Birders Take Flight at RVM

By Anne Newins

Most people notice birds, but they may not understand why so many people are interested in feathered fauna.  This article originally was going to be about why birders bird, but after talking with three of RVM’s most knowledgeable birders, their desire to inspire and educate others took over as the topic.  The focus is on Gary Shaffer, Carolyn Auker, and David Guzzetta, but there are many other past and present birders on campus.

Gary Shaffer has lived in the Rogue Valley for 47 years, much of the time on a 20-acre ranch.  About 25 years ago, his wife mounted a bird feeder, and Gary’s interest took wing.  He connected with Wild Birds Unlimited, which sells a wide array of bird related items and has a highly knowledgeable staff.  He began taking classes, and says that “one pair of binoculars led to another.”  About 15 years ago, Gary became interested in photographing birds, making use of the improved camera technology.

When asked why he is interested in birds, Gary replied that “it gets you out of the house, away from the television, and out into nature.”  Gary’s affinity with nature also includes a deep interest in dragonflies, insects, and mushrooms.  He leads tours for local groups, including the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy.

Gary Shaffer

Although Gary has traveled the world looking at birds, he currently is focusing on the Rogue Valley.  He engages in friendly competition with several other birders.  Several years ago, he counted the largest number of species in Jackson County:  245!  Gary’s eagle eye has resulted in eleven new species being sighted on the RVM Campus since he and his wife Annette moved here two years ago.  A gallery of his bird photographs is found in the companion piece The Birds of Gary Shaffer.

The reason that we know how many species have been seen on the RVM campus is due largely to the efforts of David Guzzetta and Carolyn Auker.  David’s interests in birds date back to his college years, when he was an intern for the Fish and Wildlife Service and took zoology and environmental classes at San Jose State University.  Carolyn’s interest was piqued when she and David met and later married.  Like Gary, their love of birding is related to the solitude and beauty found in nature.

I first met David and Carolyn many years ago when we all lived in Merced County, CA.  Their desire to share the pleasures of birding led them to help start “The Fledglings,” an informal group of novices and more experienced birders.  We were all able to enjoy the many field trips, regardless of our levels of knowledge and skill.

Dave Guzzetta

Not long after moving to RVM seven years ago, David and Carolyn began a series of initiatives to help residents enjoy birds.  They spearheaded a campaign to place bird feeders outside the windows of residents of the Health Center and the Memory Support Center.  Residents donated feeders and the RVM Foundation supplied funding for the hooks to hang them.  Manor staff eventually took responsibility for the maintenance of the feeders and providing seed.  The ability to watch birds is both relaxing and stimulating for residents who may have little mobility.

Quickly finding kindred spirits, David and Carolyn have facilitated two bird watching excursions on the Quail Point Golf Course.  They made the acquaintance of Shannon Rio, director of the board of the Klamath Bird Observatory and a popular OLLI instructor.  Shannon now makes annual presentations as part of the Thursday Night program series and has led several Manor bus tours to the Klamath Basin, most recently this spring.  Many Complement readers also will have read David’s articles about birds in hillTopics.

A major project has been the establishment of a Manor birding interest group, which currently has 91 members.   The Bird Group, also known as ‘Old Coots,’ is for all birders and potential birders at RVM.  Members exchange information about sightings, general knowledge, and other tidbits.  This past winter a rare Costa’s Hummingbird took up residence on the Manor Rooftop Garden for several weeks.  Word of the sighting quickly spread regionally, and “bird chasers” from as far as Eastern Oregon and San Francisco came to see it.

The RVM Birding site includes other important sources of information, including direct links to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (ebird.org).  The ebird site includes an eBird Field Checklist for RVM, and thanks to David and Carolyn, offers an RVM hot spot, named “RVM campus”.  The hot spot provides a place where birders can list their sightings, and includes a wealth of information about species observed on campus and when they were seen.

Thanks to our intrepid birders, 152 species have been seen on campus.  Credit goes to a number of people, but special recognition should be made of Dick Heintz, who has posted about 75 new

Carolyn Auker

species to the site thanks to his many years of observations. Lee Purkerson has been a frequent contributor, and Gary Shaffer continues to significantly expand the list.

Past resident and naturalist John Kemper also was an important part of the birding community, at RVM and statewide.  His guidebooks to birds, wildflowers, and places of geographical beauty continue to be circulated at the RVM library.

Carolyn is currently involved in an ambitious effort to provide photos of all the birds seen on campus to ease identification.  She encourages photographers who are not birders to submit Manor bird photos to the birding group.  They will be identified and added to the Birder’s Gallery on my RVM, where pictures from the recent trip to the Klamath Basin may also be found.  When on the MyRVM Birding site, click on “photos” to access the photos of over a dozen contributors.  Clicking on each photo shows the species name.

Even if your interest in birds has been limited mainly to your dinner entree, take a look outside your window.  There is a world of beauty, drama, humor (thanks to turkeys) and solace flying beyond that pane of glass. Thanks are due to our residents who make watching birds an even more rewarding experience.