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“A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.” – Chinese Proverb
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – You know this bird is around before you see it, as it has quite a distinctive call.
The pileated woodpecker's strident “kuk-kuk-kuk” reverberates throughout the woods and leads you to his “lunch table.”
You can tell that he has been working industriously by the carpet of wood chips he's left below a branch.
Today Mr. Pileated Woodpecker is dining on grubs in an oak tree high above me.
His boundless banging on the branch is astounding to behold. Thunk! Thunk! Again and again until he finds a cache of beetle larvae, ants or termites beneath the bark of his chosen branch.
These birds drum not only to find food, but to claim territory as well.
They have been known to drum on chimneys, trash cans, logs and telephone poles to proclaim their place in the world. When chiseling a hole, they can peck as fast as 20 times per second.
Pileated woodpeckers have reinforced, heavy bills to use for all of the hammering they do, and they grip the tree's bark ferociously with their zygodactyl feet to give the pounding more power.
Most kinds of woodpeckers have zygodactyl feet, which are those with both front-facing and rear-pointing toes, to help them climb as well as grip the bark firmly.
Their tongues are barbed to aid in recovering slippery grubs. Some species of woodpeckers have a 4-inch-long tongue, which wraps around their skull.
There are nearly 200 species of woodpeckers in the world, and they all sport the same colors – red, white and black, with some varieties wearing an additional color, that of yellow.
The pileated woodpecker here in Lake County wears an ebony cloak, a dapper white scarf and a crimson crested beret.
These big birds are 16 to 19 inches long, with an average wingspan of 27 inches – larger than a crow.
Most often found in deciduous or deciduous-coniferous woodlands, the pileated woodpecker frequents forests with dead or decaying trees for their grubs.
Their diet also can include caterpillars, termites, blackberries, sumac berries and elderberry.
Males of the species are known for their excavating skills which are handy for nesting.
When the hole is almost the right size, around 10 to 20 inches deep, the female will generally take over and complete the nest cavity, by climbing into the oblong hole to finish chipping to the correct dimensions.
They do not waste the precious wood chips created in construction, but choose, instead to line the nest hole with them.
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is an educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – As firefighters have continued to increase the containment on a large blaze in Napa and Solano counties, another large fire erupted in Nevada County on Saturday.
Cal Fire said containment on the 6,900-acre Wragg fire near Lake Berryessa increased to 55 percent by Saturday night.
The fire began Wednesday in steep, rugged terrain off Highway 128. So far, it has destroyed an outbuilding and a tent trailer, and damaged another structure.
On Saturday all evacuation orders and road closures were lifted in relation to the fire, with residents returning to their homes, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire said Lake Solano campground remains closed due to fire equipment access.
Resources committed to the incident late Saturday included 1,729 personnel, 133 fire engines, 43 fire crews, 13 helicopters, 24 dozers, 13 water tenders and an incident management team, according to Cal Fire.
Several counties away, shortly after 2:30 p.m. Saturday, a large wildland fire broke out in Nevada County.
Within hours the Lowell fire had ballooned to 4,000 acres, with no containment, Cal Fire reported.
The cause is under investigation, with authorities asking for the public’s help in looking for a vehicle of interest that was in the area when the fire started.
The vehicle is a lifted four-wheel-drive white Jeep Wrangler without a top, a black roll bar and no front doors that was in the Gold Run/Dutch Flat. Anyone with information should contact the Placer or Nevada County Sheriff’s Department.
Mandatory evacuations are in place in the You Bet, Red Dog, and Chaulk Bluff areas, with an evacuation advisory in place for the northeastern portion of Cascade Shores is also under evacuation order. An evacuation center has been opened at the Nevada Union High School in Grass Valley.
Approximately 600 fire personnel, 55 fire engines, 13 fire crews, nine air tankers, nine helicopters and six dozers were assigned to the fire Saturday, Cal Fire said.
Elsewhere around Northern California, firefighters have been working on the Queen fire, which began early Saturday morning five miles southeast of Pecwan, in Humboldt County, that has so far burned 200 acres and is 20-percent contained, according to Cal Fire.
Firefighters also are nearing full containment on the 3-11 fire in Modoc County, which began northeast of Bieber on Thursday. It has burned 116 acres and is 90-percent contained, Cal Fire said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The 74th quilt block on the Lake County Quilt Trail is “Dove in the Window.”
Its design is inspired by the collaboration and cooperation of two congregations – the United Methodist Church and Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County who share this place of worship at 3810 Main St., Kelseyville.
This design is a variation of a traditional quilt block called “friendship fan,” which appropriately represents the friendship of these two groups.
The dove represents peace, and the rainbow colors represent inclusiveness of both congregations.
The Kelseyville United Methodists have met on the location of First and Main since 1854. The current sanctuary is the third church structure on this site and was constructed in 1948.
The United Methodist Church, led by Pastor Voris Brumfield, meets at 9 a.m. on Sundays. The church's slogan is “Open Minds, Open Hearts, and Open Doors.”
The Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County, which is lay led and has visiting ministers and speakers, meets on Sunday at 11 a.m. Its slogan is “A religious home where all faiths are welcome, and spiritual growth is encouraged.”
These congregations collaborated to sponsor the 4-foot by 4-foot “Dove in the Window” quilt block.
They also work together on community projects such as the Kelseyville Food Pantry, along with the Presbyterian Church of Kelseyville.
Many thanks to Glenn Mueller and Peter Trucks for installing “Dove in the Window.”
The Lake County Quilt Trail is an agricultural and tourism project designed to promote community pride.
The quilt block was drawn and painted by the Lake County Quilt Trail team, a group of dedicated quilters, graphic artists, painters, writers, carpenters and a videographer.
For more information about the Lake County Quilt Trail visit www.lakecountyquilttrail.com or check out the group's Facebook page.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – There are a variety of big working dogs and little dogs waiting for homes at Lake County Animal Care and Control this week.
This week's dogs include mixes of border collie, cattle dog, hound, husky, mastiff pit bull and terrier.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.
In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
Terrier mix
This female terrier mix has a short black and tan mix.
She's in kennel No. 2, ID No. 2597.
Terrier mix
This female terrier mix has a short tan coat.
She's in kennel No. 4, ID No. 2598.
Border collie puppy
This male border collie puppy has a short black and white coat.
He's in kennel No. 5a, ID No. 2473.
Border collie puppy
This male border collie puppy has a short black and white coat.
He's in kennel No. 5b, ID No. 2517.
'Athena'
“Athena” is a female mastiff mix.
She has a short black coat with white markings.
She's in kennel No. 7, ID no. 2743.
Male terrier mix
This male terrier mix has a short white and brown coat.
He and his sister in kennel No. 26 were dumped, and they need socialization and extra tender loving car.
Shelter staff said he's very sweet and would be a wonderful companion for the right person.
He's in kennel No. 9, ID No. 2742.
Male cattle dog mix
This male cattle dog mix has a black and white speckled coat and a black mask.
Shelter staff said he gets along great with other dogs, cats and children, and has good behavior.
He's in kennel No. 11, ID No. 2792.
'Annie'
“Annie” is a female hound mix.
She has a short tan and white coat.
She's in kennel No. 24, ID No. 2744.
Pit bull mix
This female pit bull terrier mix has a short gray and white coat.
Shelter staff said she is very affectionate and loving.
She's in kennel No. 25, ID No. 2536.
Female terrier mix
This female terrier mix has a short white and tan coat, with brown and blue eyes.
Shelter staff said she has had a hard start in life, having been abandoned along with her brother in kennel No. 9 and other family members.
However, shelter staff said she is very sweet and lovely with people, and will be a very loyal companion for the person willing to give her a home and work with her.
She's in kennel No. 26, ID No. 2636.
Husky mix
This handsome male husky mix has a medium-length gray and white coat, with blue eyes.
Shelter staff said he would be good in a home with no cats or small animals. He has no food aggression and does fine with other dogs.
He is a great boy that would do well in an active home and with children ages 7 years and above.
He's in kennel No. 28, ID No. 2595.
Pit bull terrier mix
This female pit bull terrier mix has a short brown and white coat.
Shelter staff said she has no food aggression and is OK with cats. She does well with other dogs, both male and female.
She is a sweet girl that just needs someone to love her. She is bright, and has great potential.
She's in kennel No. 29, ID No. 2701.
To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Flowing ice and a surprising extended haze are among the newest discoveries from NASA’s New Horizons mission, which reveal distant Pluto to be an icy world of wonders.
“We knew that a mission to Pluto would bring some surprises, and now – 10 days after closest approach – we can say that our expectation has been more than surpassed,” said John Grunsfeld, NASA’s associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate. “With flowing ices, exotic surface chemistry, mountain ranges, and vast haze, Pluto is showing a diversity of planetary geology that is truly thrilling."
Just seven hours after closest approach, New Horizons aimed its Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) back at Pluto, capturing sunlight streaming through the atmosphere and revealing hazes as high as 80 miles above Pluto’s surface.
A preliminary analysis of the image shows two distinct layers of haze – one about 50 miles above the surface and the other at an altitude of about 30 miles.
“My jaw was on the ground when I saw this first image of an alien atmosphere in the Kuiper Belt,” said Alan Stern, principal investigator for New Horizons at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Boulder, Colorado. “It reminds us that exploration brings us more than just incredible discoveries – it brings incredible beauty.”
Studying Pluto’s atmosphere provides clues as to what’s happening below.
“The hazes detected in this image are a key element in creating the complex hydrocarbon compounds that give Pluto’s surface its reddish hue,” said Michael Summers, New Horizons co-investigator at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
Models suggest the hazes form when ultraviolet sunlight breaks up methane gas particles -- a simple hydrocarbon in Pluto’s atmosphere.
The breakdown of methane triggers the buildup of more complex hydrocarbon gases, such as ethylene and acetylene, which also were discovered in Pluto’s atmosphere by New Horizons.
As these hydrocarbons fall to the lower, colder parts of the atmosphere, they condense into ice particles that create the hazes.
Ultraviolent sunlight chemically converts hazes into tholins, the dark hydrocarbons that color Pluto’s surface.
Scientists previously had calculated temperatures would be too warm for hazes to form at altitudes higher than 20 miles above Pluto’s surface.
“We’re going to need some new ideas to figure out what’s going on,” said Summers.
The New Horizons mission also found in LORRI images evidence of exotic ices flowing across Pluto’s surface and revealing signs of recent geologic activity, something scientists hoped to find but didn’t expect.
The new images show fascinating details within the Texas-sized plain, informally named Sputnik Planum, which lies within the western half of Pluto’s heart-shaped feature, known as Tombaugh Regio.
There, a sheet of ice clearly appears to have flowed – and may still be flowing – in a manner similar to glaciers on Earth.
“We’ve only seen surfaces like this on active worlds like Earth and Mars,” said mission co-investigator John Spencer of SwRI. “I'm really smiling.”
Additionally, new compositional data from New Horizons’ Ralph instrument indicate the center of Sputnik Planum is rich in nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane ices.
“At Pluto’s temperatures of minus-390 degrees Fahrenheit, these ices can flow like a glacier,” said Bill McKinnon, deputy leader of the New Horizons Geology, Geophysics and Imaging team at Washington University in St. Louis. “In the southernmost region of the heart, adjacent to the dark equatorial region, it appears that ancient, heavily-cratered terrain has been invaded by much newer icy deposits.”
View a simulated flyover using New Horizons’ close-approach images of Sputnik Planum and Pluto’s newly-discovered mountain range, informally named Hillary Montes, in the video below.
The New Horizons mission will continue to send data stored in its onboard recorders back to Earth through late 2016.
The spacecraft currently is 7.6 million miles beyond Pluto, healthy and flying deeper into the Kuiper Belt.
For more information on the New Horizons mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/newhorizons .
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Library, along with the Lake County Office of Education’s Literacy Task Force, will present the Lake County Big Read during the program month of October 2015.
The Big Read is a community-wide reading program that promotes literature and brings people together through reading and discussing a common book.
Harper Lee’s classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” has been selected and community book discussions will be held around the county all month long.
The Big Read will kick off with the Lake County Lit-Fest on Oct. 3 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Mendocino College Lake Center, 2565 Parallel Drive in Lakeport.
The Lake County Lit-Fest is a reading festival featuring local authors, artists and organizations gathered in celebration of reading and literature.
Lit-Fest attendees will be able to receive a copy of this year’s Big Read novel selection while supplies last.
There will be space available for local authors to meet the public and sell their books.
Booths also will be available to organizations interested in promoting literacy and celebrating the written word.
During Lit-Fest local authors will have the opportunity to read their own short works based on themes from “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
High school students will read essays they have submitted for the Lake County Big Read Essay Contest and the contest winners will be recognized at the Lit-Fest kickoff.
An exhibit of local art works inspired by “To Kill a Mockingbird” will be on display. Local author Alethea Eason will conduct free writing workshops.
For more information about the Lake County Big Read and Lit-Fest or to sign up to participate as an author or organization call the Lake County Library at 707-263-8817.
The Lake County Big Read is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LakeCountyBigRead .
Jan Cook works for the Lake County Library.