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48 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JULY 2026 Old School Dance Step back in time and groove to the classic beats with us! This club brings a nostalgia-packed evening filled with music, movement, and memories from when we were young with music from the 70s! Join us on the fourth Thursday of every month from 3 to 5 pm in The Lodge Ballroom and let the good times roll. We will also educate you about the history of those old- school songs we all know and love. It's not only about dancing and loving every minute, but also it's about understanding the roots and stories behind the music that shaped an entire generation. For more information, contact Willa Harris at (951) 550-3453. ~ Willa Harris, willaharris89@gmail.com The summer months at Four Seasons are not the most productive for bird watchers. The resident population includes fewer species and less activity. Since there is nothing exciting to report, let's have another look at a special feature of birds' anatomy — their feet. Birds have a low center of gravity, with their legs positioned to keep their body weight over their feet and maintain balance. Water birds are the exception, as their legs are located further back on their bodies to assist in swimming. This makes many of them awkward on land, with some species only able to take f light from water. While it may look like a bird's knees bend backwards, the joint above the foot is actually their ankle. Their true knees are hidden close to the body. A bird's lower leg corresponds to a human's foot. What we think of as a bird's foot is really its toes. Birds are essentially standing and walking on tiptoe. The arrangement of toes varies, but most birds have three toes pointing forward and one backward. Certain birds, such as owls, cuckoos, woodpeckers, and parrots have two toes pointing forward and two backward. Webbing between the toes in some species helps with swimming and walking on loose surfaces. There are also specialized adaptations such as the spiked scales on the bottom of an osprey's foot for gripping fish. So how do birds perch without falling off? They have tendons on their legs which stretch involuntarily when they extend their legs to land. These tendons force the toes to curl and lock around the perch, assisted by the weight of the bird. There is no muscle involvement, thus no muscle fatigue, allowing birds to rest or sleep without losing their grip. The tendons release only when the bird extends its legs for f light. 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

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