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Tag: Great Grey Owl

Flock to these September KBO events

You are not going to want to miss this month’s events

Photo by Peter Thiemann

There is still time to sign up for the free hybrid Great Grey Owl talk by Harry Fuller. This is happening at the KBO office in Ashland on September 22nd at 6 p.m. and via Zoom. He will be selling his Great Grey Owl book and his most recent publication, Birding Harney County.

You can register here.

 

 


The last bird banding outing of the year is happening on September 28th. We will be traveling to the Upper Klamath to witness scientists in action. Fall migration is here, and you aren’t going to want to miss seeing these migrants up close and personal. This is great for bird lovers of all ages. Plus, your $75 donation helps support our intern program, which has hosted over 300 interns from around the world.

You can register here.

 


We are excited to welcome Wyatt Williams, Invasive Species Specialist with the Forest Health Unit of Oregon Department of Forestry, as the guest speaker for the KSON Quarterly meeting on September 21st from 1:00-2:30 (virtual).

Mediterranean oak borer, pest of oaks, arrives to Oregon — Mediterranean oak borer (MOB) is a tiny wood-boring ambrosia beetle that is a known pest of cork oak in Europe. Like other ambrosia beetles, MOB is a “fungus farmer” carrying various species of fungi from tree to tree, where it inoculates the wood in host trees and grows food for its developing larvae. Usually, ambrosia beetles are thought of as beneficial insects, as the decay fungi help break down and recycle large amounts of wood from fallen trees and branches. However, some fungal species turn out to be pathogenic to host trees, and in the case of MOB, one particular fungal associate, Raffaelea montetyii, is capable of killing some species of North American oaks. In 2018, an Oregon Department of Forestry insect trap picked up the first known MOB specimen in Oregon. Simultaneously in 2018, an unknown agent was killing hundreds of valley oak
(Quercus lobata) in central California. In 2019, the culprit was identified as MOB. Since 2019, researchers in California have verified in controlled experiments that the fungal species is capable of killing Oregon white oak. Since 2018, MOB has spread to three counties in California, killing thousands of valley oak. In Oregon, traps set by the Oregon Department of Agriculture confirms that the insect occurs in four counties of the Willamette Valley and earlier in 2023, the first infestation of Oregon white oak was observed at Sandy River Delta near Troutdale. State and federal agencies are on the lookout for additional infested trees. I will go over the signs and symptoms of MOB and its fungal associates, as well as introduce how to report oak trees to state authorities that are suspected of being attacked by MOB. The detection of MOB in Oregon, and indeed North America, is still relatively new, and we have a lot to learn. MOB could
develop into a major pest of Oregon white oak, or it could be another exotic species that will have moderate or low risk to oaks. We need more field data to assess the risk of MOB to Oregon white oak and other related species.

Zoom information follows:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83927418735?pwd=U1NaUUlYYkR1ZnVidmlXZlhmZnB6QT09


Cover photo, flock of least sandpipers, by Frank Lospalluto

Great Grey Owl Talk by Harry Fuller

Photo by Peter Thiemann

Great Gray Owls are scarce over much of the range shown in typical field guides or online range maps. There are small regions within their overall range where they are more numerous. In this, they are like many birds that are very picky about habitat and food supply—Pinyon Jays, MacGillivray’s Warblers, and Green-tailed Towhees.

Jackson County is most likely the southernmost hotspot for great grays. There might be as many great grays here as in all of California, where they are state-designated endangered species. There has never been a confirmed sighting in Siskiyou County, which is only a few miles from where owls breed in this county. Likely there are many more great grays in Oregon than in Washington State. In Europe, the species is found primarily in boreal forests. Along the Pacific Slope, they occur in small numbers as far south as Fresno County.

Why are they here? How do they behave? Survive? Deal with humans? What does climate change portend?

Date and Time: September 22nd at 6 pm

Location: Klamath Bird Observatory office in Ashland, Zoom option available

Cost: FREE

Great Grey Owl book and Harry’s most recent publication, Birding Harney County will be available for sale during the event.

Harry FullerBefore his retirement, Harry managed TV and Internet newsrooms in San Francisco and London. He has written three natural history books, including Great Gray Owl in California, Oregon, and Washington, and San Francisco’s Natural History, Sand Dunes to Streetcars. Harry also contributed to a chapter about Common Nighthawks in Edge of Awe, an anthology of essays about Malheur National Wildlife Refuge published by Oregon State University Press in 2019. He has been leading bird trips and teaching birding classes since the 1990s.  See Harry’s birding journal online here.


Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO) follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, and as such, KBO events are offered with COVID-19 safety as a primary concern. Proof of “up-to-date” vaccination will be required for all in-person participants. Upon registration, all individuals attending an in-person event must also fill out KBO’s COVID Release Form and Waiver of Liability. Paper copies may also be available at an event upon advanced request. Please do not attend the event if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.


Fall FUNdraising and Outreach Events

 The Klamath Bird Observatory board members are excited to introduce our fall outreach and FUNdraising events.

Let’s Talk Bird Series

Shannon Rio, KBO Board President

Join Shannon Rio for three weeks of classes, chatting about our local birds and ending with a field trip. Powerpoint presentations will include, for example, a deep dive into a specific group of birds like woodpeckers and learning fun bird factoids. We will explore the use of a variety of bird guides and info books. This class is collaborative and interactive and meant to be fun. We will meet at noon for 1 1/2 hours, so bring a sack lunch along with your curiosity. Please bring your favorite guidebook for referencing the species we are learning about and sharing with the group. The class will be capped off with an all-day outing to use what you have learned.

Dates: September 11th, 18th, 25th, and field trip on Sep 30th or Oct 1st.

Location: KBO Office in Ashland

Fee: $100 suggested donation

Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO) follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, and as such, KBO events are offered with COVID-19 safety as a primary concern. Proof of “up-to-date” vaccination will be required for all in-person participants. Upon registration, all individuals attending an in-person event must also fill out KBO’s COVID Release Form and Waiver of Liability. Paper copies may also be available at an event upon advanced request. Please do not attend the event if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

Register Here


Save The Dates

Registration for these events will open approximately one month before the event day. Mark your calendars now, and keep an eye out for the emails.

Great Grey Owl Talk with Harry Fuller – September 22nd, 6 pm, at the KBO Office – Free, signed Great Grey Owl books available for purchase

Walk Into Ashland Past with Jeff LaLande – October 7th & 14th at 11:30 am. The walk starts at the Ashland Library – $75 per person

Field Trip to Scott Valley with Dick Ashford – October 21st – $40 per person

Field Trip to the Klamath Basin with Dick Ashford – November 4th – $40 per person

Klamath Basin Raptor ID Class and Field Trip with Dick Ashford – December 7th and 9th – $75 per person

 

Conservation Assessment for Great Grey Owl

Great Grey OwlThe goal of this Conservation Assessment is to summarize existing information regarding the biology and ecology of the Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa), threats to the species, and management considerations, and to provide information to land managers to assist in the formulation of options for management activities. The species is of concern in Washington due to the low number of observations and limited information on breeding pairs. Source habitat for this species appears to have undergone significant losses in quality/function in large areas of Washington state.

The Conservation Assessment document can be searched for and found on the Interagency Species Status/Sensitive Species Program.

Interagency Special Status Sensitive Species Program

The Interagency Special Status / Sensitive Species Program (ISSSSP) is an interagency program between the Pacific Northwest Regional Office of the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon/Washington State Office of the Bureau of Land Management for the conservation and management of rare species (those that meet agency criteria for inclusion on sensitive and special status lists, whether or not they are federally listed as Threatened or Endangered). Conservation Assessments for ISSSSP species have been created through collaborations of many partners, including Klamath Bird Observatory. KBO has taken the lead in writing Conservation Assessments for the Great Gray Owl, Harlequin Duck, and Purple Martin (western subspecies).

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