LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Redbud Audubon Society will present its monthly program on Thursday, April 19, starting at 7 p.m. at the Lower Lake Historical Schoolhouse in Lower Lake.

This month the chapter is hosting Sarah Millus, a biologist with Audubon Canyon Ranch, who will talk about the heron and egret project at the ranch.

The project is an effort to monitor the colonially nesting herons and egrets in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Data is collected by volunteers and provides information about nesting distributions, nest survivorship, nest productivity, and intra-seasonal timing of nesting.

Millus has a master's in biology from California State University, Fullerton and a bachelor's degree in marine biology from UC Santa Cruz.

Many Redbud members are so busy helping as volunteers with the Heron Festival – to be presented May 5 at Redbud Park, sponsored by Redbud Audubon – that they rarely get to hear the keynote speakers who bring their expertise about these wonderful bird species.

“This chapter meeting is an opportunity for everyone to hear a fascinating presentation from a biologist who has in-depth expertise on these beautiful birds,” said Marilyn Waits, president of the Redbud Audubon Society.

The program is free and open to the public.

To learn more about the Redbud Audubon Society, and the upcoming Heron Festival, go to www.redbudaudubon.org .