Phew. A heavy sigh of relief escaped my mouth. Ten birds handled in under twenty-five minutes, that was a record for me, and the normal, safe rate at which a bird bander is expected to handle a live specimen. After a month of scrambling to bring my skills up to Read more…
In return for the service of its volunteers, Klamath Bird Observatory offers a Bander certification and a Trainer certification. Stephanie and I are soon to put our skills to the test through the written component of the Bander certification. To prepare, I am hiding away in coffee shops over the Read more…
It’s incredible how marked the difference in climate is with only a few hours of driving distance from the coast. For all of the days I spent dancing in the rain of Newport, I am now tanning in the endless sunshine of Oregon’s central valley. Of course, there are very Read more…
Put a bunch of bird nerds together in a wildlife refuge with some of the field’s top ornithologists and what do you get: the Western Bird Banding Association Annual Conference. The day I arrived at the Klamath Bird Observatory, my supervisor laid out a piece of paper and told me Read more…
At Klamath Bird Observatory we study birds using this nifty technique called bird banding. So I thought it might be useful to take some time to explain the art of banding and its importance to the study of birds. Bird Banding. What is it anyways? Bird banding is a technique Read more…
My time in Newport has come to an end, but thanks to Environment for the Americas my adventure in Oregon is still on the horizon. I was invited to work under the auspices of Klamath Bird Observatory to band birds during the Fall migration. Within the world of ornithology, KBBO Read more…
Let’s recap. Through these posts you have seen that birds are: fun inspiration for games (yay!), way too cute for our good, scientifically interesting, and just ridiculously cool. Did you know, that birds are cultural too? Woah, I know, it’s crazy. Allow me to explain… Back in June I was Read more…
If I had any doubts about my assimilation in Oregon, I confirmed my total transformation into a local yesterday afternoon by foraging a nature trail for berries. In season are the Himalayan blackberries, an invasive fruiting plant that has taken hold of the coast. In my personal effort to control Read more…