Tag: Brazil

Journey Beyond Borders: Brazil 2026 FUNdraising Adventure

Written by Elva Manquera on December 9, 2025. Posted in Klamath Call Note, Birds & Birding, Conservation, KBO Partners, Trips & Events.

We invite you to join the Klamath Bird Observatory and the Mantiqueira Bird Observatory for a once-in-a-lifetime journey into the heart of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. From September 3–12, 2026, this 10-day adventure offers the perfect blend of birding, culture, and conservation impact.

This is more than a trip; it’s a chance to support science-based conservation beyond borders while experiencing one of the world’s most biodiverse regions.

What You’ll Experience

Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden & Tijuca National Park
Begin in Rio with introductions, a visit to the lush Botanical Garden, and birding in Tijuca National Park, where rewilding projects are bringing nature back to life.
Itatiaia National Park
Explore waterfalls, hike scenic trails, and search for monkeys in Brazil’s first national park. Evening conservation talks and films will deepen your connection to the landscapes you walk through.
Serrinha do Alambari & Juçara Palm Experience
Learn about sustainable management of the Juçara Palm tree, a keystone species in the Atlantic Forest, while staying in the charming Visconde de Mauá Village.
Pedra Selada State Park & Highlands of Itatiaia
Hike through restoration areas, join science talks, and witness bird banding demonstrations at Mantiqueira Bird Observatory’s long-term monitoring site.
Institute Alto Montana
Discover waterfalls, hike within a private reserve, and enjoy an outdoor farewell dinner with music under the stars.

Why This Trip Matters

Your participation directly supports the intern exchange program between Klamath Bird Observatory and Mantiqueira Bird Observatory. This program trains young biologists across borders, building conservation capacity where it’s needed most.

Trip Details

Dates: September 3–12, 2026
Cost: $6,000 per person (single occupancy) or $5,500 per person (double occupancy)
Includes: In-country transportation, lodging, meals (with limited alcoholic beverages)
Not included: International flight to Brazil
Deposit: $3,500 (non-refundable) to reserve your seat
Group size: Limited to 12 participants

Join Us

This trip is designed for those who love birds, nature, and meaningful travel. Expect moderate walking on uneven trails, immersive cultural experiences, and days filled with discovery.

By joining, you’ll not only explore breathtaking landscapes, but you’ll also make a lasting impact on international conservation.

Travel with Purpose: Conservation-Focused Nature and Birding Adventures

Written by Elva Manquera on November 5, 2025. Posted in Klamath Call Note, Birds & Birding, KBO Partners, Trips & Events.

Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO) has launched a new webpage that brings its conservation travel program to life. Designed for nature lovers, birders, and eco-conscious explorers, this page showcases how every journey with KBO supports science, education, and habitat restoration. Whether you’re a seasoned birder or a curious traveler, these trips offer a rare chance to connect deeply with birds, landscapes, and the people working to protect them.

A green hillside with a group of people walking on a trail. — The 2023 trip attendees on a hike through Brazil’s Atlantic Forest.

Brazil – Atlantic Forest Adventure (September 3–12, 2026)
Embark on a 10-day expedition through Brazil’s breathtaking Atlantic Forest with KBO and Mantiqueira Bird Observatory. This immersive experience combines birdwatching, hiking, and cultural exploration, while directly supporting an internship exchange program between the two observatories.

Dates: September 3–12, 2026
Leaders: Jaime Stephens (KBO) & Luiza Figueira (OAMa)
Highlights:
- Birding in the Mantiqueira Highlands
- Cultural immersion and scenic hikes
- Supports international conservation internships
Group Size: Limited to 12 participants
Cost: $6,000 single / $5,500 double occupancy
Accessibility: Moderate walking, uneven trails, elevation gain
Included: Lodging, meals, in-country transport
Not Included: International airfare

This trip is ideal for those seeking a meaningful international adventure that blends ecological learning with cultural richness.

Bear Divide – California Migration Hotspot (May 6–9, 2026)

A line of people looking out onto a vast mountain range looking for birds. — Bear Divide trip attendees from 2023 are seeking migratory birds to spot.

Experience spring migration like never before at Bear Divide, a narrow mountain pass where thousands of songbirds funnel through each morning. This 4-day trip offers expert-guided outings, a special presentation, and optional excursions, like a Pasadena parrot tour.

Dates: May 6–9, 2026
Leaders: Dr. Ryan Terrill & Elva Manquera-DeShields
Highlights:
- Witness daylight migration of thousands of birds
- Morning field sessions and optional afternoon outings
- Supports on-site bird banding and outreach
Group Size: Limited to 12 participants
Cost: $1,500 per person
Included: Breakfast, lunch, transport to Bear Divide, one group dinner
Not Included: Airfare, hotel, most dinners
Suggested Hotel: Hotel Lexen, Santa Clarita

Perfect for birders who want to witness the magic of migration at a globally unique daytime migration hotspot and support local science.

Why Travel with KBO?
Every trip registration helps fund KBO’s mission, advancing bird and habitat conservation through science, education, and partnerships. From supporting internships to sustaining migration monitoring stations, your journey becomes part of a larger story of stewardship.

Ready to Join?
Visit the new Travel with Purpose page to learn more, view bird lists, and register. Spots are limited, so secure your place today!

Brazil – Atlantic Forest Adventure

Written by Elva Manquera on October 3, 2025.

Join Klamath Bird Observatory and Mantiqueira Bird Observatory for a 10-day adventure in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, September 3–12, 2026. This immersive trip blends birdwatching, hiking, and cultural exploration while supporting international bird conservation. Proceeds help fund a biologist exchange program between observatories. Limited to 12 participants, with lodging, meals, and in-country transport included.

Check out the KBO Travel page to learn more.

Birds, Forests, and the Heart of Conservation

Written by Elva Manquera on October 3, 2025. Posted in Klamath Call Note, Conservation, KBO Family, KBO Partners, Trips & Events.

Three years ago, KBO launched a travel program. Our small-group, conservation-focused journeys are led by expert guides and designed to inspire, educate, and directly support our mission. I have just returned from co-leading a 10-day trip with my colleagues at the Mantiqueira Bird Observatory in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. The trip itinerary blends birding and nature exploration with cultural experiences, as well as opportunities to observe scientific research and conservation in the field. This trip helps raise funds for the intern exchange program between our two bird observatories, allowing us to advance science while training the next generation of field biologists. To learn more about future opportunities to travel with us, visit klamathbird.org/birding-trips/. – Jaime Stephens

KBO Board President Shannon Rio joined me on the trip. Here is a personal reflection from her time in Brazil.

“We are in Brazil for 10 days on a fundraising trip for the Mantiqueira Bird Observatory (OAMa), and there is one evening where we are exploring our definition of conservation.
Dani, a scientist and a Master’s degree student, tells us that her purpose in life is to save the world. She has just been to a workshop led by Al Gore on climate change, and before the conference, she had little hope for our planet. But now, she sees a future, and it is positive. At the end of the evening, I have finally understood my definition of conservation. It means the caring for and protection of ALL forms of life: birds, people, plants, insects, etc. It means doing the work that is in your heart to make the world a better place. For Ruthie, my 17-year-old granddaughter, who is also on our trip, it is working with small children so that their formative years are healthy. For Tomoe, a 70-year-old woman on our trip, it is providing a healthy future for people on this planet. For me, it’s about protecting birds and habitats, as well as reducing hunger in our Rogue Valley.

So, our journey through Brazil is about this: hiking the land, eating the food, being with the local people, watching the scientific work of banding birds in the field, swimming in cold pools under waterfalls, and BEING IN each moment.

Our guides are Sami, Luiza, and Jaime, whom I affectionately call our ‘flock mothers’ because they keep us safe, read our desires and requests, and incorporate them into their itinerary.

We stayed in 4 lodges, mostly remote. These are simple accommodations that serve us local healthy foods. Picking a favorite part of each day was challenging for me because we experienced so much and also had time to rest and absorb it. For example, we hiked through the jungle in search of monkeys and saw a baby TITI monkey on its mother’s back. Paul was our curiosity seeker, taking photos and identifying the plants, fungi, and fauna on our forays into the jungle, into the rocky areas of the National Park, and also in villages.

We had the good fortune to be at the aviary in the jungle that held the endangered Black-fronted Piping-Guans. It was on that one day that GPS backpacks were being secured onto their backs to track their routes and habitat locations in the effort to find out the information that might result in preventing their extinction.
Later that day, we heard a presentation by a conservation organization dedicated to protecting several endangered species in Brazil. It is difficult to put into words the dedication, hard work, and hope that are poured into this endeavor. For me, being informed and inspired makes this a worthy journey into the Atlantic Forest of Brazil.
Sami, one of our guides, celebrated her 34th birthday on this trip, and we wrote her haikus as our gift, along with cake and singing, and, as is the Brazilian tradition, enthusiastic clapping of hands.

Luiza, who founded OAMa along with her life partner, Pedro, is a born leader. She combines her brilliant ideas with hard work. Please visit their website to learn more, and I encourage you to consider making a donation.

Jaime Stephens is KBO’s Director of Conservation. She shared a project she worked on with Luiza and Pedro during their time at KBO, tagging Common Nighthawks to help discover their migratory route. The nighthawk does not know boundaries and considers their breeding grounds throughout the US and Canada to be a shared home with their wintering grounds in Brazil.

Another aspect of this trip is the sharing of it with my 43-year-old son, Jeremy. Because he is busy being a teacher, has 4 children, and lives in Illinois, it was both rare and special to have 10 days on a mother-son (and granddaughter) trip. Like many who come on this tour with OAMa and KBO, Jeremy expressed how life-changing it was to travel in a small group with local Brazilians who are inspirational in their desire to, as Dani put it, save the world.

This yearly endeavor raises money for the conservation scientists at OAMa. Exposure to the people, the culture, and the food, along with supporting efforts to protect birds and habitats, makes this my favorite kind of travel. When else can you take a vacation with someone like Dani, who gives a high five and says, “Let’s save the world together!””

Whether you’re drawn to the thrill of birding in remote forests, the joy of cultural exchange, or the hope sparked by grassroots conservation, these journeys offer something rare: connection—with nature, with people, and with purpose. As we reflect on the unforgettable moments shared in Brazil, we invite you to join us on our next adventure, support our intern exchange program, or make a donation to help protect birds and habitats across the Western Hemisphere. Together, we can keep saving the world, one step, one story, one bird at a time.

Adventure to Brazil

Written by Elva Manquera on June 23, 2025.

We invite you to join the directors of Klamath Bird Observatory and Mantiqueira Bird Observatory for a 10-day adventure exploring the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil. The trip will be held August 13-22, 2025. During the trip, you will:

Visit natural landscapes and enjoying scenic places;
Hike through a diversity of habitats;
Observe birds and wildlife in nature;
Experience local culture;
Learn about birds, bird observatories, and international conservation;
Support Klamath Bird Observatory and Mantiqueira Bird Observatory science-based conservation beyond borders intern exchange program

Klamath Bird Observatory is well known for its broad international reach, focusing on partnerships and capacity building across the ranges of our shared birds. KBO’s bird banding internship program has trained over 283 interns from more than 17 countries. OAMa is a fruit of this capacity-building program, which is now running its training program in Brazil. As part of the continued partnership between these two observatories, we are pleased to announce a new internship exchange program! After training in their home country, biologists will have the opportunity to visit and train at the other observatory. KBO will host a student from OAMa for three or six months each year, and OAMa will host a student from KBO for up to three months at their field station in Brazil, joining the local crew at the year-round bird monitoring on the Mantiqueira Highlands.

In addition to supporting the intern exchange program, this trip will fund OAMa’s banding station for an ENTIRE YEAR! That includes six interns and one banding coordinator. Currently, OAMa is the only banding training program in Brazil.

The cost is $5750 per person, including in-country transportation, single-occupancy lodging, and meals with limited alcoholic beverages – the flight to Brazil is not included. The cost with a double occupancy discount is $5250 per person.

A $ 3,500 deposit is required to reserve your seat. The final payment is due six months prior to departure. Both the deposit and final payment are non-refundable. A portion of the cost directly supports the intern exchange program between the two bird observatories and is tax-deductible. The maximum trip size is 12 participants; some activities will be split into smaller groups. We reserve the right to cancel the trip before March 13th if the minimum number of attendees is not met. Trip activities will include moderate walking, sometimes on uneven trails, and away from facilities for half to full days.

This event is no longer accepting new registrations. If you would like to learn more about future trips to Brazil, you can contact us here.

Ready to travel to Brazil?

Written by Elva Manquera on January 2, 2025. Posted in Klamath Call Note, Birds & Birding, Conservation, KBO Family, Trips & Events.

Join 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!

You can learn more and register here.

KBO tracks the first Western Purple Martin with GPS tag technology

Written by Elva Manquera on September 11, 2023. Posted in Klamath Call Note, Conservation, KBO Science.

By Sarah Rockwell

Spoiler alert: Our first recaptured Martin flew almost 8,000 miles to southeastern Brazil and back again!

Retrieved GPS tag – photo credit Joe Metzler

The unique western subspecies of Purple Martin is of conservation concern, roughly estimated at just 3,500 pairs. Relatively little is known about the Western Purple Martin compared to the more abundant eastern subspecies. One of the biggest challenges in identifying ways to help migratory species is that we simply don’t know where they are most of the year. Western Purple Martins breeding in Oregon are only here from about April to August, and until recently, we only had the slightest idea of where they spend the non-breeding months. From 2020-2023, a small team of researchers from KBO, USFS, USGS, and Cape Arago Audubon Society captured adult Western Purple Martins and outfitted them with lightweight archival GPS tags that fit like a backpack with two leg loops to track their movements. Our goal is to track martins that nest in Oregon to discover their migratory pathways and winter roost locations and assess whether conservation actions are needed at these non-breeding sites. This is the first study of its kind with the western subspecies and the first to track them with GPS technology throughout the year!

There is one important catch – to have a battery small and lightweight enough for a small songbird to carry safely, the tags cannot transmit GPS data, only store it on board. Returning tagged birds must be recaptured following a year-long round-trip migration to retrieve the tag and its precious geospatial data. It can be very challenging to find these birds again, not to mention recapture them! So, we were thrilled to recapture our first female, whom we nicknamed Roxa (‘purple’ in Brazilian Portuguese – pronounced more like “hosha”), in the summer of 2021.

Joe is watching for Purple Martins to return to their nesting boxes. Photo Credit Karen McGuire.

Roxa returned with fascinating information, revealing new discoveries about her incredible 8,000-mile journey. After she left her nesting area in coastal Oregon in August, Roxa first headed south to Baja California, where she spent about a month from mid-Aug to mid-Sept on an extended fall stopover – although somewhat unusual for a songbird, this long pause was not totally unexpected, as it matched hints from earlier research using geolocators on a few martins from British Columbia (Fraser et al. 2017). She then continued south through western Mexico, with GPS points taken every 5 days, including stops in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Venezuela before entering Brazil, where she passed over many of her Eastern Purple Martin cousins in their wintering area in the Amazon. She then spent another multi-week stopover in late November in northern Minas Gerais, near Parque Nacional do Peruaçu – which was unexpected! Roxa finally completed the last leg of her trip to the southeastern Brazilian coast, where she spent Christmas in Linhares in the state of Espírito Santo. She even made it to the beach city of Praia do Morro in time for Carnaval before winging her way back north and graciously returning her GPS tag to us.

Joe uses a specialized pole that traps the Purple Martins in their nesting box so the box can safely lowered and the Martins extracted. Photo Credit Karen McGuire.

We now have an amazing window into what Roxa and other Western Purple Martins are up to after they leave Oregon and the incredible voyages they undertake. These insights also lead us to more questions. Why does she stop for so long in Baja California Sur, Mexico, and Minas Gerais, Brazil? Could she be molting and regrowing feathers at one of these locations where the insect food resources are especially abundant? Does she use the same route every year, and do other Western Purple Martins use similar or different routes? What changes are occurring in the habitats she occupies along the way? Are any of these places threatened by deforestation, pesticide use, or other conservation challenges? We hope to apply what we have learned to help make sure the Western Purple Martin’s migratory journey, connecting people and places across continents, remains a phenomenon we can all marvel at well into the future.

Female Purple Martin recaptured – Photo credit Joe Metzler

In summer 2023, we recaptured two more returning Purple Martins with new data to add to our understanding of their migration routes and winter homes – we are so excited to process these data and see how they compare to our first recapture! We also deployed 8 more GPS tags on Purple Martins nesting at Fern Ridge Reservoir near Veneta, OR. Those individuals have finished their nests for this summer and will be leaving soon for parts unknown – but a little less unknown than before – so we will also have more chances to add data to this study next summer.

The USFS, USGS, Purple Martin Conservation Association, and the Greenfield Hartline Habitat Conservation Fund supported this work. The research team comprised Sarah Rockwell from KBO, DeAnna Williams of USFS, Joan Hagar of USGS, and Joe Metzler from Cape Arago Audubon Society. Watch the short video On the Wings of Roxa and join her 8,000-mile journey.

Save the Date – Brazil 2024

Written by Elva Manquera on August 23, 2023. Posted in Klamath Call Note, KBO Partners, Trips & Events.

A fun, adventurous, and engaging way to support bird and habitat conservation beyond borders

1. Visit natural landscapes and enjoying scenic places;
2. Hike through a diversity of habitats;
3. Observe birds and wildlife in nature;
4. Experience local culture;
5. Learn about birds, bird observatories, and international conservation;
6. Support Klamath Bird Observatory and Mantiqueira Bird Observatory science based conservation beyond borders intern exchange program

Registration for the Brazil trip will open on September 20th.

Bird and Banders Beyond Borders Intern Exchange Program Update

Written by Elva Manquera on January 23, 2023. Posted in Klamath Call Note.

Klamath Bird Observatory is well known for its wide international reach, focusing on partnerships and capacity building across the ranges of our shared birds. KBO’s bird banding internship program has trained over 283 interns from more than 17 countries. The Mantiqueira Bird Observatory (OAMa) is a fruit of this capacity-building program, which is now running its own training program in Brazil. As part of the continued partnership between these two observatories, we are pleased to announce a new internship exchange program! After training in their home country, biologists will have the opportunity to visit and train at the other observatory. KBO will host a student from OAMa for three or six months each year, and OAMa will host a student from KBO for up to three months at their field station in Brazil, joining the local crew at the year-round bird monitoring on the Mantiqueira Highlands.

We are excited to share the first two interns participating in this program!

Otávio Rocha pictured to the left is OAMa’s Science Communication and Outreach Assitant. They will be traveling to KBO to train in the 2023 banding season.

“It is a great honor to participate in this exchange program as an OAMa representative. I am excited to start a new stage in my career and to apply all this rich experience in Brazilian biodiversity conservation initiatives.”

Victor Gonzalez, pictured on the right, was an intern in the 2022 banding season and will be traveling to Brazil to train with the OAMa staff as a KBO representative.

“The opportunity of this exchange internship is a blessing, being able to go to another bird observatory to learn from and work with. As a bird bander, it feels unreal going to a place you don’t know any of the birds, but at the same time, it feels like the best opportunity to try myself and keep improving in my professional career.”

Please help us support these amazing young scientists with a donation that will go to their travel and lodging. You can donate to the Avian Internship Memorial Fund. This fund was set up by the family and friends of Patricia Buettner to help support KBO’s long-running internship program.

These interns will also be supported by the FUNdraiser trip to Brazil happening April 12th-20th, 2023. There are only three spots left for this trip. The total cost is $5,000, due February 10th; this includes hotels, food (breakfast, lunch, dinner), and transportation (to and from the airport and during the trip). You can learn more HERE.

This article first appeared in OAMa’s newsletter. You can sign up for their newsletter here.

Supporting Conservation with International Travel

Written by Elva Manquera on December 12, 2022. Posted in Klamath Call Note.

Join Klamath Bird Observatory and Mantiqueira Bird Observatory (OAMa) for a 9-day exploration of Brazil to promote bird and habitat conservation beyond borders. Enjoy hiking and birding in the cloud forests of Brazil with local scientists leading the way. Time to explore a local town and enjoy Brazilian cuisine. Attend a bird photography workshop and watch OAMa science in action at their banding station.

With all 12 seats filled, this trip funds a fantastic opportunity for budding biologists.

In addition to supporting the intern exchange program, this trip will fund OAMa’s banding station for an ENTIRE YEAR! That includes six interns and one banding coordinator. Currently, OAMa is the only banding training program in Brazil.

The trip takes place April 12th – 20th, with travel to and from the U.S. extending the dates as needed on both ends. The cost is $5000 per person; this includes hotels, food (breakfast, lunch, dinner), and transportation (to and from the airport and during the trip). Hotel accommodation includes a double occupancy or single occupancy with a private bathroom. The only thing not included is airfare from the US to Brazil.

A $2500 deposit is required to reserve your seat; final payment is due by February 10. Proof of up-to-date Covid vaccination and liability waiver are also due at that time. Covid and liability waiver can be found here. A portion of the total fee is tax deductible; the specific amount will depend on the number of attendees. Both the deposit and final payment are non-refundable unless a replacement is found. We reserve the right to cancel before February 10th if the trip does not fill with a minimum of seven attendees.

You can view the Brazil Trip Itinerary here. Subject to change.

Recently Luiza, co-founder of OAMa, hosted a Zoom presentation to go over details and answer questions about this trip. You can view the recording here.

If you have questions, you can email Elva at ejm@klamathbird.org.

Klamath Bird Observatory follows CDC guidelines. KBO events are being offered with COVID-19 safety as KBO’s primary concern. Proof of vaccination will be required for all in-person participants. All individuals attending an event must also fill out the Waiver of Liability form. Please do not attend the event if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Masks are not required but wear based on comfortability.