Karuk Tribal Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Technological University, and others to publish new findings on how life cycles of culturally significant birds could inform the timing of prescribed fire. On May 17th 2024, Hilary Clark a Public Affairs Specialist for the Forest Service at the Pacific Southwest Research Station wrote this wonderful article on the work that of these partners. This KBO article is a reposting of Hilary’s article originally posted on the USDA website. The original link can be found in the article.
Come join KBO biologists and this season’s interns for a bird banding experience in the field!
This is a fundraiser for KBO’s long-standing and well-respected international field biologist training program. It is a unique opportunity to meet some of our scientists in a small group setting, learn about the science of bird banding, and see some of Oregon’s birds up close. We will observe live bird banding including mist netting and data collection and learn more about Southern Oregon’s migrating and resident birds all while in the field in the beautiful Upper Klamath Lake region. Come join us and support future scientists! Monday, June 17th, 6:30 a.m. to noon (inclusive of drive time to and from Ashland).
Happy Spring! Spring is an invigorating time with an abundance of new life, color, and song with the return of our migratory birds! We are sure you’ve stopped to take in these familiar songs in the past few weeks (even if you don’t quite remember which bird, it is…after all, it has been a year!) You can help KBO keep our migratory songbirds returning home to our valley every Spring. Please consider a donation to KBO today.
We are thrilled to be out in the community today bringing people together in support of bird conservation. Spreading awareness of this year’s message about protecting birds and protecting insects. Birds play crucial roles in pollination and pest control, and a lack of insects disrupts these ecosystem functions. Overpopulation of certain insects, without natural predators from birds, can also cause outbreaks that damage plant health and agriculture.
You can help us by donating to KBO today. Your donation supports not only our community outreach but also our high-caliber science. There are several different ways that you can donate to KBO.
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!
Klamath Bird Observatory and The Institute for Bird Populations are excited to announce the release of the first half of The Identification Guide to North American Birds or Pyle Guide in Spanish. Making this hugely informative book more accessible to bird banders throughout North America. Join us for a Zoom presentation on April 4th at 5:30 pm PST to learn more about the translation process and the guide itself. The book will be available for pre-order starting on April 4th. The presentation is free, and an English/Spanish translator will be available.
El Observatorio de Aves de Klamath (Klamath Bird Observatory) y el Instituto para Poblaciones de Aves (Institute for Bird Populations) se complacen en anunciar el lanzamiento de la primera parte de La Guía de identificación de aves de América del Norte o Guía Pyle en español. La versión en español hará que sea más accesible para los anilladores de aves de toda América del Norte. La presentación por Zoom será el 4 de abril a las 5:30…
On February 23rd, Klamath Siskiyou Oak Network was featured in the Rogue Valley Times. A $13-million effort to restore health to oak tree habitat in the Lake Creek area east of White City and near the Table Rocks north of Medford is in its second year.
So far, the thinning of conifers that were competing with oaks has taken place on about 200 acres near Lake Creek and on 100 acres near the Table Rocks. The community of Lake Creek is located about 12 miles east of White City, near the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.
The work, known as the Upper Rogue Oak Initiative, is due to take place on 3,650 acres — nearly 6 square miles — of private and public land, all but 250 acres of it near Lake Creek. Partners include state and federal agencies, along with conservation organizations, functioning under an umbrella group known as the Klamath Siskiyou Oak Initiative.
The project is slated to take six years to complete.
To address the critical knowledge gap of where the Oregon Vesper Sparrow winters, we expanded KBO’s ongoing Oregon Vesper Sparrow research to include using miniaturized archival GPS tags to track the migration of sparrows breeding in the Rogue Basin. In 2020, we captured 10 males via target-netting at our Lily Glen study site, color-banded them, and deployed GPS tags using a leg-loop harness attachment. In 2021, we located and recaptured four of these birds to retrieve tags and stored data. Three of the tags successfully recorded these individuals’ fall migration and/or wintering locations; one also contained the spring migration track! Read this article to learn more about their journey.
Join us at the KBO office on March 15th from 5:30 pm – 7 pm, to hear three talks by the KBO staff. This will be a hybrid event, and the in-person portion will be at the KBO office at 2425 Siskiyou Blvd, Ashland, OR. This is a free event with light refreshments provided. The talks will cover Western Purple Martins, Banding Program, and Point Count Program.
