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Look inside for the latest Regional in Nature Activity Guide!
THE
SENTINEL always for the community VOl 19, nO 8
august 2014
www.valleysentinel.com
SPOTLIGHT
Danville’s Meghan Nix wins for Crow Canyon Country Club By Laurel T. Silver
On Tuesday, July 22, 2014, the Women’s Nine Hole Golf Association sponsored the 24th annual Corena Green Classic for junior girls. The tournament took place at the Stockton Golf and Country Club, and featured female golfers ages 8-17. The 104 golfers were divided into two age groups, 8-13 and 14-17. 9 year-old Meghan Nix (pictured above) was the 1st place winner in her age division, finishing with an overall score of 40. Meghan is a Danville resident and represents Crow Canyon Country Club.
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For those who love to get out and have fun close to home, Danville’s Hot Summer Nights car show has everything to love. The charming downtown, fabulous restaurants, ambiance and music as well as veritable works of art disguised as automobiles. Don’t miss the August 14 show downtown. It’s free entertainment for the whole family.
The Great Blue Heron an avid hunter in both fields and streams By James Hale
The Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is the largest North American heron, standing 5 feet tall, with a wingspan of nearly 8 feet, and weighing up to 8 pounds. Only the Goliath Heron of north Africa and the White-bellied Heron of the Himalayan foothills are larger. Great Blue Herons are prehistoric looking in flight with the long neck curved back into an S shape, and while hunting or searching for food in open fields or marshy areas. They are closely associated with wetlands and can be found in numbers around fresh and saltwater marshes, mangrove swamps, flooded meadows, lake edges, shorelines, and riparian habitats. When startled, their loud, raucous, harsh, croak is diagnostic. Great Blue Herons are found throughout most of North America, and range
from Alaska through Central America into South America. They have been recorded as vagrants wandering as far away as England, Greenland, H awa i i , a n d t h e A z o re s. Our local Great Blue Herons are year-round residents, whereas birds east of the Rocky Mountains and to the north are migratory, avoiding inclement weather during the winter. A distinctive white morph, known as the Great White Heron, which lacks all pigment in its plumage, is found in south Florida and the Caribbean. It should not be confused with our resident Great Egret, which is smaller, although similar looking. The Great Blue Heron is resplendent with slaty blue flight feathers and body plumage, highlighted
with neck and back plumes. The face is mostly white with a pair of black plumes running from the eye to the back of the head. Rusty red-brown feathers accent the thighs and flanks. The dagger-like bill
and legs are dull yellowish, becoming orange during the breeding season. Great Blue Herons feed primarily on fish. Locally,
This month’s Special Section:
See HERON page 15
Kids and Teens - Back to School pages 8 - 9