|
Happening at the Crossroads
March 27, 2008
by Coggin Heeringa Sandhill
Cranes are back. Redwinged Blackbirds and Killdeer have returned
to Crossroads at Big Creek. Geese and Mallards are paddling around in
our ponds. Any day now, we will welcome the Bluebirds. The symbol of
happiness, Bluebirds certainly are not blue....in mood or in
color.
Blue and other iridescent colors of birds are the
result not of pigments. These colors are an optical illusion. In
feathers, blue is considered a "structural color."
We perceive a
bird as blue because of the way light reflects from the feathers. Each
feather barb contains a black pigment background. This dark pigment
gives the feather strength. Inside the feather structure are tiny
air-filled boxlike structures. Light waves of blue are reflected from
this colorless layer of cells. The other colors of the spectrum are
absorbed by the dark background.
If you hold a blue feather up
so that you are looking at sunlight passing through the feather rather
than reflecting from it, the feather will appear black. Or if you
soak a blue feather, so all of the hollow cells fill with water, blue
light will no longer be reflected. And if you go birding at dawn
or dusk, when birds are active, the light is often---usually---so bad
that the birds look black. And that makes bird watchers blue.
Door
County Bluebird watchers were blue for years because these colorful
birds were unable to find nesting cavities. Many have started Bluebird
Trails. Tonight (Wednesday, April 2) Roy and Charlotte Lukes will
present an illustrated lecture called "Starting and Maintaining a
Bluebird Trail" The 7:00 PM program is free and open to the public.
The
Master Gardener Spring Symposium will be held at Crossroads on April 3
"Gardening with Rock" featuring Ed Lyon. This "day of rocks, troughs
and plants" will address gardens planted among rocks, exploring
the use of dwarf and miniature plants. The fee for this symposium is
$45 (which includes lunch. ) Questions? Contact Larry Maas at 743-6518.
Preregistration is required.
On Saturday evening, lack of clouds
permitting, members of the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society will
offer an evening of viewing at the Leif Everson Observatory beginning
at dusk. It's best to arrive about 8:00 PM, using the Utah Street
Entrance to Crossroads.
Friends of Crossroads will meet at 6:30 PM on Monday. This is the group
of volunteers which make our programs and projects possible. They
invite the community to visit and to get involved in something very
special.
On Tuesday night, Master Gardeners will be back with a
program called "Organic Gardening" with Bob and Sue DeKelver.
They will discuss the various techniques of this healthy approach
to gardening. Free to the public, the program is
sponsered by Door County Master Gardeners Association.
Trails at
Crossroads at open, Big Creek is running, and the birds are coming back
to the preserve. Crossroads is located at the intersection Michigan and
Highway 42/57 in Sturgeon Bay.
The
Collins Learning Center at Crossroads is located at on County Highway T
across from Whitetails Unlimited. To reach the Leif Everson Observatory
and Stonecipher Astronomy Center, use the Utah Street Entrance. If
skies are clear, call 746-5896 for a recorded message announcing
whether the observatory will be open.
|
