The unique western subspecies of Purple Martin is of conservation concern, roughly estimated at just 3,500 pairs. There is little known about the Western Purple Martins compared to the more abundant eastern subspecies (Rockwell 2019). Previous studies using light-level geolocators have revealed that Eastern Purple Martins largely overwinter in the heavily forested Brazilian Amazon. Still, Western Purple Martins appear to use a different overwintering area in southeastern Brazil, which may be more impacted by agriculture (Fraser et al. 2012). However, these data come from only a small number of individuals breeding in British Columbia that may not represent the entire subspecies. It is unknown whether other western populations, including martins that nest in Oregon, follow the same pattern.
Breeding Oregon Vesper Sparrows have been extirpated from British Columbia and California, and their overall abundance has declined at a rate of about 5% per year since 1968 – equivalent to losing over 90% of the population from 1968-2015. The current population size is estimated to be fewer than 3,000 individuals. Due to these dramatic changes, the subspecies has been petitioned for listing as endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
KBO Science in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
Two decades of Klamath Bird Observatory science have informed the establishment, management, and expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Since before its designation we have been conducting research and monitoring in the Monument
KBO is an active participant in the Western Hummingbird Partnership. The mission of the Partnership is to maintain thriving populations of hummingbirds in western North America through habitat restoration
Riparian (streamside) vegetation provides habitat for breeding, migrating, and overwintering birds and is also critical to the quality of the in-stream habitat on which salmon fisheries and other aquatic species depend. In the western United States, riparian zones make up less than 0.5% of the total land area.
Black Terns From 1997 to 2010, KBO implemented a Black Tern monitoring project in the Upper Klamath Basin of southern Oregon. The study has helped us understand local population distribution and trends for this emergent wetland obligate that is endangered,
Central Umpqua Mid-Klamath Oak Habitat Conservation Project KBO has been collaborating with a diverse group of partners through the Central Umpqua Mid-Klamath Oak Habitat Conservation Project, a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) funded Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative, to understand better bird-habitat relationships and the response of birds to restoration in oak woodlands. We are working […]
Breeding and Fall Migration Season Banding in Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion KBO and our satellite organization Humboldt Bay Bird Observatory operate several long-term demographic monitoring stations throughout the Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion. Each year, we capture and release
