Birdwatching

A couple of weekends back, a fork-tailed flycatcher was spotted in Northern California. To most people, that bit of news might seem trivial, even meaningless. What's a fork-tailed flycatcher? People who know a little about birds might reach for their field guide.

The wealthy and well-connected lives of the late Walter and Leonore Annenberg have drawn capacity crowds to Sunnylands , their estate in Rancho Mirage. Since we covered Sunnylands' opening to the public in March, more tours have been added thanks to high demand: An estimated 50,000 have come to the visitor center so far. Interest has been so strong for the guided tour through the vast, 1960s-Modern home designed by A. Quincy Jones and filled with custom furnishings by decorator William Haines, that the number of daily tours has been raised to 15 from 10. "Haines was known for pairing chinoiserie and classical lines with a Modernist sensibility," said Anne Rowe, director of collections and exhibitions.  "When Patrick Dragonette [the Los Angeles decorator and furniture dealer]

Residents of a Tribeca apartment building are fuming over a new exhibition of photographs in which they star -- and which were taken without their knowledge. Some of the residents are considering legal action, the New York Post reported. The apartment building is luxurious, a tower of glass and steel. The photographs, aimed at its windows from afar, are mysteriously muted and voyeuristic. The subjects of the photos? Outraged. PHOTOS: Arts and culture in pictures by The Times L.A. native Arne Svenson's “The Neighbors,” which opened at the Julie Saul Gallery in Chelsea on Saturday and had showed at L.A.'s Western Project earlier this year, feels a little more like Hitchcock's 1954 “Rear Window” than contemporary photography.

NEW YORK -- A man with a history of violence who had been known to haunt parts of Central Park was arraigned early Friday on charges that he beat and raped a 73-year-old birdwatcher near Strawberry Fields, one of the park's most visited areas, in broad daylight earlier in the week. The attack stunned the city for its brazenness -- it occurred shortly before noon on a warm, sunny day -- and for the fact that it happened so close to a spot that draws crowds of visitors daily. Strawberry Fields, on the western edge of the park, is a memorial to former Beatle John Lennon, who lived in an apartment building nearby.

For those who want to spend more time than money in Las Vegas, here are 21 things to do for less than $21, all aimed at keeping the bottom line low and the fun factor high. 1. Springs Preserve. Forsake the fake pyramid and fake Statue of Liberty for a power walk through the real Vegas: 110 acres of pre-Bugsy Siegel desert. There are miles of cactus-filled trails, botanic gardens and a museum that pays tribute to the city's Mojave Desert roots. Open daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.

Finally released after spending half of his life in prison, and still he had to wait. So Christopher Boyce hung around the prison parking lot, rubbernecking, taking in the fresh air around Sheridan, Ore., unsure what to make of freedom. A half hour went by before the big Suburban at last came lumbering up the driveway, carrying his father, a former FBI agent, and his mother, once a Catholic nun.

Before the bulldozers arrived last June, Malibu Lagoon was a fully grown habitat for egrets, voles and tidewater gobies, studded with sycamore trees and clusters of tule reeds. Today, the lagoon's islands appear almost barren, covered by a sea of tiny red and blue plastic flags marking young plants just taking root. Depending on whom you talk to, the lagoon has been restored - or ruined. On Friday, bureaucrats, biologists and birders will descend on the state beach at the mouth of Malibu Creek for the ribbon cutting to mark what state officials are calling "the long and successful journey toward restoration.

Leftist rebels kidnaped a British Embassy staff member while he was bird-watching in western Colombia, authorities said Saturday. Staff Sgt. Timothy Cowley, an aide to the embassy's defense attache, was kidnaped Aug. 12, said Britain's Foreign Office in London. Gen. Camilo Jose Zuniga, commander of Colombia's armed forces, said there were unconfirmed reports that the rebels were members of the Jaime Bateman Canon Front. The group is believed to be no more than 250 strong.

The Friends of Ballona Wetlands have reported an unusual abundance of migratory birds this year and spectacular viewing. The group has scheduled its first walk around the wetlands on Feb. 6 from 9 to 11 a.m. Local biologists will lead the tours, which will include wildlife exhibits and scopes for viewing migratory birds spending the winter at Ballona. The meeting place for the hourlong tours is at the north end of Pacific Avenue in Playa del Rey, at the Ballona Creek Bridge.

Because many teenagers have never experienced the wilderness, educators are bringing the outdoors to them. They are bringing Apollo, a red-tailed hawk with a 3-foot wing span. And Alice, an American kestrel that soars at 45 to 60 mph, and Paco, a great horned owl with claws as sharp as sharks' teeth. As part of the Orange County Department of Education's new Birds of Prey program, students at public and private schools this fall will experience nature without leaving their classrooms.

For those who want to spend more time than money in Las Vegas, here are 21 things to do for less than $21, all aimed at keeping the bottom line low and the fun factor high. 1. Springs Preserve. Forsake the fake pyramid and fake Statue of Liberty for a power walk through the real Vegas: 110 acres of pre-Bugsy Siegel desert. There are miles of cactus-filled trails, botanic gardens and a museum that pays tribute to the city's Mojave Desert roots. Open daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.

If you're in the mood for some feathery fluff of the happy-sappy-and-not-wholly-unpleasant sort and need a break from snark, there is "The Big Year. " This weirdly whimsical family comedy about competitive birders stars Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin, and, yes, the humor is exactly as nerdy as that sounds. Did you hear the one about the pink-footed goose …? When toning down a comic trio that leans toward edgy to PG-lite, the humor that results is more of the mildly mirthful bland, um, brand.

Some people head to Peru to climb Incan ruins; some go to sip pisco sours. Me, I went for the birds. The very big birds. Peru contains a staggering 10% of the world's avian population, and the Colca Valley - a stunning slice of earth notched into the southern highlands of the country - is ground zero for two of the most jaw-dropping: the Andean condor, otherwise known as the world's largest flying bird, and the giant hummingbird, whose name speaks...

Instead of staying cooped up indoors on Christmas Day, why not get outside and explore some local wildlife? Franklin Canyon Park will host a leisurely birding stroll through the park's grasslands. 2600 Franklin Canyon Road, Beverly Hills. 8 a.m. Free with admission. (310) 858-7272. Lamountains.com.

WORLD Presentation Author Irene Butler will give a digital presentation and reading from her book, "Trekking the Globe With (Mostly) Gentle Footsteps," an account of her journey across four continents with her husband, Rick. When, where: 7:30 p.m. Monday at Distant Lands, 56 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220. CANYONEERING Workshop Learn the art of canyoneering, including the history, tools and techniques.

In this wetlands wonderland, winged creatures abound. Three black-crowned night-herons stand sentry behind tall grasses. A graceful snowy egret picks its way between coastal rocks while another flies low, nearly skimming the brackish water. A dozen black-necked stilts, their slim, tuxedoed bodies balanced on spindly scarlet legs, probe muddy islands with their long beaks. Nearby, about 15 brown pelicans flap in the water or tuck their pouched beaks under their wings for the night.

If you're not a bird-watcher, you might be surprised to know it's a booming pastime, with thousands of enthusiasts (and even more Internet sites) and scores of companies offering birding tours to destinations near and far. The problem is that many of these tours are outlandishly priced: as much as $3,500 per person to hot spots in Central and South America, for example, and even as much as $700 for a weekend in the Florida Everglades--and that's without meals and air fare.

In the World Series of Birding, people do the migrating. Hoping to identify as many birds as possible in 24 hours, five-person teams came to New Jersey for a weekend in May to cough like a clapper rail and squint through binoculars. A team sponsored by Carl Zeiss Optical in Alexandria, Va., captured the seventh annual birdwatching title by identifying 210 birds after racing over 490 miles. "Stop! Please stop! Please stop the van!" shouted Julie Zickefoose, a bird illustrator from Hadlyme, Conn.

WOFFORD HEIGHTS, Calif. -- John Schmitt is on peregrine patrol along the northern shore of Lake Isabella, but instead he spots a bald eagle perched on a tall snag in the shallows. Fresh juvenile, the guide announces, while peering through his scope. Not long out of the nest, still dark brown, perhaps four years from attaining the telltale white head and tail feathers. It's early December, and Schmitt makes note because it's his first bald eagle sighting this season.

The trial of a prominent birdwatcher accused of animal cruelty for shooting a cat ended in a mistrial Friday after jurors couldn't reach a verdict. Jim Stevenson, founder of the Galveston Ornithological Society, has admitted he killed the cat last fall because he saw it hunting a threatened species of bird near the San Luis Bridge Pass. If convicted, he would have faced up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.