This week we had a very special visit from Pam Landry of Mass Wildlife. She is the regional organizer of the Junior Duck Stamp and one of the judges. In our back and forth communications with her, we had told her about our Bird Study and she offered to come in and do a presentation with many of her bird artifacts.
The kids got to take a close look at many different bird nests, eggs, feathers, skulls, wings, beaks and even legs! The turkey leg was very impressive to many of our students. Looking at these different specimens helped the students consider the many adaptations of birds for the habitats they live in. Beaks and feet help us to know what a bird eats and where they live. Webbed feet for swimming, long legs for wading, sharp talons for hunting, two toes forward and two toes back for tree climbing. Hooked beaks for tearing, serrated beaks for grasping, sharp beaks for stabbing, thick beaks for cracking seeds open, and so forth. Even feathers have variations which help a bird to be faster, waterproof, or stealthy.
For a stretch break the kids tried to flap in ways that different birds use their wings to propel themselves through the sky. We don't know where these birds get enough energy to sustain flight!
Another exciting part of the presentation was a huge banner with life-size wing spans of many different birds. Several kids came up to see which bird they measured up to - we had a great blue heron, a crow, an osprey and even peregrine falcon sized students. There was also a taxidermy mount of a barred owl that captured the kids attention - so lifelike, they thought it was alive.
Pam also surprised us with goody-bags of take-home materials for the kids to continue their outdoor adventures and appreciation of wild spaces. She was very impressed with their knowledge and love for the nature! Check out the pictures below from this fantastic visit.
