Chile: Easter Island to Cape Horn via Patagonia

Bob Fleming, traveler extraordinaire, will take us on a tour of Chile on February 28. We'll begin on Easter Island, a volcanic speck with surprisingly varied topography. We'll try to decipher the history of this Polynesian dot, where enigmatic stone statues may have a message for us. Then we'll continue to southern Patagonia, where the Torres del Paine National Park features one of the most impressive mountainscapes on the continent, and visit the lower slopes, home to Porcelain Orchids and Andean Condors. Then we'll move south to the glaciated Darwin Range, which rises to 10,000 feet on the island of Tierra Del Fuego, where Magellanic Penguins and the Lenga species of Southern Beech are found. In the Tierra del Fuego National Park we'll see the Magellanic Woodpecker and the Patagonian Swimming Fox.

While the Beagle Channel, with its Black-browed Albatrosses, marks the southern boundary of Tierra del Fuego, other islands, including the rather substantial Navarino, appear even farther south, with Cape Horn Island the last speck of land before the Drake Passage. Beyond the Cape, the infamous waves and incessant winds is habitat much favored by oceanic birds of the south.

Plan to join us on Tuesday, February 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the Eugene Garden Club, 1645 High Street, for a look at the topography and natural history of continental America's Deep South.

Winter Wings Festival
February 17-19, 2012

Sponsored by Klamath Basin Audubon Society

The Winter Wings Festival is produced by the Klamath Basin Audubon Society and is the longest running bird festival in the nation. A small gathering that began as the Bald Eagle Conference over 30 years ago has now become an incredible event for bird enthusiasts of all stripes.

The 33rd festival will take place over the weekend of February 17-19, 2012. REGISTRATION is now OPEN!

Upcoming Program Meetings - save the dates!

Details will be posted when available.

• March 27, 2012: TBA
• April 24, 2012: TBA
• May 22, 2012: TBA