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SM Mountains BirdFest Announcement
As we all know, the Santa Monica Mountains BirdFest 2018 was cancelled because of the Woolsey fire. The heart of King Gillette Ranch, site of our BirdFest activities, was unscathed although the area around it was devastated. That sadly includes both Paramount Ranch and Peter Strauss Ranch where many public events and concerts take place.
The BirdFest committee met to discuss planning for the next festival. We decided to plan for the 5th Festival to take place in November 2020 rather than in 2019. This will allow more time for the area and habitat to recover from the ravages of the fire.
We also took other factors into consideration, notably the pressure on National Park and other agency staff to rebuild, the backlog of work on NPS lands after the shutdown, and the demand on the reduced number of facilities in the Mountains during rebuilding. Planning for events must start months ahead of time and we are at this time unable to speak to National Park personnel.
We are sorry to miss two years, but we hope to welcome you to a stronger and better BirdFest 2020!
The BirdFest of the Santa Monica Mountains is a free cooperative event sponsored by San Fernando Valley Audubon Society, Western National Parks Association, the National Park Service, Conejo Valley Audubon Society and Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society.
Courtship has distinct phases. It begins with a male’s loud calls for attracting females to his display site, and ends when females decide whether to mate or leave. The final phase, just before the female chooses, is critical. This stage includes close inspection by females and sometimes even physical touch. It all leads up to a crucial moment of female choice. The Cornell Lab’s Ed Scholes explains. Filmed and photographed by Tim Laman.
There are currently seventy-two short films in the entire Birds-of-Paradise Project playlist, ranging from 26 seconds to 8:29. In the upcoming weeks, we will present some of our favorites.
A film from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. If no film or link appears in this email, go to the blog to view it by clicking on the blog title above. If the film stops & starts in an annoying manner, press pause (lower left double bars ||) to let it buffer and get ahead of you. The lab is a member-supported organization and they welcome your membership and support. [Chuck Almdale]
What have we learned from exploring Earth’s harshest locations? That pretty everywhere we look for life, we find it. From smoking hot hydrothermal vents to icy deserts, up in clouds and inside rocks, extremophiles have found a way to survive. These survivors and adapters are not only teaching us about life on Earth, but expanding the possibilities of where life can exist elsewhere.
This is an installment of the PBS – It’s OK to be Smart series. If no film or link appears in this email, go to the blog to view it by clicking on the blog title above. If the film stops & starts in an annoying manner, press pause (lower left double bars ||) to let it buffer and get ahead of you. [Chuck Almdale]
Male birds-of-paradise spend their first several years looking very much like females. They’re brownish and they don’t yet have fancy colors or ornaments. They spend this time watching what makes a good display and then practicing the right moves. Females are so picky that practice is essential. Even adult males spend many hours refining their displays to be ready when their chance comes. Filmed and photographed by Tim Laman.
There are currently seventy-two short films in the entire Birds-of-Paradise Project playlist, ranging from 26 seconds to 8:29. In the upcoming weeks, we will present some of our favorites.
A film from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. If no film or link appears in this email, go to the blog to view it by clicking on the blog title above. If the film stops & starts in an annoying manner, press pause (lower left double bars ||) to let it buffer and get ahead of you. The lab is a member-supported organization and they welcome your membership and support. [Chuck Almdale]
How Elephants Listen … With Their Feet | Deep Look Video
African elephants may have magnificent ears, but on the savanna, they communicate over vast distances by picking up underground signals with their sensitive, fatty feet.
This is another installment of the PBS Deep Look series; this installment is adapted from the “It’s OK to be Smart” series. If no film or link appears in this email, go to the blog to view it by clicking on the blog title above. If the film stops & starts in an annoying manner, press pause (lower left double bars ||) to let it buffer and get ahead of you. [Chuck Almdale]
SANTA MONICA BAY AUDUBON SOCIETY BLOG 