First Wednesday Bird Walk

Join RVAS for our monthly outing to Denman Wildlife Area. Walks begin at 8:30 am and end before noon, and are led by Jim Hostick. The gate will be open from 8:00 – 8:20 am. Participants need to purchase an ODFW Area Parking Permit at the ODFW Office, Sportsman’s Warehouse on Delta Waters and Highway 62 in Medford, or at Bi-Mart. We request that all participants be vaccinated for COVID-19.

Directions to meeting spot: We will meet at the entrance off Agate Rd. between 1/4 and 1/2 mile past the fire station on the left side of the road. Coming out Table Rock Rd., turn right on Antelope Rd. and go to the light on Agate Rd. and turn left. The fire station will be on your left at the corner of Ave. G and Agate Rd. Go 1/4 to /12 mile past the fire station and the gate will be on your left. Coming out on Highway 62 to Antelope Rd., turn left and go to the next light. Turn right and continue to the gate on Agate Rd.

Max McClarnon will be leading a bird walk to Ashland Pond this Saturday. An easy trail leads to and encircles the pond where an assortment of our winter waterfowl may be seen. The riparian habitat is a great place to observe our wintering songbirds. Limited to 9 participants. To reserve your spot, come in or call the store at (541) 772-2107.
DATE: Saturday Feb 8
TIME: 9:00 am
LOCATION: Ashland Pond

Join us for a presentation of all things Monarch butterfly, from life cycle to migration and how you can help save this iconic butterfly just by providing host and nectar plants in your own garden. Robin McKenzie is a professional garden designer in Talent, specializing in pollinator gardens in the Southern Oregon for over 10 years. She will bring her entire set up showing what you’ll need to start growing your own milkweed to plant, grow and share with your neighbors, so we can all be a part of the effort to raise more monarchs and save the species from extinction. Along the way, we’ll learn about plants that will also sustain our feathered friends!
DATE: Sunday Feb 16
TIME: 2-3:00 pm
COST: Free
LOCATION: Wild Birds Unlimited store, 961 Medford Center, Medford OR 97504

Emperors of the Ice: Ecology and physiology of an iconic Antarctic predator, the emperor penguin

Emperor penguins are the largest species of marine bird, and perhaps because of its size, it is able to fast longer, dive deeper, and endure harsher conditions than any other avian species. As a top predator in the Antarctic ecosystem, they have a significant top-down effect on prey. Additionally, as top predators, their survival and reproduction depends on the functioning of the entire food web.

Join Gitte McDonald as she talks about her research expeditions to the Ross Sea to study the ecology and physiology of emperor penguins. She will start off with an introduction on basic biology and ecology of emperor penguins before talking about current research on the behavioral and physiological adaptations that allow them to thrive in the Antarctic ecosystem. The talk will conclude with a discussion of current and future challenges.

Birgitte (Gitte) I. McDonald

Associate Professor, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories @ San Jose State University

https://mlml.sjsu.edu/birdmam/

As a physiological and behavioral ecologist, Dr. Gitte McDonald investigates adaptations that allow animals to survive in extreme environments. Marine mammals and birds provide an ideal study system to investigate how animals deal with extreme conditions because of their large size variation, geographic distribution, and physiological challenges they face daily, including hypoxia, extreme temperatures, and fasting. Understanding the mechanisms that allow an organism to interact and survive in its environment is crucial for predicting, and potentially mitigating, their response to climate change. She uses state-of-the-art biologgers that measure fine-scale diving behavior and physiological variables (heart rate and oxygen), in addition to providing information about the environment.  Her research has provided opportunities to work with a broad range of species in diverse habitats from the Antarctic to the Galapagos.

This will be an in person talk held at the Medford Congregational Church in Lidgate Hall (Lidgate Hall is located behind the Medford Congregational United Church of Christ, 1801 East Jackson Street, Medford). If a Zoom option is available for the meeting, the link will be posted on the Rogue Valley Audubon webpage the day of the meeting.

First Wednesday Bird Walk

Join RVAS for our monthly outing to Denman Wildlife Area. Walks begin at 8:30 am and end before noon, and are led by Jim Hostick. The gate will be open from 8:00 – 8:20 am. Participants need to purchase an ODFW Area Parking Permit at the ODFW Office, Sportsman’s Warehouse on Delta Waters and Highway 62 in Medford, or at Bi-Mart. We request that all participants be vaccinated for COVID-19.

Directions to meeting spot: We will meet at the entrance off Agate Rd. between 1/4 and 1/2 mile past the fire station on the left side of the road. Coming out Table Rock Rd., turn right on Antelope Rd. and go to the light on Agate Rd. and turn left. The fire station will be on your left at the corner of Ave. G and Agate Rd. Go 1/4 to /12 mile past the fire station and the gate will be on your left. Coming out on Highway 62 to Antelope Rd., turn left and go to the next light. Turn right and continue to the gate on Agate Rd.