The November 19 field trip for the Redbud Audubon Society will be held at the Rodman Preserve, 6350 Westlake Road near Upper Lake starting at 9 a.m. For information call Pat Harmon at (707) 263-4977.
This will be an enjoyable walk with field trip leader, Pat Harmon. There will be both songbirds, raptors and possibly migrating warblers. It is an easy hike lasting about two hours.
Take the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff off of Highway 29 between Lakeport and Upper Lake. Turn east onto the cutoff, then left on to Westlake Road. The preserve entry is to the immediate right after turning on to Westlake. Don’t confuse the Rodman Preserve with the County Rodman Slough Park which is located by the bridge on the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff.
The preserve is owned and operated by the Lake County Land Trust. This walk will take the place of the usual Saturday morning walk at the Preserve presented by Land Trust volunteers.
“A Bird’s Rainbow” is the Topic of November Program
Bob Lewis joins the November meeting to present “A Bird’s Rainbow,” a look at the fascinating mysteries of the color of birds. Many birds are brightly colored; others use patterned feathers for camouflage. How do these colors originate? What’s the difference between colors from pigments and physical colors?
From Yellow warblers to Anna’s Hummingbirds, from Snow Geese to Brewer’s Blackbirds, each species makes unique use of the feather colors it possesses. What do the colors indicate to other birds? And do birds see the same colors we do? Bob will unravel some of the mysteries of color in birds with a little chemistry, a bit of physics, and a lot of brightly colored slides.
Lewis trained as a chemist and worked for Chevron for 33 years. He’s taught birding classes in the Bay Area for over 20 years, and served as the chair of Golden Gate Audubon’s Adult Education Committee. Currently he’s co-teaching a popular Master Birding class at the SF Academy of Sciences with Jack Dumbacher and Eddie Bartley, and Birds of the Bay Area with Rusty Scalf. He loves to travel and photograph birds, and has recently returned from a trip to Peru, chasing the brightly colored birds of that area.
The talk takes place Thursday, November 17. Audubon’s programs are free and are open to the public. Refreshments offered at 7 p.m. and program at 7:15 p.m. in the Glebe Social Hall, St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 4085 Main Street, Kelseyville.
