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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | SEPTEMBER 2025 49 Our Book Club selection for Sept. 9 is e Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah. Here is a brief description from Amazon.com: "With courage, grace, and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War II and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war. e Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France — a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime." Our meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 9:30 am in the RCN, Activity Room #3. All our book selections are recommended by book club members. Someone volunteers to lead the discussion about the book we have chosen for the month. For more information or to get your name on our mailing list, please contact me at michelesrosen@gmail.com. ~ Micki Rosen Whether you consider yourself an avid bird watcher or not, you have undoubtedly noticed an abundant population of large black birds here at Four Seasons. What are they? Are they crows or are they ravens? Actually, both the American Crow and the Common Raven are year-round residents of our area. If you were to see them side by side, you could easily tell the difference between the species because the raven is much larger than the crow and has a more robust beak. To identify these birds in f light, look first at their tails. The raven has a wedge-shaped tail, while the crow's tail is straight across. They also differ in their f light patterns. Ravens like to soar. Sometimes they are acrobatic in the air, doing rolls or somersaults. Young ravens may also play in f light by dropping a stick and diving to catch it. Crows, on the other hand, will coast with their wings in a slight V, but they commonly f lap as they f ly. On the ground, both ravens and crows walk, but the raven does a hop every so often. Crows do not hop. Crows are more social than ravens. Crows may gather in large numbers in roosting areas and may f lock together throughout the day. Ravens are more likely found in pairs or small family groups. Whether the birds you are seeing are crows or ravens, they are among the most intelligent creatures on earth. Scientists say that both crows and ravens are about as smart as a seven-year-old child in terms of problem-solving ability and use of tools. They are capable of understanding abstract concepts and have the ability to adapt to new situations. These birds also learn by observing human behavior and pass their knowledge to their offspring and other members of their community. Crows and ravens are able to recognize individual human faces. They will hold a grudge against a person perceived to have been unkind to them. Likewise, they will remember a good deed done on their behalf and may reward it by leaving a "gift" of some type. This just scratches the surface of the behavior of these fascinating birds. The more you learn about them, the more you realize that their unique characteristics set them apart in the animal kingdom. The Birding Club walks the trails as a group on the first Saturday of the month. We gather at 8 am by the Potrero Creek sign at the edge of The Lodge parking lot. We walk at a leisurely pace, taking time to see as many species as we can. Please feel free to join us. We love to see new faces. If you have any questions, please call or text me. ~ Genie Cooper. (269) 930-0310 Birding CLUB Book Club