News Archive

Oakshire Brewery Hosts LCAS Fundraiser February 6

Lane County Audubon Society is delighted to announce it will be part of Oakshire Brewery’s Inspires community fundraising program on Wednesday, February 6. The brewery will donate $1 to LCAS for each pint of beer sold on that day. Oakshire’s Public House, 207 Madison Street, Eugene, serves beer, ciders, wines, sodas, kombucha, and a variety of food. Brewery hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

LCAS volunteers will be on hand at the brewery from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on February 6 to welcome visitors and spread the word about LCAS’s many educational and conservation outreach programs.

Regardless of the 2018 election results (I am writing this on November 5!), I realize my message will be the same…
As Audubon members who value nature and wildlife, we need to increase our efforts to connect, inform and educate our youth about how cool and amazing nature is. We need to share our awe and reverence for the natural world around us. Share the wonder of both the complexity and simplicity of natural ecosystems. Even after generations of study by humans, we still know and understand only a small part of how underlying natural processes work to support our life systems on the earth.
We need to share that our own survival as a species depends upon how we care for the earth we inhabit. If we nurture, protect and preserve the earth’s natural places, it will be our own species we save, as well as other species with whom we coexist.
I cannot give up hope that a future generation will be able to breathe in clean air, drink clear water, and gaze out at lovely natural wonders for inspiration. Please remember, humans need nature and nature depends on us to cherish and protect it.

Thanks to Matt Parker for Website Help--
Audubon in the Schools Update--
Mt. Pisgah Mushroom Festival Brings Out the Shroomers--and More...

On Sunday, October 28, thousands of attendees came to see the incredible mushroom display at the Mushroom Festival at Mt. Pisgah. Hundreds of them stopped by the LCAS booth to learn more about the birdlife in our area and get acquainted with the way our organization promotes the conservation of birds and their habitat through education and outreach.

Compiled by Debbie Schlenoff

Teamwork

Bird couples may work together to decrease predation at their nest. In a behavior called “coordinated misdirection,” both adults will initially fly toward their nest but one will veer off while the other goes directly to the nest. Scientists believe that nest predators are distracted by the bird in flight. This means it’s less likely that the predator will discover the nest entrance itself. The behavior has been shown in at least 28 species of passerine birds, across 5 distinct families.

Eric R. Gulson-Castillo, Harold F. Greeney, and Benjamin G. Freeman (2018) Coordinated misdirection: a probable anti-nest predation behavior widespread in Neotropical birds. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology In Press

Evaluating Expected Outcomes 

In a clever set of experiments, birds in the parrot family learned that they could exchange a token for food. Later, they were given a choice between a token or a piece of food.