BLOG

KBO Science

How to Track an Oregon Vesper Sparrow

August 18, 2020 | Klamath Call Note, Field Notebook, KBO Science

Oregon Vesper Sparrows are a declining and at-risk subspecies unique to the Pacific Northwest. This June, KBO staff spent time in the field placing miniature GPS tags on Oregon Vesper Sparrows to discover their migratory routes and wintering grounds. We thought you might be interested in the process!

NEWS RELEASE: For Rufous Hummingbirds, migration looks different depending on age and sex

July 28, 2020 | Klamath Call Note, Conservation, KBO Partners, KBO Science, Press Room

Plucky, beautiful and declining in numbers at about a 2% annual rate, the Rufous Hummingbird makes its long annual migration in different timing and route patterns based the birds’ age and sex, new research by Oregon State University shows. The findings, published in the journal Avian Conservation & Ecology, are important because the more that is known about how Rufous Hummingbirds migrate, the more that can be done to ensure birds of each age and sex category have the resources they need each year on their journey up and down the western part of North America.

SCIENCE BRIEF: A new modeling approach provides a birds-eye view of habitats, habitat fragmentation, and the effectiveness of conservation efforts

June 15, 2020 | Klamath Call Note, Conservation, KBO Science

In a new publication selected as “editor’s choice” in the journal Landscape Ecology, researchers from Oregon State University’s Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society and Klamath Bird Observatory tested a novel species-centered technique for quantifying the influence of habitat amount and fragmentation on a community of 48 common bird species in Oregon’s Rogue Basin, including 25 oak-woodland specialists. Rather than using human-classified land-cover data, the species-centered technique uses stacked species-distribution models to quantify habitat amount and configuration. The results suggest that using this species-centered approach to define habitat for entire bird communities reveals relationships between fragmentation and bird diversity that would otherwise be obscured by the use of classified land-cover.

NEWS RELEASE: Hummingbirds and Forest Fires — It’s Complicated

June 11, 2020 | Klamath Call Note, Conservation, KBO Partners, KBO Science, Press Room

From a hummingbird’s point of view, wildfire can be good or bad. With support from the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station and WHP, Dr. Deborah M. Finch from the Research Station collaborated with Dr. Alexander and his research team at Klamath Bird Observatory in Oregon and with Dr. Sarahy Contreras from the University of Guadalajara – CUCSUR to complete a literature review about the effects of wildfire on hummingbird habitat, how restoration actions including prescribed fire affect those habitats, and how hummingbirds respond.

World Migratory Bird Day: Achieving bird conservation priorities

May 8, 2020 | Klamath Call Note, Conservation, KBO Education, KBO Partners, KBO Science, Trips & Events

While we miss being in the field with all of our partners, this year KBO is honoring our long-standing WMBD connections in this new virtual way. Here, our staff share […]

Klamath Bird Observatory Celebrates World Migratory Bird Day in a New Way

May 6, 2020 | Klamath Call Note, Conservation, KBO Education, KBO Partners, KBO Science, Trips & Events

World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. WMBD is global in reach and serves as […]

Staying resilient, adaptive, and strong for bird conservation: Klamath Bird Observatory responds to the Covid crisis

May 1, 2020 | Klamath Call Note, Conservation, KBO Education, KBO Family, KBO History, KBO Partners, KBO Science

We hope that this message finds you, our community, in good health and in safe places during this unprecedented time of Covid-19. We are happy to report that we remain […]

Nature Pub Talk: WINGS

January 18, 2020 | Klamath Call Note, Conservation, KBO Education, KBO Partners, KBO Science, Trips & Events

Thursday, January 23, 6:00 – 7:15 p.mGrape Street Bar and Grill, 31 South Grape Street, Medford Come discover a glimpse of the natural history of our region. The focus will […]

Community Scientists Needed for Short-eared Owl Surveys!

January 9, 2020 | Klamath Call Note, Birds & Birding, Community Science, Conservation, KBO Science

Attention Oregon birders, I am pleased to announce a great community science opportunity in Oregon! Klamath Bird Observatory is partnering with Intermountain Bird Observatory to carry out the Western Asio […]

The Life of a KBO Nest-Searcher

December 10, 2019 | Klamath Call Note, Birds & Birding, Conservation, Field Notebook, KBO Family, KBO Science

by Nicholas Kronick Named after the abundance of camas lilies dotting the meadow blue through the long days of June, Lily Glen offers a fine sight that comes alive in […]