This peeking owl (photo above) is of a burrowing owl.

While most of us would respond to a proposed industrial development next door with the slogan “NIMBY” or “NOT in My Back Yard,” the reaction should most definitely be quite the opposite with respect to birds.

Black Phoebe (pictured left) likes wet/damp areas.

A presentation by John K. Cross at the Oakhurst Library Community Room from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, August 13, will provide, from an amateur’s perspective, a range of visual clues and behavioral anecdotes about our feathered friends. According to Cross, these should lead to a “better identification, appreciation and, consequently, enjoyment of our more common avian tenants and transients.”

When he was younger, Cross, who has a PhD in biology, said he left the study of birds to others during various field studies because it required getting up early.

“I was mainly a city kid back then and there’s only so much excitement one can get from studying pigeons and English sparrows,” he added.

After retirement, Cross said he had more time to study birds which have since become his friends.

“My relationship and appreciation for the avian world above was greatly fostered by the forbearance shown to me by members of the Yosemite Area Audubon Society as I scaled that learning curve,” he continued.

The free presentation is sponsored by the Friends of the Oakhurst Branch Library. The library’s Community Room is located at 49044 Civic Circle Drive.

For more information call: (559) 683-4838 or visit: oakhurstfobl.com.

Same owl (as seen above) peeking from its WWI trench surveying No Man's Land. Owl photos courtesy of Nina Jones