The ‘I’iwi was one of several Hawaiian honeycreepers in the study. Photo from the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Hawaii March 2012 (© Noah Kahn/USFWS).

Native Hawaiian birds are renowned for their beauty and unique evolutionary history, where numerous species rely on native plants for food in the form of nectar and fruit. Many of these important native plants that provision food for birds rely on climatic cues – such as rain and temperature – to time their flowering and fruiting activity. Understanding how birds respond to climatically-induced changes in their food web represents an important step towards predicting the effects of climate change on vulnerable wildlife species.

To better understand these complex relationships, Klamath Bird Observatory research associate, Dr. Jared Wolfe, and KBO research advisor, Dr. C. John Ralph, used data collected from the Big Island of Hawaii to measure long-term relationships between changes in climate, fruit and flower production, and the timing of breeding and molting in native and non-native birds. Their results were recently published in the scientific journal Ecology in a paper titled “Bottom-up Processes Influence the Demography and Life-cycle Phenology of Hawaiian Bird Communities”.

“Flower and fruit abundance at our study site were strongly affected by seasonal changes in rain, which had cascading effects on the timing of important lifecycle events of birds, such as breeding seasonality”. says lead author Wolfe. “Our results suggest that changes in climate can cascade up the food chain and strongly affect wildlife at higher trophic levels.”

Results from the analysis suggest that three native birds that commonly feed on nectar, the ʻiʻiwi, ʻapapane and Hawaiʻi ʻamakihi, all timed their breeding season with the availability of ʻōhiʻa lehua flowers, which in-turn, used heavy rains to time flowering activity.

“Our project is one of the first from Hawaii to combine long-term climate, plant phenology and bird monitoring data to disentangle these complex trophic relationships” says co-author Ralph. “These types of studies are rare because they rely on long-term and labor-intensive field work. But, findings from long-term studies such as this one are critically important because they provide insights into how changes in climate might affect native Hawaiian birds.”

CLICK HERE to view/download a “Bottom-up Processes Influence the “Demography and Life-cycle Phenology of Hawaiian Bird Communities” by Wolfe, Ralph, and Wiegardt.

A young birder getting started early © Rael Hodges 2018

The Year of the Bird July call to action is to take a child into nature. Even with school out, summer is a great time to learn! Spending time with children outside, and discovering new things, may spark a lifelong passion and value of environmental stewardship—plus it’s an easy and cheap venue for fun!

Today, children are spending less and less time outdoors. A Nature Conservancy poll showed that only about 10% of kids spend time outside every day. Studies have shown that bird watching and other outdoor recreation activity can help kids build creativity, attention span, confidence, and happier and healthier lives.

To help the young people in your life get started early as a birder visit this National Geographic page for some great family friendly birding activities such as “Being a Detective” to identify a species or discover where birds live. You can also visit Klamath Bird Observatory’s K-12 Education Curriculum, programming in science and outdoor education that align with state and national standards. Use this month’s call to action to get the children in your life out into nature.

CLICK HERE to visit the National Geographic Society’s website for information about helping young people in your life get started early as birders.

CLICK HERE to visit KBO’s K-12 Education Curriculum with science- and place-based programming and materials available for download.

If you haven’t already heard, 2018 is Year of the Bird! The National Geographic Society is celebrating the centenary of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act with a year-long celebration of birds. Dozens of Year of the Bird partners, including Klamath Bird Observatory, are coordinating Year of the Bird activities.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the Year of the Bird at the National Geographic Society’s website.

KBO at the OCF 2017

Klamath Bird Observatory will again join in the festivities at the Oregon Country Fair (OCF) this year. The uniquely-Oregon arts, crafts, music, and well-being fair takes place July 13-15.

KBO shares an information booth with the Master Gardeners in Community Village—look for the Yellow-breasted Chats! We will lead a morning Birds of the Fair walk and we are a joyful participant in the OCF StewardShip Program as a Passport Station. OCF’s StewardShip Program celebrates the Fair’s sustainability and philanthropy. Check out the full line up of workshops and performances at the Stewardship in Xavanadu and to participate in the OCF Scavenger Hunt. Stop by our booth to learn about the Birds of the Fair and get your StewardShip Passport Book stamped!

CLICK HERE to visit the OCF website for information about the fair’s circus, comedy, dance, poetry, and musical lineups, activities and workshops, food, and nearby lodging.

About the Oregon Country Fair (from OCF website):

The Oregon Country Fair (OCF) creates events and experiences that nourish the spirit, explore living artfully and authentically on earth, and transform culture in magical, joyous and healthy ways.

The OCF is an annual three-day festival offering the finest in entertainment, hand-made crafts, delectable food and information sharing. The Fair takes place in Veneta, Oregon, about 15 miles west of Eugene. The Fair takes place in a wooded setting with its own water and communication systems, security team, recycling service, and much, much more. We enjoy a mutually cooperative relationship with our neighbors and a solid niche in the Veneta community. Started in 1969 as a benefit for an alternative school, the OCF has a rich and varied history of alternative arts and performance promotion, educational opportunities, land stewardship and philanthropy.

KBO donors conservation birding at the Malhuer Wildlife Refuge (c) K Gooding

Dear KBO Friends and Supporters,

Please Contribute to our 2018 Membership Drive.

Thank you KBO Community, for your sustained financial support of KBO. We recognize and appreciate the choice you make by donating to Klamath Bird Observatory — your contributions encourage and inspire us. As a non-profit, KBO relies heavily on federal and state funding, however private donations are a key part of the revenues that help us achieve our science-driven mission.

As we are well into our 2018 field season we continue to seize opportunities to advance bird and habitat conservation through science, education, and partnerships. We are also now facing a new set of challenges — extreme changes in federal funding are putting our work at risk, making private sector support more important than ever. Therefore, the success of our annual spring membership drive is critical. Please support KBO by contributing to our spring membership drive. Your donations support our success.

Your contributions support our research and long-term monitoring.

• Our results recently informed the expansion of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and influenced improved management of this protected area. The science is now a key tool for defending our Monument.
• Our science is also elucidating details about unique threats to birds here in our region. For example, forest birds appear to be in steeper decline here in the Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion, as compared to the broader Pacific Northwest region. This makes our science relating to forest protection and restoration that much more critical.

Your contributions support our collaborative approach to bird conservation.

• Jaime Stephens (KBO Science Director) was just recognized for her exceptional contributions to the field of bird conservation with the Partners in Flight International Leadership Award. Jaime’s active collaboration with land managers ensures that our science translates into conservation success. She is using science to put oak woodland and forest restoration on-the-ground on both private and public lands.

Your contributions support our education programs.

• We are building generations of conservation practitioners. Over the past 20 years we have trained and mentored more than 250 student interns from 18 countries. They are now working to advance conservation as young leaders at universities, natural resource management agencies, and NGOs throughout the world.
• Our Community Education programming offers a diversity of learning opportunities that foster an appreciation for birds and an interest in conservation. These include our regular Talk and Walk series of classes and our outreach at festivals throughout the region.

Please support our successful science-driven bird conservation. Right now, your support is critical!

Make your tax-deductible membership donation online (CLICK HERE) or by mailing your donation with our membership form (CLICK HERE FOR OUR MEMBERSHIP FORM) at Klamath Bird Observatory, PO Box 758, Ashland, Oregon.

Thank you,

John D. Alexander, Ph.D, Executive Director

Shannon Rio, President, Board of Directors

Crater Lake National Park and Klamath Bird Observatory will present a bird ecology program series this summer and into the fall. These park ranger-led programs will feature a visit to KBO’s bird monitoring station within Crater Lake National Park.

The programs will be on Thursdays, but not every Thursday—please check the Crater Lake bird banding visit flyer for scheduled dates. The first program is next Thursday June 28!

Luiza Figueria Rodrigues examining a Steller’s Jay (KBO banding intern and visiting research scholar 2015-2017). (c) KBO 2018

Don’t miss this opportunity to visit KBO’s biologists in the field, see the birds they are studying up close—guided by an expert park ranger.

Click here to view the Crater Lake bird banding visit flyer with more information and how to register for these special events.

KBO is also offering public visits to another of our bird monitoring station in the Upper Klamath Lake area by arrangement. Email Bob Frey for more information.

Great Blue Heron about to swallow a fish inside a plastic bag. Photo by Andrea Westmoreland from Wikimedia Commons.

It is June in the Year of the Bird and this month’s Call to Action is to Skip the Plastic. Our use of plastics has far out-stripped our ability and motivation to keep it out of natural environments. The accumulation of discarded plastic is both plain to see and nearly invisible almost everywhere, creating an acute problem for all life on Earth.

But we are in a time of change—there is real traction around this issue at the individual level and among policy makers and industry leaders. Innovators are offering solutions to municipal waste management and creative ways to repurpose trash.

This month, Year of the Bird spotlights this issue because of the acute challenge it presents to bird conservation. From the National Geographic Society’s Call to Action …

Why is plastic a problem for birds?
• The threat to birds is severe: 90 percent of seabirds eat plastic and virtually every one will be consuming it by 2050. Flesh-footed Shearwaters eat more plastic as a proportion of their body mass than any other marine animal.
• The problem is growing: Scientists have been tracking plastic ingestion by seabirds for decades. In 1960, plastic was found in the stomachs of fewer than five percent, but by 1980, it had jumped to 80 percent. World plastic production has increased exponentially from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 162 million in 1993 to 448 million by 2015!

How can we all help solve the problem?
• Shop with reusable bags. Shoppers in the United States use almost one plastic bag per resident per day. Shoppers in Denmark use an average of four per year.
• Recycle—this old idea is still far from common place. The United States recycles just 9 percent of its plastic trash.
• Properly dispose of your own trash and pick up litter when you can. Join or organize a community park or beach clean-up.
• Do not purchase plastic bottles and start carrying a reusable straw. Bottles take 450 years to biodegrade.
• Avoid products with plastic packaging and buy in bulk. The largest market for plastics today is packaging materials—most of it never gets recycled or incinerated.

To learn more about this tragic problem and what we can all do to help solve it …

CLICK HERE to view the National Geographic Society’s Nearly Every Seabird on Earth Is Eating Plastic article.

CLICK HERE to view the National Geographic Society’s Reducing Plastic as a Family Is Easy article.

CLICK HERE to view the National Audubon Society’s Eight Easy Ways to Reduce Your Plastic Waste article.

CLICK HERE to view some of Photographer Mandy Barker’s artwork using discarded plastic in the ocean, on beaches, and inside seabirds.

If you haven’t already heard, 2018 is Year of the Bird! The National Geographic Society is celebrating the centenary of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act with a year-long celebration of birds. Dozens of Year of the Bird partners, including Klamath Bird Observatory, are coordinating Year of the Bird activities.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the Year of the Bird at the National Geographic Society’s website.

Western Tanager © 2018 Jim Livaudais

Migratory birds live complex lives—spending parts of their year in places hundreds or thousands of miles apart and in different habitats. Ornithologists face challenges at least equally complex in their study of these far-ranging and fleeting creatures. So it should not be surprising that they find ways to collaborate … and to migrate great distances in is this pursuit of understanding.

Daveka Boodram with Purple Honeycreeper in Trinidad (2003 KBO banding intern). © KBO 2018

Klamath Bird Observatory has long recognized the value of international engagement. Since 1999 we have worked to build the capacity of like-minded individuals, organizations, and networks dedicated to the conservation of the birds we share. Through our international internships, training workshops, partner bird observatory support and mentoring, and collaborative network participation, we plant seeds and help grow bird conservation efforts that have taken root all over the world.

KBO has hosted 54 interns from 17 countries over the past 20 years. Many of these individuals are now engaged in careers that are creating exchange opportunities for information and training, and participating in international bird conservation organizations, partnerships, and networks. Our high-impact training opportunities have been possible only through partnerships with the US Forest Service International Programs, Oregon State University’s and Southern Oregon University’s International Programs, National Park Service’s Park Flight Migratory Bird Program, and with KBO member donations. KBO biologists have completed migrations as instructors to banding training workshops in nine countries outside the US—gatherings where we have met many of our interns and partners. And KBO is a close partner with bird observatories in Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico, and an active partner in several international information networks.

Luiza Figueria Rodrigues examining a Steller’s Jay (KBO banding intern and visiting research scholar 2015-2017). © KBO 2018

One of the collaborative networks in which we are closely involved is the North American Bird Conservation Initiative. Their current newsletter features the article “The Value of International Engagement for Birds and People” by Environment for the Americas ornithologist Carol Beidleman. The article highlights the considerable achievements and wide-ranging impacts of the NPS Park Flight Migratory Bird Program.

Migratory birds live their lives oblivious to the borderlines people have drawn all over the world. As scientists and conservationists, we need to continue in finding ways to freely exchange information, ideas, and people across those lines to better understand and so more effectively help these international travelers—our foretelling ‘canaries in the coal mine’ for environmental well-being.

CLICK HERE and HERE to view collections of previous Klamath Call Note posts about our international capacity building programming.

CLICK HERE to view the North American Bird Conservation Initiative’s Important News from the U.S. NABCI Committee article “The Value of International Engagement for Birds and People”.

White-faced Ibis flying over the Gorge near Diamond, Oregon 2017 by Kirk Gooding

MALHEUR BIRDING EXPEDITION—led by Harry Fuller

Our always popular Malheur birding trip is scheduled for June 2^nd-5^th, 2018! This five-day and four-night eastern Oregon birding expedition will begin with birding from Ashland to Summer Lake, exploring surrounding wildlife areas, and stay at the Summer Lake Lodge. On the second day we will arrive at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge—birding this special area the next three days with accommodations at Crystal Crane Hot Springs those three nights. Bring your swim suit as we will study the night sky from the warmth of the hot spring pool in the evenings (optional of course). One night we will have dinner at the famous Diamond Hotel. Dinners will include tallies of our birds for the day.

Some of the species we hope to see: Cinnamon Teal, Trumpeter Swan, White-faced Ibis, Sandhill Crane, Ferruginous and Swainson’s hawks, Bald and Golden eagles, nesting Long-billed Curlew, Wilson’s Phalarope and Wilson’s Snipe, Franklin’s Gull, Black Tern, Prairie Falcon, Great Horned and Barn owls, Common Nighthawk, Loggerhead Shrike, Eastern Kingbird, Gray Flycatcher, Say’s Phoebe, Black-billed Magpie, Rock and Canyon wrens, Sage Thrasher, Mountain Bluebird, Sagebrush and Brewer’s sparrows, and Yellow-headed Blackbird. We have seen as many as 142 species on this trip in the past.

2017 Malheur Birding Expedition by Kirk Gooding

Cost of the trip is $575 which includes modest accommodations, dinners, transportation (a small van will be available plus there will be room in vehicles), and the expert guiding of birding extraordinaire and bird guidebook author Harry Fuller. $300 of this will be a tax deductible contribution to the Klamath Bird Observatory so not only will you have a fantastic adventure in a very special part of the world, you’ll contribute to bird and habitat conservation efforts.

Participants will need to bring breakfast and lunches. Sign up by contacting Shannon Rio at shannonrio@aol.com or call her at 541-840-4655.

The Wilson’s Warbler is a long-distance migrant that makes short-distance upslope movements after the breeding season to undergo molt at higher elevations. Photo by Michael Woodruff.

Birds in the western United States time their breeding and molting (annual replacement of feathers) behaviors with seasonally abundant food resources. Understanding how birds move across the western landscape to acquire the food they need to successfully breed and molt represent critical pieces of information for wildlife managers.

To measure bird movements in the western United States, researchers from Klamath Bird Observatory and U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station have been capturing and marking birds throughout northern California and southern Oregon. These data have now been used to analyze movements of breeding and molting birds to better understand the habitat requirements of multiple species throughout their annual life-cycle.

“After the breeding season, many species were found to move away from their breeding grounds before they began molting” says Jared Wolfe, co-author and KBO research associate. “My graduate student leading this research, Andrew Wiegardt, and I, in addition to the KBO scientific team, believe that dry, late-summer environments prevent many birds from remaining on their breeding grounds late in the season. To find the insect and fruit-rich habitats necessary to molt, many birds left their breeding territories and made small-scale movements to environments with more food, such as wet meadows and riparian forest”.

Results from this recent research highlight that most migratory species are reliant on multiple locations and habitats in northern California and southern Oregon to breed and molt prior to fall migration. For long-distance migrants, such as Wilson’s Warblers, these different locations used for breeding and molting often occurred on an altitudinal gradient where birds tended to breed in lower elevations during the spring, and then moved upslope to molt at higher elevations late in the summer.

The findings of this study were published in the March 2017 issue of Journal of Field Ornithology and the October 2017 issue of Ecology and Evolution.

***

KBO Research Associate Dr. Jared Wolfe received his BS and MS from Humboldt State University. He completed his PhD at Louisiana State University studying landscape demography of Amazonian birds. Dr. Wolfe is a science advisor for Costa Rica Bird Observatories, co-founder of the Louisiana Bird Observatory, North American Banding Council certified trainer and current board member serving as a trainer-at-large, and a permitted master bander in the USA and Brazil. He regularly coordinates bird monitoring and statistical workshops in the USA, Costa Rica, Peru and Brazil. Dr. Wolfe is an Assistant Professor at Michigan Tech University.

Jared’s affiliation with KBO has been long and fruitful, resulting in multiple scientific publications focused on migratory and resident bird demography as well as the influence of climate on migratory bird condition, molt patterns and novel ageing systems for tropical birds.

It’s May in the Year of the Bird and our call to action is Global Big Day! Saturday May 5th is the day people all over the world will be watching birds and putting them on the world map via eBird.

What to do: Look for birds and report what you find at eBird.org in this exciting 24-hour quest to collectively record as many bird species as possible across the world.

How to do it: Watch birds on May 5th –any time from midnight to midnight in your local time zone. It’s that simple. You don’t need to be a bird expert, or go out all day long.
• Get an eBird account if you don’t already have one: eBird is a worldwide bird checklist program used by hundreds of thousands of birders. It’s what allows us to compile everyone’s sightings into a single massive Global Big Day list—while at the same time collecting the data for scientists to use to better understand birds. It’s free. Log your sightings on the eBird website or download the eBird app, for maximum ease-of-use.
• Watch the sightings roll in: During the day, keep an eye on how the lists are growing in different parts of the world. Follow along with sightings from more than 150 countries, including the Cornell Lab’s Team Sapsucker in Colombia, Honduras, and California. Stats will be updated in real-time on our Global Big Day page.

Pro Birder Tips for Big Day Success:
• Explore eBird Hotspots near you.
• Put your birding plans on the worldwide Global Big Day map.
• Get together with friends and set a goal for your birding—most unusual species? Biggest flock? All the species in your favorite family? The possibilities are endless.
• Take photos and add them to your checklist—they might end up on the Global Big Day page!

Why do it?
• Put your birds on the map! Your sightings become part of a global snapshot that helps track the numbers, health, and movements of birds for scientists and conservationists.
• It helps other birders: your data feeds migration forecasts, species checklists, and hotspot maps that are free for all.
• 20,000 bird watchers around the world will be on a 24-hour birding binge; count yourself in their ranks.
• In 2017, bird watchers recorded an incredible 65% of all the bird species on the planet. Can we set a new record?

CLICK HERE to learn more about Global Big Day and eBird.

And don’t miss World Migratory Bird Day! There are 1,200 events happening around the world in 200 cities on Saturday May 12, including two KBO is part of—Rogue Valley Bird Day and the Global Migratory Bird Day Birdwatching Field Trip in Shasta Valley Wildlife Area.

CLICK HERE to view the Rogue Valley Bird Day 2018 flyer.

CLICK HERE to view the Shasta Valley Birdwatching Field Trip 2018 flyer.

Of course the invaluable citizen science wonder that is eBird is bigger than Global Big Day—watch the birds any day and let your observations add to our body of knowledge, empowering bird conservation science through eBird. Every bird counts so count all your birds!