Clear Lake ready to host Heron Festival

<p>Clear Lake was glassy and calm but a battle between a bald eagle and a territorial osprey was taking place overhead, thrilling a group of veteran bird watchers out mapping nesting sites for the upcoming Heron Festival.</p><p>Undeterred by the majestic eagle's superior size, the osprey attacked, again and again, until the eagle fled the open water for the refuge of a waterside tree perch.</p><p>“Was that a sight to see,” said an awed Faith Rigolosi, a seasoned bird watcher and photographer who runs boat tours on the lake. She was among a dozen people, mostly Redbud Audubon Society members, aboard a pontoon scouting Clear Lake last weekend for the best places to observe its many birds.</p><p>The maps they created will guide the boat tours offered at Clear Lake State Park during the 17th annual Heron Festival & Wildflower Brunch Saturda and Sunday. To ensure a spot on board, sign up in advance for the tours, officials said.</p><p>Spotting another eagle-osprey sky battle is doubtful this weekend, but a narrow slough near the park is certain to reveal dozens of great blue herons nesting at the top of a large tree near the water. Green herons, night herons, pelicans, cormorants, grebes and a host of other wildlife, including western pond turtles, also were spotted during Saturday's scouting trip.</p><p>More than 300 types of birds frequent Lake County, according to the Audubon Society. The waterfowl populations wax and wane, depending on the abundance of fish.</p><p>The festival is named for herons because this is the time of year they can be found nesting in groups along the lake, said Marilyn Waits, president of the Redbud Audubon Society, which co-produces the festival with the Clear Lake State Park Interpretive Association.</p><p>Birds are the focus of the festival but bird watching is not the only activity offered.</p><p>One of the event's big draws is the Wildflower Brunch, held Saturday. More than 300 people last year attended the event, which allows customers to design their own omelets, Waits said.</p><p>The brunch and the boat tours each cost $15 per person but everything else is free, including entrance to the park, where normal fees are waived for the festivities.</p><p>Other entertainment and educational events including a live owl and raptor show; bird slide show and presentation by keynote speaker and local photographer Lyle Madeson; music by the Kelseyville High School Jazz Band; exhibit booths; guided nature hikes and numerous children's activities, which include making owl masks.</p><p>The idea behind the festival is to get people interested in wildlife and preservation, Waits said.</p><p>“We're trying to reach people who don't spend all their time out in nature, make a connection and hopefully get them interested in doing more,” she said.</p><p>Last year, 1,897 people attended the festival, Waits said. More than 500 took the boat tours.</p><p>“Every year, it's a bigger event,” she said.</p>