Oregon Vesper Sparrows are a prime example of what birders call “little brown jobs” – small, drab, hard-to-identify birds that we sometimes overlook. But this little brown job is an imperiled subspecies unique to the Pacific Northwest, one that serves as an indicator of the health of our grassland ecosystems, and needs our attention and [...]
IMPORTANT: Second Survey on the Future of the Bear Creek Greenway. As many of you know, there is currently an effort, called Envision Bear Creek, to plan for the future management of the Bear Creek Greenway. Earlier this year, an online survey was conducted to gather information on the experiences and priorities of Greenway users. [...]
Pepper Trail has written an article for audubon.org regarding the growing threat to hummingbirds from the illegal trade in hummingbird love charms - ‘chuparosas’ - that are believed to imbue romantic powers. Read the article here: https://www.audubon.org/news/the-illegal-trade-these-love-charms-growing-threat-hummingbirds
Pepper Trail has written an article on audubon.org regarding the Growing Disaster for Waterfowl in the Klamath Basin. "Some of the continent’s most important wetland habitat is drying up. Without urgent action, we may be witnessing the death of a flyway." Read the article here: https://www.audubon.org/news/the-klamath-basins-water-crisis-growing-disaster-waterfowl
This article, authored by Nate Trimble and Pepper Trail, appeared in the November 2021 edition of the Jefferson Journal: https://www.ijpr.org/wildfire/2021-11-24/birds-and-the-burn-effects-of-the-almeda-fire
For those who are interested in what's happening at Ashland Pond, here is the latest... https://www.ashland.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=18159&fbclid=IwAR0UgTDq3uXm3O1r-rwsODh-uWaLWZrilhYlGZMQKDsAKTiAO1gUkTlOGoI
Jefferson Public Radio has published an article by Pepper Trail on last summer's catastrophic botulism outbreak. You can find it here: https://www.ijpr.org/environment-energy-and-transportation/2021-03-15/a-predictable-tragedy-avian-botulism-in-the-klamath-basin-national-wildlife-refuges.
The Rogue Valley Audubon Society, in partnership with the Klamath Bird Observatory, Rogue River Watershed Council, the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy, and southern Oregon birders are coming together to monitor changes in the Bear Creek bird community as riparian vegetation recovers from recent fires, alterations are made to the Greenway to reduce fire risk, and [...]
