The Oconee Rivers Audubon Society will launch its fall season with a reception and special presentation by Robert Gallardo, author of “Field Guide to the Birds of Honduras,” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, in the Ecology Building Auditorium at the University of Georgia. Free on-campus parking is available after 5 p.m. outside the Ecology Building. Joining Gallardo will be artist John Sill, illustrator for “Birds of Honduras,” who will exhibit some of the 70-plus plates for the book at the 6:30 p.m. reception. Sill will offer original art for silent auction to support book production costs, and light refreshments will be served. After the reception, Gallardo will speak at 7:30 p.m. about his experiences documenting over 700 bird species in the small, avian-rich republic. Gallardo, a Honduras resident for 19 years, teamed up with Sill to produce the definitive birding guide to the Central American country – where birders currently need no fewer than three field guides to identify local birds. He met Sill at the Midwest Birding Symposium last year, and the two agreed to collaborate on all-English and Spanish language editions of “Birds of Honduras,” which is expected to go to press in 2014. Gallardo, a California native, and his wife, Irma, operate a nature center in western Honduras with a butterfly house, a native orchid exhibit and botanical gardens. Long and short term goals are to add an insect museum and a reptile exhibit, and open an eco-lodge. Sill, from North Carolina, has worked as a freelance artist and illustrator since 1971. His art has been exhibited in highly acclaimed shows and appeared in a number of publications, including the Bird Identification Calendar published by the Massachusetts Audubon Society since the project began in 1980. He is the instructor in the Field Sketching and Bird Illustration Workshop for the Institute for Field Ornithology sponsored by the American Birding Association. To reach the Ecology Building parking lot from the Loop 10 bypass, exit at College Station Road and turn west toward campus. Turn right on East Campus road (the first signal-light intersection after the railroad tracks) and drive north. Turn left at the second traffic light onto West Green Street. Turn right into the S-07 parking lot; the Ecology Building is on the north side of the parking lot behind a row of trees. Tax-deductible donations to support the “Birds of Honduras” may be made at the meeting or online at www.birdsofhonduras.com. For more information, visit www.oconeeriversaudubon.org, or contact Audubon chapter member Carole Ludwig at (706) 769-7008 or chapter President Richard Hall at president@oconeeriversaudubon.org.

The Oconee Rivers Audubon Society is a nonprofit organization of people brought together by a love of birds and nature. We strive to promote conservation and provide a voice for environmental issues, we organize several local conservation projects each year, and we host public presentations on subjects related to birds, nature, and conservation at our monthly meetings, held at 7 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month in the ENSAT building at Sandy Creek Nature Center, 205 Old Commerce Road, Athens. Please check our news and events pages to learn about upcoming activities. www.oconeeriversaudubon.org