[EBB Sightings] Joint WFO/WBBA/OFO 2004 meetings, Sept 9-12, Ashland.

Dear Bay Area birders,

I know the fall is coming, and who wants to be out of town when that great
bird shows up?  I know how it goes.  Congratulations on your recent Little
Stint.  Inland this fall, just past the Klamath Basin Refuge Complex the
annual WFO meetings are taking place in conjunction with OFO and WBBA.  Its
hosted by KBO in Ashland.

Ashland is a delightful city to visit at this time of year.  The world's a
stage, and the birders gathered for this event hope to arrange some great
birds for it.  Inserted below are the field trip descriptions, and I'm sorry
the owl trips are already sold out.  We will have a wait list for those
interested.

It is set to be prime time for passage birds inland, as waterbirds
hop-scotch their way from wetland to lakeside.  Migrant passerines should
still be in the hills.  This is a real attempt to connect with Oregon
Birders and the Klamath/Ashland area is ideally located on the border, on
the I5.  Registration can be one day or for all four.  I'm sure it will be a
great time for all bird lovers.

Full details at

http://www.klamathbird.org/wbbareg.pdf  or

http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/wfo04reg.doc

See you there,

Yours Rob Hewitt, Eureka CA

Western Field Ornithologists, Local Organizing Committee.


FIELD TRIP DETAILS AND GENERAL INFORMATION
WFO/WBBA/OFO Joint Meetings Sept 9-12, Ashland Oregon





Full day trips offered before and after meetings on Thursday 9th and Sunday
12th with return a time to Ashland around 4:00 p.m.


TRIP 1 and 20
Departs: 6:15 a.m. Lot A


The Klamath Basin Refuges Trip.  This all day trip around the Klamath Basin
will use vans.  A series of longer stops will be made at the following
refuges: Upper and Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, Tule Lake NWR,
Lava Beds National Monument, Klamath State Wildlife Area and Bear Valley
NWR.  Three visitor centers, the Petrocliffs, Captain Jack's, Miller Island,
the Tule Sump, White Lake, Indian Tom Lake and the Lava tubes will all be
visited. Waterfowl should be in, and inland open water can attract anything
at this time of year.  Add a little wet mud and things could go great.
Refuge staff will be on hand to assist with the interpretation of refuge
activities. Rating: Fine Leaders: Noah Strycker, Rob Hewitt and Gjon Hazard.



TRIP 2 and 21
Departs: 6:30 a.m. Lot B
Crater Lake/Upper Klamath Lake.  This all day trip has a fair amount of
driving, offered Thursday and Sunday will take the car pool east over the
Cascade Crest then north past Upper Klamath Lake and onto the Volcanic
Legacy Scenic Byway.  Climbing to the high elevation caldera, forest birds
will be looked for and open meadow areas will be checked.  At almost 8000'
the scenery along the rim will be spectacular.  If the right snag areas can
be found both Three-toed and Black-backed Woodpeckers are an option on the
slopes down to Upper Klamath Lake.  After using the morning for birding the
lake for waterbirds, ducks, gulls, terns and raptors we will climb up to
Crater Lake.  The return to Ashland will follow the river along the
Rogue-Umpqua National Scenic Byway.  Once at I5 between Medford and Grants
Pass on Sunday afternoon, participants could head north to get home if
desired.

Rating: Drive Fine, Birds Tougher. Leaders: Joel Wientraub, Joel Geier,
Kevin Spencer, and Noah Strycker.



Thursday Night Trip Only.



TRIP 3 (SOLD OUT)
Departs: 8:00 p.m.  Lot A

Owl Trip.  This nighttime trip will traverse local forest roads looking for
owl species.  Hooting Spotted and Barred or whistling smaller owls will be
listened for.  Dusk visuals for Barn Owl and Great-horned will be looked for
around Ashland as the trip takes off.  There are no guarantees on this trip;
perhaps some nighttime mammals will be seen as well.  Check in with the
field trip table to see what has been scouted out.  Bring a headlamp or
flashlight.  Rain will cancel trip.  Rating: Tougher. Leaders: Bruce Webb,
Keith Slauson.



Morning half-day trips in conjunction with paper sessions after lunch and
will return prior to 11:30.



TRIP 4
Departs 6:30 a.m. Lot A
Bird Banding at Upper Klamath Lake.  (Friday) The KBO field station will
host a banding group during the morning, which will be adjacent to good
birding around the Lake and surrounding marshlands.  Close to the lake, this
special site includes mist nets suspended over water within the lakeside
vegetation.  Great basin fall migrants, among others, are monitored at this
site.  At Upper Klamath Lake will look for waterbirds and raptors on the
East side of the Cascade Crest.  Mosquito repellant is encouraged.  Rating:
Fine.


TRIP 5 and 14
Departs: 6:45 a.m. Lot A
Birding Transect East.  East of Ashland the Dead Indian Memorial Highway
climbs over the lower forested hills and up to the sagebrush Plateau that
acts as the divide between the Klamath Basin and the Cascade Mountains.
This conifer-dominated area should provide siskins, nuthatches, chickadees
and corvids.  Grey Jays and woodpeckers will be looked for in the early
morning.  The return drive on Hwy 66 will pass Howard Prairie and Hyatt
Lakes.  Rating: Fine. Leaders: Kevin Spencer, Rich Hoyer.



TRIP 6 and 15
Departs: 7:00 a.m. Lot A

Birding Ashland - Ashland Ponds, Emigrant Lake, Lithia Park.  This
easy-going trip is designed to provide a relaxed morning of birding.
Emigrant Lake will be checked for waterbirds, and Lithia Park, the North
Mountain Park Nature Center, and Ashland Ponds for landbirds.  The riparian
habitat should have some lingering residents, and migrant passerines will be
passing through.  Finish off the morning on the Ashland Loop road in the
Siskiyou foothills for higher elevation birding.  This trip will allow those
participants wishing to, to break away and attend a late morning workshop
(10:30 and 10:45).  Leaders: Noah Strycker,Barbara Massey, Jim Danzenbaker.



TRIP 7 and 16
Departs: 6:30 a.m. Lot B

Birding the Rogue Valley. The Kirtland Sewage Ponds, Denman Wildlife Area,
Whetstone Pond and Agate Lake will be visited as we bird the hotspots north
of Medford along I5.  The easy-going rating is based on the four easy stops
with plenty of car birding in between (FRS Radios are encouraged). Leaders:
Kimball Garrett, Mike San Miguel and Dennis Vroman.



TRIP 8 and 12  (SOLD OUT)
Departs 7.00 a.m. Lot A
Great-gray Owl.   Join local BLM wildlife biologists who study Great-gray
Owls in the Ashland area.  It will be a 45-minute drive to the study area
where they have several individual owls radio tagged.  They will use
telemetry to locate the birds so that everyone can try a get a glimpse.
Vocalizations and other lures may be used to get better views. With time
they will visit historical nest sites and possibly wintering areas.  The
terrain will be mostly gentle with good road access and short cross-country
hikes.  Rating: Fine. Leaders: Steve Godwin, Rich Hoyer, Keith Slauson and
Dave Krueper.



TRIP 9 and 13
Siskiyou County Loop
Departs: 6:15 a.m. Lot B

Siskiyou County, California with the Klamath Refuge System and square miles
of U.S. Forest Service land has some great birding locations.  We will loop
down I5 to Yreka and then Grenada we will bird the Shasta Valley State
Wildlife Area on our way to Lake Shastina and then up to Indian Tom Lake or
the Butte Valley ag-fields depending on the scouting report. The return
drive will loop back through the Shasta Valley (Tri-colored Blackbird) and
Montague.  The rating is tougher based on the distance that has to be
covered and back, but if you're a Siskiyou County birder this trip's for
you. Leaders:  Tristan McKee and Jim Danzenbaker.



TRIP 10 and 17
Departs: 6:15 a.m. Lot A
High Elevation Siskiyou Crest. This trip will be to high elevation forest
and sub-alpine meadows.  Mount Ashland, and the Siskiyou Crest will be
traversed as we wind our way into the local mountains looking for
White-headed Woodpecker, Cassin's Finch and Green-tailed Towhee.  From this
border crest Mount Shasta looms as a sentinel to the south. The tougher
rating is based on the fact that forested hills can be hit or miss and ear
birding will be a big part of the species tally.  However, the county
annotated checklist states that "This is an especially good drive to take in
August-September when young of the year and migrants throng the mountain
meadows."  A pickup or SUV would be recommended and the carpool will be
strictly enforced to reduce congestion and dust on the narrow gravel portion
of the Siskiyou Crest to Dutchman Peak.  Forest Service Hwy 20 then drops
down to the Little Applegate River and the lower wooded slopes and valleys
around Jacksonville. Leaders: Mike San Miguel, Kimball Garrett, Noah
Strycker.



TRIP 11 and 18
10 Spaces   Departs: 6:00 a.m. Lot B

California Birding. This trip is just that, a visit "south of the border" to
see what there is to offer.  Both days will have the benefit of previous
birding and scouting to know where some good sightings can be had.  Don't
forget to fuel up and be prepared to be flexible. This trip will chase any
rarities that have been found to the south during the meetings Rating:
Hard-Going.  Leaders: Gjon Hazard, Rob Hewitt.



TRIP 19
Departs: 6:45 a.m. Lot B
Bird Banding on the Rogue.  (Sunday only) The Klamath Bird Observatory
banding station at Wildlife Images will be visited for this trip.  After the
banding session there will be a tour of this well run and quite substantial
Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.  Be sure to pick up a Wildlife Images
brochure at the field trips table.  Rating: Easy Going



WORKSHOP 9
Departs: 6:00 a.m.  Lot A

Banding Techniques. (Saturday only)  The Klamath Bird Observatory will be
hosting a workshop to improve your banding technique.  Experienced banders
will go over the basics and demonstrate some more advanced techniques.  John
Alexander, director at KBO heads this one up. Rating: Fine









GENERAL INFORMATION


All trips will be by carpool, please have your spare seats ready to share as
the groups assemble in the morning.  Fewer vehicles are always a benefit to
all, especially the leader.  Only the Klamath Basin Trip will be by van (up
to two vehicles may follow).  Full day trips will have a lunch stop for a
bagged lunch (sign up with registration or provide your own), half-day trips
will not.  Hotels will provide early morning continental breakfasts. A
"shade grown" coffee stop and several restroom breaks will be planned.  The
trips are rated in four categories: Easy-Going, Fine, Tougher, and Hard
Going.  These terms reflect relative difficulty and are based on chances to
see the target species, length of the drive, as well as the off-road and
trail conditions.  However, as "car-birding" is the mode most trips would be
quite suitable for the average birder.  For the half day trips we shall have
at least two leaders on each, selected from the best Oregon and California
have to offer.  Group size is limited from 10 to 15 participants.  All trips
have already reached their minimum sign up.  Owls Trips are generating a
wait list, having sold out.  The car pool to Crater Lake leaves the nice
option of the return home into Oregon and beyond.

There will be some vending and exhibits with Birding optics, bird books and
gear, which will include the Field Trip table with a lot of additional
self-guided information.   Pablo Herrera (Redwood Sciences Lab, Arcata) will
direct the trips each morning and assist at the table. Any questions on the
day should be directed towards Pablo.  He will not be leading those
mornings.  There will be two departure areas Parking Lot A, and Parking Lot
B, trips will have a staggered departure with two leaving each 15 minutes
between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m .  We will also have a detailed handout for
self-guided birding around Ashland.






Robert W. Hewitt
Director, LBJ Enterprises   www.birdjobs.com
1707 E Street #5, Eureka, CA 95501

(707) 442-0339, fax (707) 260-0632, cell (707) 845-3189
lbjent at humboldt1.com

Godwit Days Steering Committee  www.godwitdays.com
April 15-18, 2005  10th Annual, 236 species cumulative.