BIRD BRAIN AT WORK: You think birds...

BIRD BRAIN AT WORK: You think birds don’t have bright minds? Killdeers, about the size of pigeons, make their nests in open areas. One has made the mistake of nesting in a busy parking lot. But she couldn’t have chosen a better one: It’s at the Sea & Sage Audubon Society headquarters in Irvine. . . . The society’s Trude Hurd has put up safety cones to protect the nest from traffic during a four-week incubation. “The mother and the father have been taking turns on the nest,” Hurd says. “We hope we can keep their three eggs protected until they hatch.”

SHOW ME MUSIC: Branson, Mo. is challenging Nashville as America’s country music capital. It’s got their attention at Fullerton College. . . . The community college is raising scholarship money by sponsoring a $995-per-person alumni trip to Branson--June 18-23. You get air fare, dinner and hotel for five nights, and prime tickets to shows like permanent Branson performers Andy Williams and Mel Tillis.

CHIMP’S FRIEND: Jane Goodall is best known for her research with chimpanzees in Tanzania, but she’s busy these days on a variety of animal fronts. She’s affiliated with USC, which operates a research center in her name, and recently put 32 years of her work on computer software. She also heads Roots and Shoots, involving young people in nature conservancy. . . . This morning, she brings her message to the Anaheim Convention Center. Nearly 10,000 American science teachers are gathered for a weekend annual convention.

STAR CHANGES: Craig Chaquico used to play lead guitar for rock band Jefferson Starship, but a few years ago he decided to trade his electric instrument and high decibels for a softer-acoustic style. Now he’s a hit on the New Age charts. . . . Says Chaquico, who plays the Coach House tonight (F1), “This really is motorcycle music--just the acoustic side of it. Instead of ‘Born to be Wild,’ it’s ‘Born to Be Mild.’ ”