Welcome to our new subscribers this month. If this is your first newsletter, you can find the archive of our previous newsletters here. If you haven't already, please join our Facebook discussion group. We would love to get to know you! |
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Stories of Restoration For the past several months, we have been featuring stories about restoration projects all over the Klamath Basin. As advocates for the wild birds, we understand that ecosystem health is essential for all life--fish, birds, and people, too. We love telling these stories, because they provide hope for the future, and also inspiration for landowners and other citizens to do what they can. There is so much to do. With many projects underway and in the planning stages, we encourage everyone in this community to roll up their sleeves and get involved. We try to include contact information specific to each restoration project. If you are inspired, reach out and learn what you can do to help. -Mary and Loree |
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Modoc Ranch-by Ken Sandusky and Loree Johnson By 2021, the Modoc Nation had acquired more than 2,000 acres southeast of Lower Klamath Lake in Siskiyou County, California near the Shapa’sh Village site where Modocs lived since time immemorial. The land was converted to sheep production after the Modocs’ forced removal. Over the years, it has been used for grazing cattle, hay production, and as an elite hunting retreat in the mid-1900's, when large waterfowl populations flew between wildlife refuges and bighorn sheep inhabited the surrounding ridges. “Modoc Ranch” is near the Lava Beds, wildlife refuges, Sheepy Ridge and numerous cultural and historical sites, encompassing part of the historic route along which supplies were carried to the war and early tourists accessed the Lava Beds. You can read about the history of the Oklahoma Modocs on the Nation's website. Modoc Ranch recently hosted the first night of the Modoc Ancestral Run, with many Modocs and their allies in attendance, including tribal members from Oklahoma, as well as those who live here in the Klamath Basin. By all accounts, the event was a resounding success. Local Modocs welcomed their relations home, led them in ceremony and prayer and everyone shared what they could about their history and culture. Laughter filled the air for the entire event. Plans for the future were also a popular conversation topic. |
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Modoc Nation members participating in this year's Modoc Ancestral Run -Photo by Ken Sandusky |
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As descendants of those forcefully removed after the Modoc War, the Modoc Nation is a federally recognized Oklahoma tribe. Recently, they were also officially recognized again by the state of California because of their land purchases, community investments and partnership efforts. The Nation originally intended to create a bison ranch on their Siskiyou County properties. However, the condition of the land, continuing drought and market uncertainties informed the Modoc Nation Elected Council’s decision to focus on wildlife habitat restoration on these and surrounding public lands. Restoring the productivity of these parcels has been entrusted to Modoc Nation Homelands employees, Brian Herbert and Ken Sandusky. Their aspiration is to demonstrate agriculture can be practiced in a way that enhances the land and provides long-term sustainability. Recovering soil health is among their highest priorities. They maintain a working ranch with a small herd of goats and a handful of donkeys as their guardians. The growing goat herd is slated to provide high intensity/low duration grazing services on the Tribe’s property and surrounding public lands. This “regenerative grazing” should help control invasive annual grasses, mustards and other weeds while reducing wildfire fuels and enhancing long-term resilience. |
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Goats doing their job as grazers while the donkeys look on. -Photo by Mary Williams Hyde |
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Still working to determine best practices and tools for restoring the land, a controlled burn was recently attempted with assistance from CalFire. While the fire had some limited success in illustrating the value of different treatment strategies, it was determined not to be a viable tool for weed control. A roller crimper was purchased with a grant from the First Nations Development Institute to mechanically terminate weeds and cover crops. The process essentially makes weeds cover crops by laying down plants before seed set to create contact with the soil, giving the more desirable grasses and plants access to sunlight and precipitation and encouraging their growth. The flattened plants—which thrive in depleted soil—then create a mulch-like layer armoring against erosion, conserving moisture and adding nutrients and organic matter. All this helps maintain living roots in the soil to capture the sun’s energy and produce root exudates that feed soil life and create soil aggregation. Aggregation refers to the soil’s ability to hold together and is an indicator of health and increased water efficiency. Then, as the soil becomes healthier, the undesirable plants become less prolific. |
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Ken Sandusky explains how the roller crimper (at bottom of photo) helps with soil recovery. -Photo by Mary Williams Hyde |
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Ken shows how the aggregation of the soil has already started to improve at the ranch. -Photo by Mary Williams Hyde |
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Water on Tulelake Refuge-by Mary Williams Hyde |
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Water being pumped into Sump 1A near Hill Road. -Photo by Loree Johnson |
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Water is flowing into Sump 1A of Tulelake National Wildlife Refuge. It is not 100% clear who decided that the water could flow again, but, that said, I wholeheartedly thank the Tulelake Irrigation District (TID) staff that facilitates water deliveries to the refuge. Those endless weeds? It looks like, as the water flows into places like the English Channel, an ever growing number of birds flatten them, as they feast on what is actually prime duck feed, opening up more and more spaces where the ducks can then swim freely. |
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Happy Northern Shovelers at Tulelake Refuge. -Photo by Mary Williams Hyde |
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Nearby, Sump 1B is full to the brim of water, and is now home to thousands of ducks and geese swimming as far as the eye can see. Given how depressing it has been to travel down there, Tulelake National Wildlife Refuge is coming back to being a place where large numbers of Pacific Flyway migrating birds will have what they need for resting and feeding. I hope this is the beginning of a permanent restoration of Tulelake’s critically important wetlands…..for not only birds and, eventually, endangered fish, but for the health and well-being of the entire Klamath Basin. |
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Sump 1B, full of water. -Photo by Loree Johnson |
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The Good News! Has Been Updated!-by Loree Johnson There have been so many hopeful and positive stories of restoration recently, we have updated the Good News! page on our website. The older stories have been replaced by current stories, both featured in this newsletter, and those we didn't have space for. Check it out! And keep the tips coming. We love sharing these stories of restoration both here and on the website. |
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As promised, we are continuing to feature birding articles that didn't make it into the Herald and News annual visitor guide due to lack of space. We hope you enjoy this article on attracting birds. |
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Critters Needs: Food, Water and Cover-by Dave Potter I've been asked the question "what can a person do to attract more birds?" After 32 years working in wildlife conservation, and a degree in wildlife biology, I offer my two cents worth. There are three components necessary for good bird (all wildlife) habitat. They are food, water and cover. Food for birds comes in many forms, ways and mixtures in different seasons. Some birds eat bugs, some seeds, some fruit, some worms and grubs .... and some our crops. In nearly all situations, artificial feeding of birds is undesirable and often harmful. Feeders can spread avian diseases if not cleaned regularly. Another big negative is red dye in hummingbird feeders, which is bad for them - clear sugar water is best. And feeders - especially in winter - concentrate birds in small areas making them more vulnerable to predation by Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks. Bird feeding stopped in the middle of winter can result in starvation. Store bought seed is generally not as nutritious as wild seeds. Bread and stale pastries, etc., are certainly unhealthy for birds. I aim for natural food in as natural a setting as possible. The "Cover" paragraph will go into food plants. Water is an obvious need. A bowl of water, kept fairly clean, on hot days attracts many birds such as lesser gold finches, scrub jays, house sparrows, robins, house finches, flickers and others. If the container is deep, place a rock or two in it for perching. Place water where cats have harder hunting. During winter's cold, water can often freeze. I have read that a pan of water - kept thawed by an electric heater coil or over a lit light bulb - can help birds. Lastly, birds need places (cover) to escape bad weather, escape predators and to raise young. The greater amount and diversity of plant species around your property, the more residential and migrating bird species will show up. This means planting various species and clumps of flowers, shrubs and, as space permits, trees. Few plant species are of zero value. But try for known bird valuable species in as large and diverse plantings as your property can accommodate. A good idea is to enlarge your flower beds by digging out some of the lawn. Put in bird valuable plants. I've seen what flowers grow well around me and have planted a mixture of them. My friends allow me to transplant from their flower beds. Also road and bike path ditches may be good sources. I have Shasta daisies, California poppies, black-eyed susans and a vine named Virginia Creeper all doing very well providing bird food. I see flowering crab apple trees and birch trees feeding birds. Insect eaters, like kinglets, hunt insects on most species of tree leaves. Go on line for lots of information on what to and not to plant. Talk to knowledgeable locals like the Master Gardeners and garden club people for the best plants for birds in various situations. Some strong suggestions: a] Plant natives wherever possible. b] Do not "clean up" flower beds in the fall. Cutting off flowers' seed heads removes winter bird food - especially for wintering juncos, lesser goldfinches and white-crowned sparrows. Cutting away leaves and stems removes bird winter cover. Please leave flower bed cleaning until spring. c] Mix clumps of different plant species rather than having large areas of one species. A diversity of plants attracts more diversity of birds. d] Allow shrubs to be shaggy and thick - even if they overshadow some of the lawn - for better bird cover. e] Do your best to keep neighbor's cats out of your yard; keep your cat indoors as much as possible. f] Reduce birds flying into windows by taping large photos of cats or owls in your windows. Or get a stuffed toy cat - or owl - and hang it in your window using fishing line. g] If required at all, use minimal amounts of sprays. Spraying off "bad" insects usually significantly reduces numbers of "good" insects - including very beneficial predator insects like preying mantis and lady bugs - which reduces food for many species, especially when nestlings are being fed. h] Dead or dying trees? Leave as much standing as you can; good woodpeckers and sapsuckers habitat. And woodpecker nesting holes may be used by several other bird species. |
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Species Spotlight: Northern Harrier |
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Male Northern Harrier photo by Loree Johnson |
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The Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) is a member of the accipiter family of hawks, which are generally smaller and slimmer than hawks in the buteo family. Sometimes called a "marsh hawk" because of its preferred hunting grounds, Northern Harriers can be spotted gliding just above the vegetation in wetland habitats. They are also at home in many environments with thick, low vegetation, such as grasslands, prairies, and shrub-steppe. They mostly prey on small mammals, but opportunistically feed on amphibians, reptiles and other birds. Northern Harriers are sexually dimorphic, which means males and females are distinctly different in appearance. Males are mostly gray with black wingtips, while females are mostly brown with streaky undersides. Females are generally larger than males, as is often the case with raptors. Both sexes have a distinct white patch at the base of the tail which can be helpful for identification in flight. They have a disc-shaped face, which focuses sound and aids in locating prey. Adults have lemon-yellow eyes, which, along with the owl-like face, sometimes leads people to confuse them with owls. |
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-Female Norther Harrier photo by Loree Johnson Northern Harriers are not monogamous and do not mate for life like some birds. In fact, one male can have as many as five mates, although one or two is more common. The male provides nearly all the food during nesting and brooding, which can be quite a task if he is supporting multiple nests. When bringing food, the male will call while flying over the nest. The female will then fly up to meet him and food exchange takes place in mid-air using precision flight maneuvers. – Loree Johnson |
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Event Calendar (Please send us information about your birding-related events so we can get the word out!) November 2023 18th Butte Valley Raptor Rally Klamath Basin Audubon Society Meet at the locomotive in Veteran's Park Klamath Falls 9:00am - 3:00pm More Information |
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