Welcome
Great Basin Bird Observatory (GBBO) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats in the Great Basin and the northern Mojave Desert. This mission shall be accomplished through partnerships, public education, and applied research.
News
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AVIAN FIELD TECHNICIANS and CREW LEADERS (6-8) Needed
AVIAN FIELD TECHNICIANS and CREW LEADERS (6-8) needed to conduct landbird surveys on the lower Colorado River for Great Basin Bird Observatory. The field season will begin 5 March and run through mid-June. Are you interested in adventure, great birds, and exploring the desert? Are you willing to face temperatures up to 110 degrees, dense riparian vegetation, wet feet, and rattlesnakes? If you are answering yes, this may be your ticket to a long and early summer in the Southwest. Duties will include area searches, territory mapping, and data entry in Excel, Access, and ArcGIS. Applicants must have at least 1 field season of experience surveying passerines by sight and sound (preferably southwestern birds), the ability to hike for hours in hot and strenuous conditions, good communication skills, and a willingness to live and work with a large field crew. Applicants must be available from 18 March through 15 June, 2012. Couples with experience are encouraged to apply. Surveyors will be hired as seasonal temporary GBBO employees and paid $1800-$2200/month depending on experience. Field vehicles and housing (combination of field house/apartment and camping) will be provided. Please send a brief cover letter (highlighting bird survey experience and the date you could begin work) and resume (including the names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of 3 references) to AMY LEIST (email leist AT gbbo.org) by 20 Jan, 2012.
Seeking GBBO Board Members.
GBBO is currently seeking interested and experienced people who are interested in participating as a member of the GBBO Board. If you are interested, please fill out the application form and send to Elisabeth Ammon.
Wings and Willow Festival in Genoa, Nevada, July 16th
Celebrate Carson Valley & Eastern Sierra Wildlife Diversity at the 2011 Wings & Willows Festival on July 16th
Thousands of plant and animal species call the Carson Valley and eastern Sierra Nevada home. Join professionals, hobbyists and rubber-neckers (or sightseers) in learning more about the plants and animals at home in these unique ecosystems which soars from the Carson River and Carson Valley to the peaks of the Sierra Nevada Front Range. Attend the Wings & Willows Festival on July 16th, 2011 at The Nature Conservancy’s River Fork Ranch in beautiful Genoa, Nevada.
Up to twenty tours will explore birds, butterflies, wildflowers, wetlands, and mountain meadows, as well as a host of free educational presentations and workshops on topics such as birding, botany, pollinators, and the Carson River. Family activities and crafts, various exhibitors and vendors, live entertainment, and much more will round out the day with something for every member of the family from GrandDad to Junior!
The Wings and Willows Festival will begin with the first tours at 8:00 am and conclude with the Sunset Serenity Tour and a live band at 8:00 pm. The various workshops and presentations will be offered throughout the day, as well as the craft activities and other interesting things to do and see, such as live animals and raptor displays.
For tour registrations, presentation schedule, and current festival information or announcements, please visit us at www.wingsnwillowsfestival.com. We can also be found on Facebook! For other information, please call 775-247-2798 or email wingsnwillowsfestival@gmail.com .
Nevada Comprehensive Bird Conservation Plan Version 1.0 Released!
GBBO is proud to announce the completion of the first version of the Nevada Comprehensive Bird Conservation Plan, which was conceptualized and prepared in a massive collaborative effort between GBBO, Nevada Partners in Flight, our partners in resource management agencies, other non-profit organizations, and private partners. It represents our best current knowledge on conservation priority birds and their habitat needs. The plan will be updated on an ongoing basis to reflect updated knowledge about bird conservation in Nevada. When major updates occur, we will include them in a version revision. View/Download the plan here.
Results of Decision Support Tool Workshop, Reno, October 2009
GBBO and the University of Nevada, Reno, hosted a workshop Collaborative Decision Support Tools for Bird Conservation in October of 2009. Thirty-five colleagues, mostly from bird observatories and similar organizations, discussed recent advances and current needs for quantitative Decision Support Tools and Frameworks in the field of bird conservation. The minutes from the meeting can be reviewed here.
Great Basin Birds Update
Due to a recent low submission rate, we delayed Volume 11 until this spring. The volume will feature articles on Burrowing Owls and updates from various ornithological initiatives and conservation groups around the state. Our members can expect to receive the new volume approximately in May.
As a service to our members and the public, we are now making PDF files available of all articles and volumes of Great Basin Birds up to 2004 (Volume 7). More recent issues will be made available on an annual basis. More details here.
Visit GBBO on Facebook
Elf Owl Detectability
In the spring of 2010, GBBO will begin a new project designed to determine factors that influence whether or not, and how well, Elf Owls can be detected during inventory and monitoring.
This study will involve capturing Elf Owls at the Bill Williams River, AZ, and fitting several individuals with radiotransmitters in order to follow their movements and responses to playing recordings of their calls. The project is funded by the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program. More details on the project can be found here.
Colonial Waterbirds in Nevada:
GBBO seeks the help of the birding public in locating nesting colonies throughout Nevada of the following birds in 2010 (look for nestingevidence between April and July):
Island nesters:
American White Pelican (other than Pyramid Lake)
Double-crested Cormorant
Caspian Tern
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Marsh nesters:
Brood locations (nests very delicate and should not be disturbed):
Western Grebe
Clark’s Grebe
Eared GrebeColony locations:
Black Tern
Forster’s Tern
White-faced Ibis
Franklin’s Gull
Tree nesters:
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Great Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Please submit location (preferably with GPS coordinates, otherwise township/range/section), number of active nests/broods, date observed, and your name by email (ammon AT gbbo.org) or phone (775-323-4226) as soon as possible after your birding trip.December eNewsletter
The 3rd edition of our eNewsletter has been sent out to everyone on the subscription list. View it online here.