We are currently working on sending out a regular email newsletter in order to share information with our partners and members. This email newsletter will be different than the paper one we send out twice a year and will serve to complement the paper newsletter by providing an additional level of detail and focus than the general newsletter. The first issue will be send out soon so if you are interested in subscribing, just click here.

SEASONAL FIELD BIOLOGISTS needed for landbird surveys in Nevada and the Lower Colorado River. The Great Basin Bird Observatory is seeking a total of 14 field biologists to assist in collecting landbird data throughout the state of Nevada (6 positions) and the Lower Colorado River (NV, AZ, CA; 8 positions) from March 15 – July 10, 2008 (later start dates and earlier ending dates possible). An extension to do field work on other, year-round bird research and monitoring projects in Nevada is also possible. Required skills: experience with western bird identification by sight and sound; ability to collect field data under challenging conditions (heat, cold, bush-whacking, biting insects, remote sites); good physical fitness (long hours of field work required, including hiking in difficult terrain); ability to work independently and in teams for days or weeks at a time; 4x4 vehicle operation and valid driver’s license. Familiarity with western flora and working knowledge of MS Excel are a plus. The surveys involve standard point count methods, area search/spot mapping surveys, and bird-habitat assessments. Training workshop for all survey protocols will be provided, but prior bird identification skills a must. Most teams will work in pairs and share travel to field sites and housing. Camping in primitive conditions and remote locations will be required for many of the Nevada sites. Work periods are 6-12 days with 2-4 days off. Additional stipends negotiable for extra work days. Salary is $1,800-2,200 per month depending on experience. Mileage will also be covered, and depending on location of field sites, housing will be provided for some regions. Please send cover letter (indicate desired start and ending dates and preferred region), resume, and 3 contacts for references to JEN BALLARD, Great Basin Bird Observatory, preferably by email: ballard @ gbbo.org; or by mail: 1755 E. Plumb Lane #256, Reno, NV 89502.

Winter raptor surveys will again be done in valley bottoms throughout the state in the middle two weeks of January and February. Anyone willing to brave the cold and snow to count raptors from the vehicle is invited to join us. Please check our website for further announcements and the survey protocol. Use of GPS is required; GPS units can be borrowed from GBBO, and requests for a GPS workshop for our volunteers are welcome. If you are interested in helping, please email Jen Ballard (Ballard @ gbbo.org).

Telemetry assistance in our Pinyon Jay and sage-grouse research project will be needed throughout 2008 and part of 2009. In particular, we are looking for physically fit individuals, who are willing to drive to remote areas and hike significant distances cross-country to track individual birds. GPS knowledge is a must. Training for radio transmitter work will be provided. Stipends and travel support are available. If you are interested in helping, please email Jen Ballard (Ballard@gbbo.org)

Nevada Bird Count volunteers are needed again in 2008. As always, folks who are proficient at bird identification by sight and sound and who don’t mind working independently in remote areas of Nevada are sought to assist in our annual fun. Volunteers who are interested in bird surveys along the Lower Colorado River are also invited. The fun will begin in the last week of April (Mojave Desert/Colorado River) and the last week of May (Great Basin) and extend through June, 2008. Volunteer stipends will be available, as usual. Preference will be given to volunteers who can make firm time commitments, however small (even one weekend of surveying is greatly appreciated!). Workshops on survey techniques, GPS use, and logistics will be provided in early April and early May at various locations in the state. If you are interested in helping, please email Jen Ballard (Ballard@gbbo.org)

Data entry and other office tasks are a year-round opportunity for GBBO volunteers to get involved. We always have things to do for nice people with computer skills (MS Excel for data entry; similar tasks depending on computer experience) or an interest in library work, or who want to help with outreach materials or other organizational tasks around the office. Much of this type of volunteer work can also be done from home. If you are interested in helping, please email Jen Ballard (Ballard@gbbo.org).

To track down some of the rarer breeding birds of Nevada, we would like to recruit the assistance of birders. Specifically, we are looking for additional locations of several species:  Le Conte’s Thrasher, Bendire’s Thrasher, and Summer Tanager. If you come across any of these species in Nevada in the spring and early summer, please let us know (contact Jen Ballard, ballard @ gbbo.org, 775-770-4220). Along with the location (UTMs from GPS units preferred but not required), please include the date, observers, and how many of the species were seen. Thank you! 

The Carson Valley agricultural and ranching community in conjunction with the Carson Valley Visitors Authority, Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy and the Great Basin Bird Observatory announce the unique annual birds of prey viewing and agricultural education Eagles and Agriculture Event, February 20, 22, 23, 24, 2008.

The Eagles and Agriculture tours and workshops focus on the influx of bald eagles and other birds of prey that come to the scenic Carson Valley to feed on the rodents and nutrient-rich afterbirth during the winter calving season. This unique interaction between nature and agriculture attracts photographers, birders and nature-lovers of all kinds who come to observe bald and golden eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, and a variety of other wildlife species.

The event is staged at Minden’s Carson Valley Inn and features private tours to area ranches to observe birds of prey and learn about local culture and history; a birds of prey lecture and cocktail reception featuring keynote speaker Gary Herron; an “owl prowl”; a two-day workshop on photography; a raft/canoe trip of the Carson River; and a photography contest for the best birding photo and best agricultural/wildlife photo taken in Carson Valley. For more details and registration, please call the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Authority toll-free at 866-530-3551 or go to www.VisitCarsonValley.org.

The Spring Wings festival enters its eleventh year in 2008 and is scheduled for May 9-11. As always, it takes place in Fallon and celebrates the spring migration through Lahontan Valley (164 species recorded last year!). GBBO will participate in the festival and host a beginners’ birding seminar immediately before the festivities begin. For more details about the festival, log on to www.springwings.org. As always, the festival features lots of field trips to nearby birding hotspots, a banquet and keynote speaker, and various other programs of interest to the birding community.

Nevada birders enjoyed having the Western Field Ornithologists in Las Vegas this year (191 species recorded during the WFO field trips!), and based on the conference’s success, many of you are likely interested in joining the fun again in 2008. The conference will feature science sessions with focus on ongoing research in the western region, lots and lots of field trips, expert ID panels, and a great opportunity to meet fellow birders and field ornithologists from the region. The conference is scheduled for October 9-12 and will be hosted in San Mateo, California (excellent access to coastal birding hotspots!). For more information and registration details, please visit WFO’s website (www.wfo-cbrc.org) in the upcoming months. Better yet, if you become a WFO member, you not only receive the quarterly technical publication Western Birds, but you will be alerted of this and similar events in the WFO newsletter.

We would like to invite our volunteers and partners to our next annual retreat, which we are planning for April 2008 in the sunny south. There are several options for destinations that we are currently considering, and we’ll be sure to decide on a location that has lots of spring migrants. Our retreats feature birding outings in informal settings and focus on what’s fun to give us all a break from work. Stay tuned for more details, which we will announce on our website or in mailings.

As a new outreach tool to update our partners and members on a more regular basis on the activities of GBBO, we are starting a monthly e-newsletter in January 2008. To subscribe, write “e-newsletter” on your membership renewal and include your email address, or simply drop us a line by email to (webmaster @ gbbo.org). We will not send any junk emails, and as always, we never share contact information, including email addresses, of our members with any third parties.

Volume 10 of Great Basin Birds has been delayed until January or February 2008 due to the workload of GBBO in its 10th year. Look for the volume in your mail early next year. Thank you for your patience!

In collaboration with the Important Bird Areas program of Audubon, we would like to work together to get better information on two Important Bird Areas, Swan Lake (north of Reno) and Washoe Lake (north of Carson City). Specifically, we would like to find two to four volunteers, who are willing to visit one of these sites once a month for a full count of the birds on the lake and on its shorelines. Both sites are small enough that a full count can be done in one day. The results of the counts can be easily entered online at our “Aquatic Bird Count data entry” page (www.gbbo.org: Programs: Aquatic Bird Count). The data can then also be viewed interactively on the data query page. Please email Jen Ballard (ballard @ gbbo.org) if you are willing to volunteer.