Klamath Basin Audubon Society
The Grebe
February/March 2006
KBAS February and March Programs Have Traded Places
"Oregon's Cougars and Wolves" has been changed from February 9 to March 9. "Birds of Middle America" has moved from March 9 to February 9. AND, the focus of both programs has changed. (Times, etc., see Programs)
Dave Larsen, who will be here February 9, has been with the National Park Service since 1994--the last three years at the Lava Beds National Monument. Over these three years he has also managed one of the U. S. Department of Interior's outreach programs--in Peru. (This project, which involves a number of programs, was begun six years ago by the Interior Department to provide technical assistance to other nations.)
Larsen has traveled to Peru three times, visiting some of that country's 56 "protected areas", roughly equivalent to our National Parks He has visited many of Peru's astoundingly varied ecosystems, from the desert seacoast,to highlands on the Andean slopes, to the Amazonian jungle. Some of his observations will surprise you.
Craig Foster will come from the Oregon Fish and Wildlife office in Lakeview to present The March 9 program He will focus on OFW's new Cougar Management Plan. This is a "hot button" issue. The proposed plan, which Foster has been working on from its beginning, is currently drawing fire from both environmental groups and ranching groups, from opposite sides. Can Oregon Fish and Wildlife walk this tightrope for a compromise?
Foster knows every single detail. He's an enthusiastic speaker, will answer tough questions and doesn't mind moderating controversial discussions. However you view cougars, you won't want to miss this program.
Citizen Science Is In! And It's Definitely for the Birds
(Editor's note: August 2000 at the magnificent Sea Life Center in Seward. Alaska. Four other visitors and I watched a real-time cam focused on a Steller's Sea Lion haul-out. Suddenly a killer whale lunged out of the water onto the land, grabbed a lounging sea lion, slid back and disappeared into the ocean with it. Our excitement turned to outrage when this awesome event was not recorded because none of us were "scientists".)
You won't have that problem with birds! Bird watching is very "citizen scientist" friendly. Your observations are eagerly awaited by organization such as Audubon and universities, including Comell. Particularly good for beginners is the "Great Backyard Bird Count", coming soon. (Stories page 3)
All birders enjoy the Christmas Bird Count (Kevin Spencer will order up better weather next year). (Story below) A winter raptor survey covering the whole State of Oregon is taking off and needs volunteers. (Stories below) CorneI's eBird program is open 24/7 and awaits your contributions. (Story below). There's the Fall Migration Count led by Kevin Spencer (see last Grebe at www.klamathaudubon.org), and Project Feeder Watch need more suggestions? Come to a KBAS event and talk with the friendly birders. We'll turn the light on for you.
Drilling in the Alaskan Arctic Wilderness: Do You Want the Good News?
On December 21, 2005, in a 56-44 Vote, the Senate blocked drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) had added the measure to the Department of Defense appropriations bill at the last minute.
His earlier ploy of adding it to the budget reconciliation process was defeated in the House. (The good news may be temporary. Expect more attempts to open drilling in the 2006 session.)
Or the New Bad News?
WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 - "The Interior Department has decided to open 389,000 acres of Alaskan lakes, tundra and shoreline to oil exploration, reversing an eight-year-old compromise intended to protect the habitat of hundreds of thousands of migratory birds and the hunting grounds of lnupiat.
Critics, including Alaska Natives and groups like the Audubon Society and the Wilderness Society, said [inadequate] protections would not prevent fragmenting or disturbing the birds' habitat." Airplane and helicopter traffic, and industrial activity will, the critics said, be a fixture of the collection of lakes and damp tundra that is now empty.
It is 150 miles west of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where it is generally agreed that the Teshekpuk Lake area has a particularly important role in the annual migration of tens of thousands of birds like Geese and Tundra Swans, providing relative safety from predators and food for the flightless weeks of summer.
"... waterfowl biologists who know the area have essentially all said that a core goose molting area needs to be protected without fragmentation," said Stan Senner, the Audubon Society Alaska director. "(Excerpts from New York Times, Jan. 13,2006)
Department Of Connections
1. Last summer, Washington, Oregon and Northern California Shore birds died in huge numbers. Cold, nutrient-laden ocean currents arrived too late to save them from starvation.
2. Red Phalaropes breed in the Arctic. They winter in pelagic waters far off the "lower 48" Pacific coast.
Just before Christmas reports began coming of Red Phalaropes being driven onto land by storms in Washington and Oregon.
On Christmas day a big storm drove thousands of the birds close to shore and many onto land in North and Central California. Hundreds, perhaps thousands ended up on streets, parking lots and golf courses.
Road kill was high, as Phalaropes scavenged for worms at the edges of flooded highways.
While small groups had been driven ashore in past years, there was nothing even close to this winter's occurrence. And in past years, the Phalaropes have ridden out similar storms.
3. A new study indicates the Marbled Murrelet may have been forced into decline not just by logging, but also by overfishing.
"It looks like a lot of the more energetically valuable prey are less available to those seabirds now," said Ben Decker, lead author of the Murrelet study which is to be published this year in the periodical. Conservation Biology.
Research shows that the seabird probably endured a "double whammy" from the slashing of its habitat and erosion of its prey, according to Steve Beissinger, a professor of conservation biology at University of California Berkeley.
Citizen Science: The Great Backyard Bird Count
A Joint project of Audubon and the Comell Lab of Ornithology, returns for its ninth season February 17-20, 2006. Bird enthusiasts of all ages can share their love of birds with a fnend, a child, a scout troop, a class, or a co-worker--opening new eyes to the joy of birding.
"The level of energy created each February by Great Backyard Bird counters is phenomenal," said Dr. Paul Green, Audubon director of Citizen Science. ''What amazes me arc me new discoveries made by people across America. Some watchers even send digital photos to back up their reports. Many of these photos are on the GBBC web site gallery."
Everyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to seasoned experts. During the count, bird watchers can tally birds for as little as 15 minutes, or for as long as they like, keeping track of the highest number of each bird species they see together at one time.
Reports from public lands and local parks, as well as backyards, are encouraged. Participants enter their totals online at www.birdsource.org/gbbc and can explore sightings, maps, lists, and charts as the count progresses.
For more information contact the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at or Audubon at .
Like the Idea of the Great
Backyard Bird Count, but Need
Some More Help to get started?
There's another way to begin, which is guaranteed to be a lot of fun.
Dave Eshbaugh, Executive Director of Audubon Oregon, is an avid birder, teacher and life long environmentalist. He has traveled to natural and birding "hotspots" all over the world.
He is a 'people person" and loves to share nature experiences with others, especially with beginning birders and birding enthusiasts.
Eshbaugh will present a workshop on Citizen Science and the Great Backyard Bird Count
Saturday, February 18 at Klamath Falls' Winter Wings Festival (formerly known as the "Bald Eagle Conference").
The workshop begins at 9:15 am and lasts until 4:45 p.m. It is the ultimate introduction to becoming a birding "citizen scientist".
Field Trip Included
The workshop includes a field trip. Join the thousands of other people who will count birds all across the country between February 17 and 21.
To say that the Klamath Basin is a birding "hotspot" may be an understatement You can expect to see hundreds, even thousands, of Tundra Swans, several species of Geese, Sandhill Cranes, Hawks, Eagles and much more. Last year's participants saw about 50 different species.
For more information, go to the Winter Wings website at www.winterwingsfest.org. Don't delay. Registration in Eshbaugh's group is limited to 20.
The Winter Wings website has tons of information about all the activities which are taking place at the Festival this year during Presidents' weekend.
You will find a host of educational and entertainment events. Many are free, and many cater to families.
Hot New Research on Birds and Scent:
in which we Explore Audubon's Error and Tangerine-perfumed Islands in the Bering Sea
In 1826 John James Audubon made one whopper of a mistake.
He hid rotten meat near caged vultures. When they showed no interest, he concluded that birds had no sense of smell. Being the authority that he was, his conclusion was widely accepted and lasted into the 1900's.
But a few decades ago biologists began coming to a different conclusion--that birds could detect odors. Vultures, in fact. can detect the faintest traces of some odors.
The classic example of this was a report in me 1960's that circling Turkey Vultures were used by gas company repair crews to find leaks. The Vultures were attracted to an additive which gave the gas a smell similar to carrion.
Where did Audubon go wrong? A likely explanation is that he used meat that was too rotten. The carrion eaters like their meat dead. but not too dead.
In the past two or three decades, the ability of birds to detect different scents has become a popular topic of study. Ornithologists believe, for example, that scent is an aid to helping some species stay on their migration routes.
Fairly recently a new topic involving birds and scent has begun to capture the attention of researchers: What do birds, themselves, smell like?
Citrus Groves in the Aleutians?
One species, the Crested Auklet, has become a hot topic of research. This bird nests in colonies on Bering Sea Islands. Hector Douglas, a researcher at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, remarked:
"A flock of Crested Auklets would pass over me as I ran my Zodiac, and it was as if 1 had passed through a citrus grove."
The scent, described by another researcher as "tangerine", intensifies during breeding season. It seems to be involved in courtship and choosing mates. The birds preen the scent into their feathers.
During an extensive study, Julic Hagelin of Swarthmore College (PA) observed courting Auklets poke their beaks into the ruffs around each other's necks. In the report by Hagelin and her team are these statements:
"We currently predict that birds with the most concentrated odor may be the most dominant or attractive mates." And:
"Most vertebrates and many invertebrates are known to use odors to communicate in a social setting. Yet the use of odors by birds has been largely overlooked."
Hagelin has become fascinated by this new frontier in the study of bird olfactory communication. Combing through the literature, she found that ornithologists have reported distinct odors for 177 avian species.
Researcher Douglas, in the meantime, had a hunch that the "tangerine" odor might be useful to the Auklets in more than just courtship and mating.
He remembered reading a report of a bird which rubs the rinds of limes into its feathers as a possible defense against lice. Douglas and colleagues determined the chemical composition of the Crested Auklets' citrus scent, and recreated it synthetically. In tests, it repelled ticks.
Crested Auklet Bug Repellent?
Then came another idea. He spent a month camped in the tundra beside an Auklet colony on St. Lawrence Island, and made this observation:
"On warm days the mosquitoes were thick and I smelled the Auklets' citrus scent the strongest. That made me wonder if the odor might also repel mosquitoes."
In tests on a strain of very aggressive Florida mosquitoes, the synthetic Auklet citrus scent performed comparably to commercial repellents.
"I've only taken the first step to show this repels mosquitoes," said Douglas. "More research would be required to determine how this discovery could be safely applied, but I think it has potential."
The Big Question
Crested Auklets of the Bering Sea do not create their tangerine scent in a laboratory. Just how do they acquire it?
Julie Hagelin's research team recently presented a proposal that the tangerine scent comes from bacteria which colonize the birds.
(Indulge in some speculation. Suppose the bacteria theory is correct. Suppose these bacteria could be cultured in laboratories and used to make a natural, very effective insect repellent with no side effects.
Now suppose the Crested Auklets were a species sliding toward extinction through loss of habitat and pollution.
Is this not a powerful argument to fight to prevent the extinction of each and every endangered species?
Who knows what marvels we have already destroyed?)
The information for this article came from many sources. The two primary ones: Alaska Science Forum #1762, by Ned Rozdl, published by the Geophysical Institute of University of Alaska Fairbanks Aug. 3,2005. "Myth of the Bad-Nosed Birds", by Susan Milius, Science News. Aug. 20,2005. Vol. 168.
Intrepid Christmas Bird Counters Brave Stormy Weather
By Kevin Spencer
On Dec. 31, 2005, some either crazy, or oblivious observers went out in some cold wet weather to participate in the Klamath Falls Christmas Bird Count.
Lois Phillips sent in a feeder report. However, BJ Matzen, G. Smith, Ken Cooper, Wes Stone, Dave Haupt and his father, Howard, David Larson, Tamara Walker, Julie Van Moorhem, Mark Kelley and myself, did our best to dodge the rain while we searched for the birds. Most of us ended up at least a little wet (or completely soaked), and cold.
The day ended at Julie's home for some great food and conversation.
Highlights include: 95 total species, and among those: Double-crested Cormorant (tough bird for winter conditions), Ross's Goose-2, Ruddy Duck- 2318 (almost all counted by Wes at Lake Ewauna), Ferruginous Hawk-1, Merlin-1, Mountain Quail-6 (Lots Phillip's feeder on Lakeshore Dr.)
Greater Yellowlegs-15 (most from A Canal), Glaucous-winged Gull-1, Hairy Woodpecker-1, Yellow-shafted Flicker-2 (one seen near Yacht Club), Black-capped Chickadee-2, Chestnut-backed Chickadee-4, Rock Wren-1, Western Bluebird-17 (all seen in cut alfalfa fields).
Hermit Thrush-1, Fox Sparrow (Lois's feeder), Black Phoebe-1 (Wing-watcher's Trail at Lake Ewauna), and Yellow-rumped Warbler-6 (4 at Wiard Park).
Hopefully you can join a field trip in the future, or get out on your own when weather is good. Send observations about what you encounter to:
Happy New Year, and good birding.
Book Review: Ten Years of the Yellowstone Wolf Project
Decade of the Wolf: Returning the Wild to Yellowstone. by Douglas W. Smith and Gary Ferguson, Lyons Press, Guilford, CT, 2005.Reviewed by Philip Zaiesky
Ten years have passed since the 31 Grey Wolves were re-introduced to Yellowstone National Park. What began as a bitterly contentious fight has turned into a success story. In 2004 there were about 300 wolves in the Greater Yellowstone area
Of the 80 pups born in 2003,60 of them survive in 12 packs. Where possible, every pup born was radio collared, so the actions of these wolves have been well documented. Those impossible to collar have been observed both from flights and on the ground in their packs.
This is an extraordinary account. Project leader Douglas Smith and a qualified staff have used the finest research tools. What results is a personal and intimate account of what has happened to many individuals. It's as if you were reading a People Magazine for wolves.
For example, wolf Number 7, among the first wolves captured was brought down from Alberta, Canada and when she was set loose she mated with another wolf set loose about the same time - Number 9. He was a wolf captured in British Columbia. The two proved to be prodigious parents of pups, with as many as eight in the first year.
With this first mating the researchers had difficulty finding the den and pups. They had to drag each pup out of the deep den hole and collar it. From this pair's mating came much of the genetic strain of the wolves of Greater Yellowstone. One of their female pups became a large, tyrant alpha female. How the other timid females of the pack eliminated her is a dramatic tale.
The Yellowstone elk provide food for the pack. Twenty years ago the elk herds grew so large and destructive in Yellowstone National Park that rangers were sent out to slaughter the herds. This was not a pretty story, nor a popular move. Now ten years after the re-introduction, wolves and elk have achieved an equilibrium, aided by wolf packs fighting over territory. In some cases it is a lone wolf straying too far that ends up being attacked.
Improvement of the environment was not part of the original purpose of the re-introduction, but wolves have achieved a number of successes, returning large areas of the Park to their pre-human quality.
Elk learned to avoid areas where they are easy prey to wolves. Willows re-introduced themselves in the areas elk avoid. With willows returning, streams being undermined have solidified their banks. With willows, the beaver returned-- just two of many ecological changes brought about.
The Defenders of Wildlife hoped the success in Yellowstone would lead to others, including the eastern Oregon Cascades. Wolves from Idaho have wandered into the state already. But the Oregon legislature, defying the Endangered Species Act, has set up HB 3478 designed to allow the shooting of wolves.
This is a book of great interest that is also a good read. I recommend it to all my fellow Audubon members.
Charlotte Ann KisIing's Trip Reports
We had a good turnout for the two-day 2005 Raptor Rally, and the very able assistance of Dick Ashford of Ashland to co-lead the trip. The raptors seldom disappoint and this year was no exception.
Mammals put on a good show with pronghoms and deer almost always found. Bobcat and badger have been seen in past field trips. This year the mammal surprise was a herd of elk, at least 30 head.
The raptors come first and a lingering Swainson's Hawk was seen by the Ashford group. They also had the only Cooper's hawk. I think attendees mostly were struck by the sheer beauty provided by close views of adult Ferruginous Hawks.
We were able to compare the size differences of the various raptors. A Prairie Falcon was perched on a telephone pole with a Red-tailed Hawk a couple of poles down the line. Everyone could see that the falcon was one and a half insulators high with the hawk almost two full insulators high.
We also were able to compare eagle differences in the field. A good sized flock of American Pipits provided perhaps the best non-raptor bird viewing.
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Jean Van Hulzen. Julie Van Moorhem and Cy Phillips joined me on the Rare Bird Chase to find some of the unusual birds reported in the basin.
Our first stop was at Putaam's Point where we met Kevin Spencer and David Haupt searching for the same bird that brought us there.
Before long, David found the bird and we all viewed it. This bird was so rare that it wasn't even on our list. We were looking at a Black-throated Green Warbler, a lifer even for Kevin. If you don't know about Kevin, that is really saying something.
At Moore Park we saw both species of Kinglets and Chestnut-backed Chickadees. We traveled to the Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge to try for Snow Buntings. But the fog was so thick, we had trouble seeing each other, so we went to the refuge HQ on Hill Road and saw a Northern Mockingbird across from the visitor center.
For me, I had never seen a Chestnut-backed Chickadee near town, a Northern Mockingbird in the basin or a Black-throated warbler this side of Texas, so all in all, it was a fun and rewarding day.
A Warm Welcome to the New Members Who Have Joined KBAS since August 2005
Klamath Falls:
Nabil Taha
Bernadette Kero
Lynn Jansky
Ida Spires
Jenni Wilkins
Eleanore Ames
Gerald 0 Case
Heath Higgins
R. DeLorme
Leia Highland
Allison Garrett Benge
Pat Speers
Karolyn Zimmerman
Chiloquin:
Hugh-Ciry Null
Malin:
Genevieve Sturm
Mt. Shasta CA:
Karen Ramirez
Transferred in from other chapters:
Elizabeth 0 Halloran
Mr. & Mrs. Darrel 'Samuels
Albert Christian
A Bird Is a Bird Is a Bird, Unless It's
A barber of redpolls
A Dan of quail
A cord of wood ducks
A string of kites
An asylum of loons
A tank of petrel
A Vatican of cardinals
A fishing line of knots
A ball ofwaxwings
A rattle of kingfishers
A zipper of flycatchers
A spattering of starlings
A decoration of buntings
A knee-slapper of laughing gulls
A schnozzola of grosbeaks
A hanky of mourning doves
A gallery of canvasbacks
A heraldry of kingbirds
A Stampede of cowbirds
A road crew ofshovelers
A paddling of ducks
A pantry of nightjars
A dash of bittern
A crutch of limkins
A donkey of pintails
A scoop of pelicans
A race of swifts
An internet of chats
A gulp of swallows
Route Running for Raptors: Where in Oregon Do They Spend the Winter?
By Julie Van Moorhem
261 Red-tailed Hawks. 66 Northern Harriers. 80 Bald Eagles. 44 Rough-legged Hawks. 16 Ferruginous Hawks. 6 Prairie Falcons. Great-homed and Barn Owls Merlins and Accipiters.
What is this? Just a bunch of numbers and birds? No, it's not just a lot of numbers. These are some of the results of a single winter raptor survey conducted in 2005 right here in the Klamath Basin.
Charlotte Kisling and I participated in this statewide volunteer project set up by the Cascades East Bird Conservancy. Project coordinator Jeff Fleischer set up routes throughout Oregon to determine where the raptors congregate in winter.
We ran our routes once a month beginning in December and ending in March. The idea is to identify and count every single raptor you see and note the location by street where you see the bird. The data forms include every street on your route.
What could be better than spending an entire day in the field looking at birds and feeling like you are contributing something to help them? This data will be used by researchers and environmentalists to protect birds and the habitats on which they depend.
I had two routes in the Basin and Charlotte had one, so we combined our efforts and ran our routes together so we were able to see more birds. One of my routes covered the North and South Poe Valleys, East and West Langell Valleys, and Malm (roughly 120 miles).
My other route covered the area from just east ofMerrill to Highway 97 on the west and some of Bear Valley, was bordered on the south by Highway 161 (Stateline Rd.) and ran roughly north to the Matney Way/Buesing Rd area (roughly 90 miles).
Charlotte's route was bordered on the south by Cross Rd., east by Hill Rd., north by Highway 140 out to just beyond the Running Y, and west down Highway 97 (roughly 100 miles).
This has been one of the most exciting projects I've been involved in and I encourage anyone who likes birds and wants to feel like you are giving something back to the birding community to get involved in a Citizen Science project.
I am participating in this project again in 2006. I am only doing one route of my own, and I am also doing Charlotte's route because, unfortunately, she is unable to join me. It will still be fun, but it's always more fun with another birder.
ANNUAL SCOTT MEMORIAL FUND GRANT AWARDS ANNOUNCED
Several years ago, KBAS received $25,000 in bequests, which constitute the Scott Memorial Fund. Each year grants are awarded for educational environmental projects.
KBAS funds the first $2000 every year. Anything over that amount is taken from the Scott endowment. Following is a list of this year's grants, which totaled $2630. For further information on the process contact Jim Rooks, KBAS Education Chair.
| Applicant | School/Affiliation | Brief Summary-Usage | Amount Requested |
Amount Approved |
| Marjorie Glass | Peterson | Field trip- Fossil, OR, 3 day | $250.88 | $358 |
| Susan Anselrne | KOSS | Birding by Ear equip., KOSS | $250 | $250 |
| Dave Myers | Henley H. S. | Weir Box on Pond at HHS | $235 | $235 |
| Debbie Plummer | Fairview | Field trip - High Des. Museum | $250 | $250 |
| Susan Teamey | Peterson | Field trip - Or coast | $250 | $430 |
| Donna Fontana-Smith | Gearhart | Field trip-Fossil, OR coast | $250 | $390 |
| Sharon Gallagher | Shasta | Build bird houses & keep log | $78 | $78 |
| Cheryl Carlisle | Shasta | Build bird houses, take home | $138.45 | $139 |
| Edna Jenkins | Shasta | Build bird houses, take home | 1/2 - above | |
| Carol LeQuieu | Peterson | Field trip - KOSS study owl pellets | $250 | $250 |
| Sarah Gray | Fairhaven | Field trip - KOSS | $250 | $250 |
| Total: | $2401.45 | $2630 |
Love Hawks, Eagles, Falcons? Be a "Raptor Citizen Scientist"
Jeff Fleischer is field coordinator for a fast-developing state-wide winter raptor census. It is one of several "citizen science" projects sponsored by the East Cascades Bird Conservancy based in Sisters, OR.
Fleischer knows the Klamath Basin. He spent ten years as an assistant manager for the Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Later, in Albany, he developed a volunteer census survey of Willamette Valley raptors.
He wanted to go state-wide. So did the Bird Conservancy in Bend, and they joined forces. "I felt very strongly that for this to be a successful effort I would need to get a solid presence in the Klamath Basin", said Fleischer. "I now have six routes in and near the Basin covered by nearly 600 miles of transects. In January these six routes yielded a count of 1,314 birds for a total of 16 species."
More than 6,600 miles oftransects arc now being surveyed in Oregon. And the project will grow larger with more volunteers.
Knowledge about population sizes, species distribution, points of raptor concentration, and more will be gained. It will be shared with whatever organizations or government agencies are interested.
Fleischer points out that you don't have to be an "expert" to identify raptors. A good pair of binoculars, a bird guide, a little experience and perhaps a raptor I.D. session will set you on your way. To discuss getting involved in this or next winter's survev. contact Fleischer at .
Presidents Message
By Ken Johnston
Christmas travels to Germany and to Paris are over; it's Saturday and time to quit procrastinating and write something for The Grebe--A State of The Chapter Message--so to speak. I'm sitting at my desk, looking out the window searching for inspiration. Snow is falling in big, brumal flakes, as a colorful Varied Thrush is foraging in the leaves and underbrush. Mountain Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, and various sparrows are flitting around the bird feeders.
A Downy Woodpecker is exploring the nooks and crannies of a copse of aspen trees, while a Red-shafted Flicker takes turns with Steller's Jays and Black-billed Magpies disturbing the smaller birds at the feeders.
It is truly a propitious day for our annual Bird- Feeder Hop. As I regret having a conflict that will prevent me from joining the rest of the birders today, I reflect on the recent resurgence of interest and energy coming to Klamath Basin Audubon Society.
Our field trips are getting great participation, and people from other chapters in the state and from California are joining us because of increased publicity by Joan Spencer. Our last general meeting had an attendance of 36 people, and Jo Massey, our Membership Chair, reports that new members are being added to our membership every month.
Woody and Jane Morf, Julie Van Moorhem, Joan Spencer and I recently formed a committee to revamp our newsletter and improve its format. Joan has taken over the Editorship and has not only made The Grebe one of the most attractive newsletters in the state, but she has also added new life, interest, and detail to the Grebe in our chapter logo.
Charlotte Kisling has led some of our most popular field trips and has received mention and prominence in an article that appeared in the AAA magazine, VIA.
Kevin Spencer continues to lead our Christmas Bird Count and other Citizen Science surveys throughout the year.
Our Bald Eagle Conference, under the leadership of Leslie Lowe, has metamorphosed into the Winter Wings Festival, which is growing by leaps and bounds, with increasing community support. Audubon is still integrally involved by putting on birding workshops, field trips, and the popular gourmet Breakfast With The Eagles, followed with Birding The Basin.
Rick Hardy has always succeeded in providing and scheduling transportation for the Bald Eagle Conference and the Winter Wings Festival--a difficult job that doesn't attract the attention and receive the credit it deserves.
After years of balancing the Audubon books, Charlotte Opp turned over the Treasurer's job to Tom Essex, a Board member who is helping the chapter with his experience and financial advice.
Ann Wenner has done the overwhelming job of Conference registration for years, and Ralph and Charlotte Opp (instrumental in the founding of the chapter and the Conference) continue to lend support. Innumerable others help to make our chapter the success that it is.
Snow is continuing to fall, and 1 wish I could continue to gaze at my backyard wintry scene, recollecting the strides people have made in improving Klamath Basin Audubon Society. But I have to pursue other tasks now and sign off with beaucoup kudos to all who are making KBAS what it is today.
24/7 Citizen Science: WWW@ebird.org
eBird 2.0, a project of Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon, is an updated version of the powerful Internet-based program currently used by thousands of birders. It is a free, user-friendly way for birders across North America to record, archive, and share their observations at any hour of the day. It is also an important conservation tool, providing researchers with a comprehensive picture of the abundance and distribution of birds.
Since the release of eBird 2.0 in September, the number of checklists submitted has continued to grow. In November, submissions totaled nearly 16,000 - the first time the total has been above 15,000!
