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Bear Divide Trip Registration and Details

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, Birds & Birding, Trips & Events.

Klamath Bird Observatory is going on a 4-day trip to Burbank, California, where we will explore the wonders of Bear Divide led by Dr. Ryan Terrill, April 24th – 27th, 2024. There are only a handful of places in the United States where you get to experience bird migration in a new way. Calling Bear Divide a migratory hot spot would be an understatement. Every year — roughly between March 15 and June 15, with peak migration between April 10 and May 20 — thousands of birds funnel through the narrow pass.

“It really is overwhelming to stand on the road and have 5,000 birds of 80 species fly by your knees in a morning,” Dr. Ryan Terrill said.

It’s also one of the only morning “flight spots” on the West Coast (out of very few in the entire world), offering learning opportunities, such as how timing, weather, climate, sex, age, and other factors affect migratory patterns. The area attracts as many as 13,000 tanagers, orioles, buntings, grosbeaks, and warblers on a single day.

Trip Details:

Wednesday evening at Hotel Lexen, we will have a small group get-together to go over the week and have time to mingle. The group will leave for Bear Divide by van from Hotel Lexen Newhall in downtown Santa Clarita at 5:30 am on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings. We plan to stay there for several hours or until migration slows.  Optional additional birding excursions will be offered in the afternoons, or you can explore the area at your leisure. A special presentation by Dr. Ryan Terrill is planned for Thursday evening.

Included: breakfast and lunch, transportation to Bear Divide, and optional excursions

Not included: airfare, airport transfers, hotel, dinners.

Trip Cost: $1500 per person.

Travel arrangement notes:

Flights: We recommend flying into Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), which is significantly closer to Hotel Lexen than LAX. Please note that ultra-low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines offers direct flights from Medford to Burbank on Wednesday, April 24th, and back on Saturday, April 27th. (KBO does not endorse Avelo or any other airline.)

Hotel: KBO has reserved a block of rooms at Hotel Lexen (24219 Railroad Ave, Santa Clarita, CA) for participants. You will provide payment to the hotel on your arrival Wednesday. The cost of a reserved room is $550. You can call and reserve your own room at Hotel Lexen or another hotel nearby if you want.

Registration: 2024 Bear Divide

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Price: $1,500.00

Opportunities for the 2024 Field Season with Klamath Bird Observatory

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Klamath Call Note.

Stationed in Ashland in southern Oregon’s beautiful Rogue Valley, Klamath Bird Observatory utilizes the role of birds as indicators to conduct high-caliber science to inform and improve natural resource management. Through our work conducting avian research, we have a wide variety of field technician positions available for the 2024 field season that span across the Pacific Northwest and range from long-term monitoring to species-specific studies. Our field technician positions offer an exciting opportunity to conduct on the ground research, develop a comprehensive understanding of avian research methods, and contribute to the collective knowledge of bird conservation. Listed below are some of the unique opportunities that we have lined up for our upcoming 2024 season.

Riparian Bird Monitoring

Klamath Bird Observatory is seeking a Field Technician position in our bird monitoring and research program at riparian restoration sites along the North and South Forks of the Salmon River in northern California. Primary duties are spot-mapping surveys to delineate territories of riparian songbird species, observing pairs to determine the reproductive stage (Vickery Index), conducting vegetation surveys, and data entry. Some training may occur in Ashland, OR, before fieldwork near Sawyers Bar and Forks of Salmon, CA. Field work will start ~April 29th and continue until ~July 12th (exact dates to be determined). More information can be found here.

Vesper Sparrow Field Technician

As part of our Oregon Vesper Sparrow research program, we are conducting an inventory of the size and distribution of Vesper Sparrow populations in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument to assess population status and potential conservation actions for this imperiled subspecies. Klamath Bird Observatory is seeking to fill a Field Technician position to conduct transect surveys in meadow and oak-prairie habitat in the Monument and complete associated data entry. The Field Technician will survey for Vesper Sparrows by sight and sound in different locations in and around the Monument, sampling along off-road transects following standard protocols. Field work will start ~April 29th and continue until ~July 3rd (exact dates to be determined). More information can be found here.

Banding Internship

Klamath Bird Observatory seeks highly motivated individuals to participate in our long-term landbird monitoring program. This position requires independent drive and patience for the travails of fieldwork but also affords a fantastic opportunity to build practical experience in field biology and master a variety of bird monitoring and research skills in a beautiful part of the country. Training and duties will include mist netting and banding of passerines and near passerines; bird surveying; data quality assurance, entry, and management; and public outreach and education participation. Non-field duties include study and discussion of banding curriculum, equipment maintenance, field station upkeep, and data entry. Field work will begin May 1st and continue until October 31st with an option to start August 1st. More information can be found here.

Point Count Technician

We are hiring seasonal field technicians for the 2024 breeding season to complete avian point count surveys throughout the ecologically diverse and beautiful southern Oregon, eastern Oregon, and/or northern California regions. Technicians will conduct work related to multiple projects, including monitoring the effects of oak and conifer forest restoration on species distributions and long-term monitoring on both private and public lands. Primary responsibilities will include conducting multispecies avian point count surveys, vegetation sampling along off-road transects following standard protocols, and associated data entry. Field work will take place April 29th through July 19th. More information can be found here.

Loggerhead Shrike Field Technician

We are also seeking a Field Technician to monitor territories and nests of Loggerhead Shrikes at the Boardman Conservation Area near Boardman, OR. Primary duties include surveying grids in sagebrush habitat to locate shrike territories (up to 8 miles off-trail hiking per day), finding and monitoring shrike nests, completing vegetation surveys at nest sites, and data entry. The best-qualified applicants will also have basic ArcGIS skills (e.g., importing GPS points and creating territory maps). Shared field housing is available in Ione, OR. The field season will take place from April 1 – June 30. Click here to learn more.

Brazil Trip Registration Open

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Klamath Call Note, Conservation, Trips & Events.

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

Jaime Stephens, KBO Director of Conservation and Luiza Figueira, Mantiqueira Bird Observatory Executive Director

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 20-29, 2024. During the trip, you will:

      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

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. Final payment is due 6 months before 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 11 participants; some activities will be split into smaller groups. We reserve the right to cancel before February 20th if the trip does not have a minimum number of attendees. Trip activities will include moderate walking, sometimes on uneven trails, and away from facilities for half to full days.

2024 Trip Itinerary

Check out a presentation about the upcoming 2024 Brazil Trip here.

Registration is still open. If you want to register or have questions, email Elva at ejm@klamathbird.org.