Lower Southampton Schoolyard Habitat#131
Wildlife

Magical Birds
Magical birds
Flying in the sky
Making discoveries as they fly by
Singing a peaceful song
As they drift

upon the air
Perching on a branch
Making no sound
Resting peacefully as it sits on the branch
soaring in the sky
Flying with the wind.

by: Alix

Why Watch The Birds?
    Bird watching is an activity you can enjoy almost anywhere, anytime and at any level of involvement. You always move at your own pace. Bird watching is cheap and easy fun for all ages. All you need is a pair of binoculars, a field guide, and a journal to record your observations to enjoy the birds. Bird watching is easy for children to learn and is a great way to use your habitat to reinforce environmental education. Learning about birds provides an exciting and rewarding opportunity to link lessons across the curriculum. By providing the tools needed, children are given the opportunity to make new and exciting discoveries about the birds that visit the habitat or their own backyards.

Ways To Learn About Birds
    Ornithology is the study of birds. There are many ways to begin to study birds. You may wish to learn to identify dozens of species, or focus on one particular bird and their behavior. You might listen to the songs of the birds, observe the nesting habits, or read and research about a bird you are interested in. Keep all your observations recorded in a Nature Journals Whatever you choose to do, remember to take the time to enjoy your new adventure. As you become a more active birdwatcher you may want to take part in Classroom Feeder Watch at Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It offers a great way to use your learned skills, and at the same time, provide valuable information to the study of birds visiting backyard feeders.

Tools of the Trade

Useful Additions:

3. magnifying glass

    Kids can learn how to think about birds poetically, imaginatively, objectively, analytically, and artistically. Get started now using the tools of trade!!!!

Putting Classroom Feeder Watch Skills To Work
                   


Butterflies
    The life cycle of a butterfly is a fascinating occurrence. A tiny egg hatches and a caterpillar crawls out. The caterpillar eats and grows and changes into a seemingly lifeless chrysalis. Finally the chrysalis opens, a butterfly emerges, and dries its wings, and flies away. In order to experience the amazing transformation from caterpillar to butterfly and to explore the world of these insects, a butterfly station could be set up for students to raise butterflies and observe the life cycle firsthand. The children will be able to learn about metamorphosis. During its lifetime, a butterfly passes through four stages: egg, caterpillar (larva), chrysalis (pupa), and butterfly. Each stage looks very different and has its own distinct anatomy.
    Butterflies live everywhere in North America. You can spot them just about anywhere, mountains, damp bogs, woodlands, the desert, and your own back yard. Where butterflies choose to live depends a lot on the flowers and plants they like to feed on. So, knowing a butterfly's favorite plant, and where it grows, is a great help toward knowing where to spot that butterfly.
    Parks and backyards are ideal places to spot butterflies. These areas are usually filled with colorful flowers perfect for sipping nectar from and leaves just waiting to be nibbled by hungry caterpillars.
    It is easy to attract butterflies to your garden by providing their favorite nectar-producing flowers. You must also provide host plants for female butterflies to lay their eggs. These plants will help nourish the young caterpillars (larva) after they hatch, parsley and milkweed are examples of host plants. Adult butterflies will feed on lots of different flowers. Most prefer certain colors like pink, purple, and mauve. Large butterflies prefer to feed from tall flowers, while smaller types like low-growing flowers. Butterflies also like flowers with flat tops or large petals that are easy to land on. If you let a piece of your garden go wild, the wild flowers and weeds that grow there will also attract butterflies.
    Watching how butterflies and caterpillars behave in the field can be interesting and exciting. Approach the butterfly quietly and be careful not to make any sudden movements. Observe carefully and record your observations in your Nature Journals

One little egg
Sitting all alone
Out comes a caterpillar
Oh, how it's grown!
Next it will rest
We all know why
Soon it'll come out a butterfly!

Did You Say Squirrels???????
    I say, "If you can't lick them, join them!!!" Birds aren't the only visitors you will have to your habitat. Squirrels will always find their way to a nice safe place that provides food, water and shelter. If you don't want to feed the squirrels, (nice thought, but it won't work) the next best step is to make them work for every little morsel of food. Make sure to put your feeders on a pose away from tree limbs. Secure a baffle on the pole. This makes it very difficult, if not impossible for the squirrel to eat from the feeder, and will provide some entertaining aerobics. Of course, one cannot keep the squirrel form eating the seed that has fallen on the ground. You will learn from experience what plants they will favor and destroy in your habitat. Never underestimate the squirrel!!! They are excellent problem solvers and where there is a will, there is a way. So..............sit back, observe and see what you can learn about the squirrels and their habits and behavior. Be prepared for some amazing activities and a good laugh!

What is a Squirrel Highway?
    A squirrel highway is not what you think it is. It is not a real road like you ride a car on. It does not have signs or lights. A squirrel makes a highway when he is walking around the habitat. A predator could come, so a squirrel builds a highway to their home so the predator can't catch it. The squirrel leaves a scent so they can smell their way home. The squirrel jumps from tree to tree to get to their nest using the squirrel highway.

How Does A Squirrel Bury Nuts and Find Them Again?
    The average squirrel can bury up to 50 nuts in one hour. With its front paws, the squirrel will dig a hole three to four inches deep. The squirrel will use its nose to push down the nut marking the nut with a scent left by the squirrel or the smell of the nuts helps to guide them to the correct spot. Any nuts the squirrels do not find, may result in new trees

Wildlife Feeding Stations
    Here are some fun and easy ways to attract wildlife to your backyard habitat. The best time is during the cold winter months when birds need more energy to keep warm. You might give them left over food such as cereal, fat from meats, cheese, pasta, meaty bones, and potatoes. It is best to avoid salty food such as salted peanuts. Use only fresh peanuts, not salted or roasted.
    Bird Cakes: Mix peanuts with sunflower seeds with soft lard or shortening until the mixture is squishy. Thread string through the bottom of a yogurt container and fill it with the mixture. Refrigerate the mix until it is hard. Hang it outside and watch the fun!
    Bird Apple Pie: Take an old plastic bowl outside. Using your foot, squash up some old bruised apples. Spoon the apples into the bowl. Cover with a layer of uncooked oatmeal, fresh peanuts, and sunflower seeds. Put the bowl on your table. Watch who comes to eat from it.
    Potato Surprise: Take a baked potato and stuff it with nuts, cheese, and seeds, Leave it in a quiet corner away from cats who may visit. Keep watching to see who visits your potato surprise.
    Feeding Box: Ask an adult to nail an old tray to a wooden post. You may wish to baffle your post to keep out unwanted visitors like cats and squirrels. Place your food on the tray. Be sure to clean out on a regular basis. You might use bits of cut up fat from meat, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and fruit. Have your binoculars and nature journal ready to record what you see. Have fun!