LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Redbud Audubon Society will host a program on scrub jays and acorn woodpeckers on Thursday, April 17, at the Lower Lake School House Museum, 16435 Main St., in Lower Lake.

The program starts with refreshments at 7 p.m. and the public is warmly invited.

Kate Marianchild, who lives near Ukiah will present her illustrated lecture entitled: “Western Scrub-jays and Acorn Woodpeckers: Eccentric Characters of California’s Oak Woodlands.”

She will review up-to-the-minute scientific research in a fun and accessible style, regaling the audience with little known and intimate glimpses into the lives of these two species.

You will learn about scrub-jay marriages and divorces, their “liberated,” relationships, and their phenomenal intelligence – a level of intelligence that some researchers believe exceeds that of the non-human primates.

You’ll also hear about the “neighborhood watch patrols,” “funerals,” scrub-jay love of mischief, and the keystone role this species plays in oak ecosystems, among other things.

Living on property belonging to a large clan of acorn woodpeckers, Marianchild has lively stories to tell about these birds as well, based on her own observations as well as the research of Walt Koenig, the world authority on acorn woodpeckers.

Acorn Woodpeckers have a complex social structure and engage in “polygynandrous,” communal marriages.

“Marianchild’s presentations, which are known for their marvelous slides, are knowledgeable, engaging, entertaining and inspiring,” notes Redbud Audubon Society’s president, Marilyn Waits, “You won’t want to miss the great program.”

For more information about the Redbud Audubon Society go to www.redbudaudubon.org .