Join the Cape Arago Audubon Society as they present Sarah Rockwell of the Klamath Bird Observatory at the Coos Bay Library on Tuesday, December 9th at 7 PM. Doors open at 6:30

KBO, along with partners at USFS, USGS, Cape Arago Audubon, and Avifauna Northwest, is using lightweight archival GPS tags to track the migratory routes and overwintering locations of both Oregon Vesper Sparrow and Western Purple Martin, two imperiled subspecies unique to the western U.S. These are the first studies of their kind with these subspecies – the first to track them with GPS technology year-round! The birds have returned with fascinating information, revealing new discoveries about their incredible journeys, including unexpected lengthy fall stopovers – and for the martins, winters on the beach in southeastern Brazil. In this talk, Sarah will share photos and maps from the research, and give a peek into the amazing window we now have into what our Western Purple Martins and Oregon Vesper Sparrows are up to after they leave Oregon, and the incredible voyages they undertake.

Intro/Bio: Dr. Sarah Rockwell is a Senior Research Biologist at Klamath Bird Observatory, where she manages several research programs studying the ecology of bird species of conservation concern, and monitoring avian response to riparian, oak, and coniferous forest restoration. Sarah joined KBO in 2013 after completing her Ph.D. at the University of Maryland and Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, where she studied the ecology of the then-endangered Kirtland’s Warbler in her home state of Michigan. She earned her B.A. in Biology in 2002 from Kalamazoo College, where she fell in love with birds during her study abroad experience in Ecuador. She lives in Ashland, OR, with her husband and 5-yr-old daughter.alk summary:

One of the biggest challenges in identifying ways to help migratory birds is that we simply don’t know where they are for most of the year. Without this basic information, it is challenging to identify and prioritize conservation actions. Archival GPS tags light enough to place on small songbirds have been available for about a decade, and they are revolutionizing our understanding of bird migration and migratory connectivity.