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.

Please join KBO board members Dick Ashford and Amanda Alford for a hawk-finding outing to beautiful Scott Valley, CA! November should show the early signs of raptor migration in the area; we will search for newly arrived migrants, birds just passing through, and local residents.

We’ll learn about and identify the raptors we see along our route, taking us from just north of Fort Jones south to Etna, crisscrossing the valley as we go. The tour will be conducted at a leisurely pace with time to watch individual raptors and (hopefully) enjoy observing behavior, such as hunting, feeding, and inter and intra-specific interactions. There are no guarantees (it’s a natural show), but Dick will have scouted the area beforehand to locate the best spots. The image above is that of a bird Dick observed south of Fort Jones. Can you guess its ID?

Please be sure to dress comfortably and bring lunch and liquids. Most of our birding will be done from the roadside, and walking will be kept to a minimum. And, as is our custom, we will not have a formal lunch stop but will eat as the birds do – all day long!

We’ll depart Ashland at 8 AM and return around 5-ish. Because of the narrow farm roads, we are limiting this trip to just 10 attendees. We will carpool (a must!)

Cost: $50 per person

Date: November 22nd

We’re looking forward to seeing you in the Field Of Wonder!

If you require accommodations or have questions about accessibility, please contact Elva at ejm@klamathbird.org.

Uganda Safari: Shoebills, Gorillas, and Chimps, Oh My!  Join Pepper for a slideshow of his recent trip experiencing the wildlife wonders of Uganda. His primary goals were to see mountain gorillas and the amazing Shoebill, which were unforgettable.  But he also had memorable encounters with elephants, chimpanzees, rhinos, and over 200 species of birds – as well as fantastic scenery. It’s a November safari!

About the Speaker

Pepper Trail is well-known in southern Oregon as a naturalist and writer. He was the ornithologist at the National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory for over 20 years, until his retirement in 2021. He is the long-time conservation co-chair of Rogue Valley Audubon Society, and has been active in many regional environmental efforts, particularly the establishment and expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. When not pursuing birds, wildflowers, and bumble bees in southern Oregon, he leads natural history expeditions around the world.