Virtual basic raptor ID course
- Details
- Published: Tuesday, 08 December 2020 02:10
The Edinburg World Birding Center is delighted to have local raptor expert, Bill Clark, present virtually a Basic Raptor ID course. Build up your hawk watching skills in this program as you learn helpful tips to identify raptors. He will provide an ID overview of vultures, osprey, harrier, and falcons. He will then go into detail about buteos, accipiters, and others.
Bill Clark is a photographer, author, researcher, and lecturer and has over 50 years of experience working with birds of prey, including five years as Director of NWF's Raptor Information Center.
This is a six-hour course consisting of three two-hour sessions. The first session will begin on Friday, December 11 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The last two sessions are on Saturday, December 12 at 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Registration deadline is two days prior to the program. This program will be delivered via zoom. Register at the EWBC website: www.EdinburgWBC.org or call them at (956) 381-9922. Payment can be taken by phone or in-person.
You can visit holiday themed sandcastles at South Padre Island. The sandcastles are an ongoing thing and this year the sculptors have worked hard to get things done. The Christmas village is currently open for visitors.
The Christmas Extravaganza is now on display at Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum featuring the creative ways people decorate Christmas trees. The exhibit runs through December 31.
The trails of Quinta Mazatlán in McAllen will be lined with thousands of candle luminarias to celebrate the winter holidays around the world. Presented by SpawGlass, ILLUMINA Fest 2020 takes place on December 16, 17, 18, and 19 from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tickets go fast and can only be purchased online at www.ticketleap.com, search for Quinta Mazatlán.
The Rio Grande Valley supports two chapters of Texas Master Naturalist and both chapters are taking applications for the new class training that will begin January 7. The deadline to register is December 18.
The Valley Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce that its annual holiday concert A Touch of Frost will continue in 2020 amidst restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Symphony will provide three ways for patrons in the Rio Grande Valley and beyond to enjoy this holiday tradition, made possible through support from Exclusive Concert Sponsor Frost and more.
This past week, Olga Papp of Lone Star National Bank, on South Padre Island, was excited to accept a pickup load of grocery items donated by Winter Texans Jean and Steve Fisher of Iowa. The bank is helping with a food drive for the food bank. The donated grocery items will be taken to Pharr where bank employees will continue to volunteer by helping to sort and distribute the food to needy families in the Rio Grande Valley. This is the Fisher’s third year visiting the Valley and each year they have found at least one organization to support. Their first year they donated nearly $5000 of stuffed animals to Sunny Glen Children’s Orphanage. Last year, they donated over $10,000 in Christmas presents, clothes and other items to over 30 children in Cameron County. When asked by the bank manager, Martin Infante, why they were generous with their donation, Jean said it is because they have been blessed and enjoy giving back. When we did a story on them last year, we learned Jean grew up in foster homes and has a connection with how hard it can be this time of the year. Both have worked hard to get where they are today and feel they are blessed with everything they have. They have made the choice to give back like this at least once a year to share their blessing with others. Last year Jean said, they were not in it for the glory, “It is not about the giving or the getting, it is letting them know that someone cares.”
