Overview
A conservation planning framework that applies what we know about birds as indicators of forest structure and composition can inform landscape level planning and stand level restoration. Such planning strives to achieve restoration goals that benefit entire forests and the animals that inhabit them. We selected focal bird species that are representative of old growth forest conditions, and then, within the focal species framework we included the needs of priority wildlife and plant species. By cross-walking a focal and priority species approach, we identify current and desired conditions, recommend prescription components, and implement monitoring to measure treatment effectiveness. Klamath Bird Observatory has partnered with the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe, and Puget Sound Bird Observatory to form a technical advisory team which is working side by side with the Regional Forest Service Avian Conservation Program Manager and USDA Forest Service Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest staff to inform restoration planning. Collectively, this team has integrated focal species needs into planning for the South Fork Stillaguamish Vegetation Project and designed a robust monitoring strategy to measure ecological outcomes.

This vegetation project is occurring in densely stocked Late Successional Reserves (areas set aside to provide old growth habitat). The Forest has identified ~3000 acres where commercial thinning of trees <80 years of age would be both feasible and beneficial to old growth dependent species within a project area of 65,000 acres. Restoration goals are to promote stand development and characteristics of old forests, e.g. broadleaf plants, structural diversity, standing dead trees, and coarse woody debris on the ground. Thus, thinning is designed to promote tree species diversity, structural complexity, and understory cover at the treatment site and contribute to landscape scale goals for Late Successional Reserve habitat diversity over the long-term.

KBO staff discuss current forest conditions with Forest Service foresters and biologists and additional partners working together to design this restoration project.

Prioritizing where restoration would have the largest impact
At the onset of the partnership, the technical advisory team looked at areas that the Forest had assessed for potential restoration and identified the upper South Fork Stillaguamish drainage as a conservation priority. The area is designated as a Late Successional Reserve and is currently comprised largely of second growth stands that are adjacent to large contiguous stands of mature and old growth forest. Forest restoration treatments that accelerate the development of older forest characteristics will have added value in this landscape by reducing fragmentation and creating larger blocks of priority forest age structure. Klamath Bird Observatory applied avian climate models and determined that this area is a good candidate for climate smart restoration — that is, the desired conditions align with what climate models project for the area over the next 50-100 years. The upper South Fork Stillaguamish drainage also lends itself well to monitoring — it has good road access, a reasonable number of replicates for treatment and control stands with similar vegetation and age structure, and is a reasonable size to implement both stand and landscape level monitoring.

Integrating the Partners in Flight Conservation Planning Framework
The technical advisory team worked with the forest planning team to inform restoration planning, including stand level treatment prescriptions. Klamath Bird Observatory, working closely with the Regional Forest Service Avian Conservation Program Manager, applied focal species information from applicable Partners in Flight conservation plans. We identified current and desired conditions based on a suite of focal landbird species indicative of specific stand attributes, structure, and condition. Tribal partners identified additional plant and wildlife species that are management and/or cultural priorities in the planning area. Collectively, working within the sideboards of the Forest Service environmental assessment, we established measurable habitat objectives to achieve desired habitat conditions based on the habitat needs of focal species.

Because focal species informed planning, we applied the same approach to develop a short and long term monitoring strategy that will measure treatment effectiveness and inform adaptive management. Klamath Bird Observatory worked with the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians to design site and landscape scale monitoring. By measuring changes in bird communities and vegetation we will be able to assess whether restoration treatments have the desired result, and because a suite of birds serve as indicators of various forest components, we will be able to assess whether the forest is on a trajectory toward older forest conditions over the next 20-50 years. The Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians in partnership with the Puget Sound Bird Observatory are completing bird and vegetation monitoring, in part, through citizen science. Achieving long-term monitoring goals is dependent on partnerships, and this project provides a great example of how various organizations can bring expertise to the table to accomplish goals in a cost effective manner. Data are being contributed to Avian Knowledge Northwest, a regional node of the Avian Knowledge Network and thus, also contributing to this larger avian data collaboration with the potential to inform regional management challenges and conservation planning at even broader scales.

Front and back cover of Molt in Neotropical Birds: Life History and Aging Criteria. Image provided by CRC Press.

The Amazon rainforest hosts 15% of the world’s bird species. Despite the staggering diversity of birds, relatively little is known about their natural history. To better understand the timing of life cycle events such as breeding and molting seasonality of Amazonian birds, a team of biologists began a long-term monitoring project in 1978 in the north region of Brazil. Findings from this impressive study are featured in a forthcoming book titled Molt in Neotropical Birds: Life History and Aging Criteria by Drs. Erik Johnson and Jared Wolfe.

“In addition to over a decade of personal research experience in the Amazon, we relied on the long-term dataset to document breeding and molting patterns for nearly 190 bird species, representing 37 families” says Dr. Wolfe, co-author of the book and KBO research associate. “The type of information provided in our book is readily available for birds in North America. Until now, these resources were not available for ornithologists interested in tropical birds.”

The book relies on hundreds of figures and photos to describe breeding seasonality, and unique molt patterns (replacement of feathers) that often vary by age, thereby allowing practitioners to categorize captured birds into age classes. “This book provides the information necessary to determine the age of captured birds, which lays the groundwork for detailed demographic studies of tropical birds” says Dr. Wolfe.

The information detailed in this book is certain to be widely used by ornithologists interested in the natural history, demography and evolution of tropical birds. In his recent Journal of Field Ornithology (Vol. 89:105-107) review, renowned ornithologist Peter Pyle summed “… I consider this an ‘absolute must’ for any student of either avian molt or avian tropical systems, and it has already become one of the eight or so most critical molt‐reference works within immediate reach of my desk.”

Molt in Neotropical Birds: Life History and Aging Criteria is available through CRC Press.

KBO’s Dr. Sarah Rockwell on the cover of The Wildlife Professional

The latest issue of The Wildlife Society’s magazine, The Wildlife Professional, features KBO Research Biologist Sarah Rockwell as its cover girl! The article mentions findings from Dr. Rockwell’s research on one of North America’s rarest songbirds – the Kirtland’s Warbler – conducted when she was a doctoral student at the University of Maryland and Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. It details the story of the recovery of this species from 200 pairs in the 1970s-1980s to over 2,300 today. The article also discusses more recent research efforts to determine the Kirtland’s Warbler’s migratory routes and overwinter habitats, and evaluate whether continued Brown-headed Cowbird control is necessary.

When the Endangered Species Act was passed into law in 1973, the Kirtland’s Warbler was on the initial list of endangered and threatened species. The next challenge facing the Kirtland’s Warbler Conservation Team is to ensure ongoing habitat protection for this conservation-reliant species. This species has been recently proposed for removal from the endangered species list because of successful progress towards population recovery, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will make a decision in 2019.

The Wildlife Professional magazine is available to The Wildlife Society members. CLICK HERE to view this issue’s cover and an issue synopsis.

Snow Geese and rainbow at Klamath Marsh NWR © Kirk Gooding

October 11, Thursday 6:30-8:00pm at Ashland Outdoor Store

Presented by Shannon Rio, President of the Board of Klamath Bird Observatory

The stunning photography and dramatic history of the Birding the Klamath Basin’s National Wildlife Refuges presentation will take us to some of the most amazing wildlife refuges—all within the Klamath Basin right here in our southern Oregon and northern California backyard. One of these, the Lower Klamath, was the nation’s first National Wildlife Refuge, established by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1908 specifically for protection of migratory birds. The Klamath Basin refuges are recognized far and wide for sweeping vistas and spectacular birding.

This presentation is an invitation to visit the Refuges with public access and will include information on how to find them and what glory you might expect to see there. We will also discuss the Federal Duck Stamp’s role in protecting lands for wildlife and encourage the purchase of these stamps that support the Refuge. KBO Executive Director John Alexander will speak briefly on conservation, our wildlife refuges, and how we as individuals can make a difference on their behalf.

This presentation is free. The Outdoor Store is located at 37 North 3rd Street in Ashland, Oregon.

Shannon Rio is a wildlife educator who believes that when we connect with nature, we will naturally want to protect what we love: the birds and wild places.

Klamath Bird Observatory advances bird and habitat conservation through science, education, and partnerships.

KBO Field Technicians Alex Flores and Tessa Wardle paddle to a study site. Photo by Sarah Rockwell

Conducting field research always comes with its fair share of unexpected obstacles, and the 2018 season was no exception. This year KBO began a new partnership with the Salmon River Restoration Council (SRRC) in northern California. The Salmon River has a long history of human impacts, particularly due to mining, and the SRRC has plans to restore several sites along the North and South Forks to

KBO Science Director Jaime Stephens with her Partners in Flight Leadership in Conservation Award at the North American Wildlife & Natural Resources Conference March 27, 2018.

The accomplishments of Klamath Bird Observatory’s Science Director Jaime Stephens have been recognized by the international bird conservation consortium Partners in Flight (PIF)—presenting her with its prestigious Leadership in Conservation Award. The Leadership Award honors an individual or group that demonstrates outstanding guidance and direction that contributes, or has contributed, to advancing Partners in Flight conservation efforts. Jaime accepted the award at the North American Wildlife & Natural Resources Conference in Virginia earlier this year.

In nominating Jaime, colleague Barb Bresson, Regional Avian Program Manager with the US Forest Service and 2013 Leadership Awardee, stated “Jaime exemplifies excellence in leadership as KBO’s Science Director supervising and mentoring a team of incredibly effective, passionate, and productive biologists while also actively engaging and taking on leadership roles in PIF and within other conservation focused initiatives.”

Since her start with KBO in 2002, Jaime has placed her indelible stamp on bird conservation at all scales, local to international. It is the breadth and depth of her accomplishments that prompted this recognition. As Science Director, she directs the science program at KBO, conducting and publishing her own work on bird conservation but collaborates extensively with colleagues on other science. She has been instrumental in driving the discussion on bird data management nationally, has led the way for bird conservation partnerships across the west to greater and more permanent conservation action, and continues to seek new opportunities to improve and align bird conservation. Her effectiveness stems from her steadfast belief in a data-driven approach to bird conservation science, and from her infectious enthusiasm, optimism, and engaging leadership style which brings together partners from similar and disparate groups.

Jaime served as Chair of the Western Working Group of Partners in Flight (WWG) for three years (2012-2015). During her tenure, the WWG established new internal policies of governance lending long-term stability to the organization, expanded the Group’s reach and diversity of participants, and advanced new conservation initiatives which continue today. This is consistent with her steady and reasoned leadership style which engenders trust and credibility. When Jaime talks, people listen. Despite having rotated out of the Chair position, Jaime continues to lend her expertise and experience to the WWG, and continues her strong and positive influence on the direction of the WWG’s conservation initiatives in the west, from Mexico to Canada.

Jaime embodies the mission of Partners in Flight—to advance full life-cycle conservation of landbirds in the Americas via sound science, integrated conservation partnerships, habitat delivery on public and private lands, and targeted citizen outreach. Her accomplishments hold significance. Please join us in congratulations to Jaime for this well-deserved recognition.

Yurok Tribe biologists, Tiana Williams-Claussen and Chris West, examine a captured Turkey Vulture. Photo: Yurok Tribe © 2018.

California Condors are not only the largest avian scavenger in North America, they are a species of cultural significance for the Yurok Tribe of Northern California. Yurok ancestral territory is in the heart of the historical range of California Condors and the tribe has been working with Klamath Bird Observatory research associate, Dr. Jared Wolfe, to assess the feasibility of condor reintroduction. The researchers used Turkey Vultures and Common Ravens as surrogate species to determine the amount of lead and mercury avian scavengers are exposed to in Humboldt and Del Norte counties of Northern California. Their results were published by the American Ornithological Society’s Condor: Ornithological Applications journal as “Feasibility of California Condor recovery in northern California, USA: Contaminants in Surrogate Turkey Vultures and Common Ravens”.

“Lead poisoning is the number one threat to condor recovery thus far and an understanding of exposure in local avian scavengers is crucial prior to establishment of new release sites” says Chris West, Senior Wildlife Biologist with the Yurok Tribe. “Condors ingest lead from scavenging animals or offal from animals that were shot with lead bullets. In addition to lead, mercury exposure from feeding on washed-up marine mammals may represent an additional, at this time unassessed, threat that reintroduced condors must contend with.”

Here are three important highlights from the study:
• Although lead levels detected in ravens were lower than levels detected from a similar study conducted in Wyoming, there was still a significant increase in lead exposure during the hunting season in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.
• Lead detected in vultures and ravens increased with distance from coastline suggesting a connection to the greater availability of inland public lands accessible to hunters in Humboldt and Del Norte counties where the study occurred.
• Mercury detected in vultures and ravens decreased with distance from the coastline indicating that scavenging birds are likely exposed to mercury from marine resources rather than at inland locations in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

“These results highlight some of the conservation challenges associated with condor reintroduction” says Dr. Wolfe. “Recognizing these challenges, the Yurok Tribe has done an excellent job working with the hunting community to switch from lead ammunition to condor friendly non-lead ammunition.”

The researchers believe that continued outreach to hunting communities will limit the amount of lead on the landscape for all avian scavengers and, crucially, for future populations of condors. Hunter outreach and a California-wide ban on the use of lead ammunition for hunting scheduled to go into effect in 2019 may present new opportunities for California Condor recovery in Yurok ancestral territory and beyond.

CLICK HERE to view the paper Feasibility of California Condor recovery in northern California, USA: Contaminants in Surrogate Turkey Vultures and Common Ravens by Christopher J. West, Jared D. Wolfe, Andrew Wiegardt, and Tiana Williams-Claussen.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the Yurok Tribe’s California Condor Reintroduction Program.

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.

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

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”.