Nature Study in Winter--That's for the Birds

No, I'm not saying I won't do it.  I mean it's a great time to study birds.  Think about it, the trees are bare so when you hear a bird calling, you much more likely to be able to find it sitting on a branch than when leaves are in the way.  Also, a lot of their food source is gone so it's easier to entice the winter residents into your yard with a feeder.   I'm going to focus in on two special birds for whom winter is prime time viewing season.

The Owl

For the last several years, the Conservation Dept has been host Owl Prowls in January.  This is the time of year the birds are picking mates and finding nest sites.  We spend about an hour inside looking at stuffed birds and listening to a ranger's lecture on the species that live in or winter in our state.  After hearing about all the specialized features of owls, I'm amazed anyone can doubt there is a creator.

• Many owl species have asymmetrical ears that are different sizes and different heights on their heads. This gives the birds superior hearing and the ability to pinpoint where prey is located, even if they can't see it.
• Owls have specialized feathers with fringes of varying softness the help muffle sound when they fly. Their broad wings and light bodies also make them nearly silent fliers, which helps them stalk prey more easily.
• An owl's eyes are supported by bony eye sockets and they cannot turn their eyes. Instead, owls rotate their heads up to 270 degrees, but they cannot turn their heads all the way around.
• Speaking of eyes, if an owl had a head the size of an average human its eyes would be roughly the size of softballs.  That doesn't leave much room for a brain so the adage of "the wise old owl" probably isn't accurate.

After the lecture we headed out into the night to see if we could hear any owls calls or attract some with calls of our own.  There are calling devices in the marketplace and we even had one young girt do a pretty good imitation of the famous "Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all" call of a barred owl.  Unfortunately, the evening of the Owl Prowl it was only about 5 degrees outside.  I think the owls were all huddled indoors and talking about those crazy humans standing outside hooting.   For our next bird nature study though, I believe the colder the better...

The Bald Eagle

A bald eagle in a zoo is a sad thing.  It usually means it's been injured and can no longer fly or catch food for itself.  At best, it can take a few long hops, but for many people that's their only opportunity to see one of these majestic birds.   Those of us who live along the Mighty Mississippi though have the opportunity to see them at their best--soaring in circles and swooping down to catch fish.  So why is colder better?  When the river is ice covered, the birds congregate around the locks & dams where there is still open water.  Two years ago Schnickelfritz and I saw nearly 300 eagles (the conservation dept does aerial counts) around Clarksville, MO

Now the birds are there all winter, but on special Eagle Days the Conservation Dept has rangers with field scopes set up and usually the World Bird Sanctuary brings some of their injured birds for close up viewing. 

Just as a side note, nothing will ruin your enjoyment of winter nature study faster than a kid (or you) saying "I'm cold! I want to go inside."  Schnickelfritz and I both wear Hot Headz fleece hoods when we'll be out in the cold.  For the Owl Prowl it was only 5 degrees, for Eagle Days it might have been in the low teens.  Trust me when I say our heads were the warmest part of our body.  Here's a picture of Fritz in his blue Hot Headz.  If you're not interested, then here is Fritz comparing his wingspan to that of an eagle.

Of course, you may not live in an area condusive to bird watching in the winter.  Then you'll want to check out what other Homeschool Crew members came up with for Winter Nature Study ideas.

Queen Anne's Lace

It may be classified as a "noxious weed," but the Queen Anne's Lace I pass on my daily walks makes me smile.   The road to town is decorated with it--with bright punches of blue Chicory and the yellows of Black-eyed Susans.  I'm certainly a distracted driver.  Still, it's the wild carrot that's the quaintest flower along the fence row.  My mother wrote this poem about it.

Lacy Weed

Country roads are edged

in regal grace

by an exquisite weed,

Queen Anne's Lace.

Uncultivated, untamed

it thrives, tall and free.

Such delicate strength

challenges me.

Review: Creation Illustrated

One of the things I love our home in the country is the how much nature we can enjoy in our backyard.  Schnickelfritz and I have sat on the back deck listening for coyotes howling.  Our list of visitors include deer, groundhogs, foxes, skunks, snakes, turkeys, skinks and pileated woodpeckers.  At night the skies are dark enough to see all the stars in the Little Dipper and the Pleiades cluster.  Of course, no matter how much we search outside our door, there are some aspects of nature we'll never see--giant redwoods, painted deserts, snow-capped mountains, creatures of the deep.  In these instances we have to rely on photographs by others who appreciate the wonders of God's creation.  Since they've arrived we've been making plenty of "eye-tracks" in our Creation Illustrated magazines.

Sometimes referred to as the "Christian's National Geographic,"  this quarterly publication is filled with breathtaking photos from sweeping landscapes to close ups of insects.  Just look at the beauty in this cover shot of a red-veined darter dragonfly...

The magazine is offered as "a reprieve from the daily rigors of life"  Many of the articles are written in first person and seem more like reading a letter from a friend (with pictures included).  We read about a volunteer park ranger and her encounter with five Iranians that ended with her opportunity to share her Christian faith.  Another issue shared a couple's awe when camping out under a canopy of stars.  I appreciated the fact that the editors keep advertising separate from the stories and articles.  There are no ads to distract the eye from the nature photographs.

Each issue also reaches out to younger readers. Of course they can enjoy all the pictures, but there is a children's story written in a slightly larger font, a word search puzzle, and a photography contest for ages 5-15.    There is an Instructor's Guide with discussion questions for each article.

Based on the letters from readers, Creation Illustrated has a world-wide audience.  I found subscribers from Bolivia,  Australia,  Switzerland, and South Africa.  (Canadians must add $5.00/yr  for postage, other foreign countries add $10.00/yr).

A one year subscription is $19.95, two years is $37.95, three years is $53.95.  You can save $5.00 per year per subscription by paying with a credit card .  You may also request a free sample issue of the magazine.  If you want to enjoy nature but not worship it,  if you don't want to have to pre-screen text for "millions of years," then Creation Illustrated may be the subscription for you.





Disclaimer:  I received four free issues of Creation Illustrated magazine for the purpose of completing this review.  There was no other compensation for my honest opinions.

TOS Review: Dive Into Your Imagination

Who Lives in the Sea is one of the educational DVDs by Annie Crawley--an underwater photographer, dive instructor, and boat captain. 

This 45 minute DVD is filled with crisp, vivid and colorful glimpses that few of us will get to see in person.  Each creature has it's own chapter on the disc, varying from 90 second to three minutes: dolphins, sea lions, sea turtles, marine birds, eight-armed creatures, whale sharks, and nudibrachs (sea slugs). 

It's hard to learn much about a creature in under 3 minutes so there are also PDF teacher's guides available in two age levels, Pre-K/K and 1st-3rd grade.  I have a third graders so he's just at the upper edge of the target audience and I be honest that he felt the video was a little too babyish for him--phrases like "An octopus has eight legs, can you count to eight?'  So while we probably won't be watching the DVD over and over again, the PDF guides would make an excellent ocean unit study. 

The audio can be English, Spanish, or just listen to the music and enjoy the scenery.  There is no closed caption, but you can find transcripts on the disc under special features.

The DVD is $19.95 at the Dive Into Your Imagination website.  You can also find video samples from the DVD.  The other titles are  Dive into Diversity and What Makes a Fish, a Fish.  A PDF guide for one title is $69.95  --a hefty price tag, I know.  But if you use the notes section of the order form to let Anne know that you're a home schooling family and follower of the TOS Homeschool crew she will send the PDF as a free gift. 

Check out what other crew members thoughts about their videos by clicking here.

Disclaimer: I receiv3ed a free DVD and PDF files for the purpose of completing this review. 

A walk in the fall

Tonight it was a real pleasure taking the dog for a walk.  Down the road, where the neighbors keep horses,  there must have been two dozen bluebirds resting on the fence.  he birds took flight as we approached and when the broke out from shadow to sunlight their vivid blue coloring  just popped.  

Schnickelfritz caught up with us on his bicycle.  Further down the road we discovered a dead snake.  I can't be certain what kind it was but it wasn't a copperhead.  Fritz asked if he could touch it.  He's come a long way since we've moved from our urban home in Indianapolis.  He used to be scared of bugs--even the cute ones.  Now he wanted to touch a snake carcass.  He dismounted his bike, got a stick, and dug a trench to give the snake a decent burial.

It reached almost 72 today--rare for this late in the year.  The leaves are as brilliant as they're going to get (actually, they're all expected to fall with the rain this weekend).    I had good company.  It couldn't get any better.

A few weeks ago I did a review of the new All About Reading book  What Am I?  In it I mentioned a cute story about a skunk moving into a barn. 

You know when the story ceases to be cute?  When you're standing in your own back yard and the stinky varmit waddles out from under your barn door!!!!  I had take the dog to get a drink from her water bowl and turned to see Mr. Skunk standing about fifteen feet away from me.  Fortunately, I saw it before Della and was able to drag her into house without incident. 

Fritz and I observed from the read bedroom window to see if the skunk headed back in the barn.  He didn't.  Fritz had to share the news via phone with his grandparents.  He instructed them to only use whisper voices and let them know it was okay for them to breath since they were so far away but he was holding his breath.  We watched till the skunk waddled around to the side of the house where we don't have any windows.

I ventured out the front door to keep tabs on our unwelcome visitor.  The Toolman came home from work about this time.  He ran to the back to put cement blocks in front of the three stable doors.  Unlike the Skunk Hotel story, we were not allowing our guest to stay.

Wildlife Ranch

We had an invitation to join other homeschoolers at the Wildlife Ranch near Meramec Caverns.  I think this used to be called the Reptile Ranch for all the alligators they keep there.  They've expanded to include birds--turkeys and emus, and mammals--tigers and lions.   I think the reptiles are still the most educational part of the tour.  We were able to see a variety of Missouri snakes and learn to identify the ones we should avoid.

Here are some photos

Fritz holding a baby gator

Now he's got a python

A ringtailed lemur with her two babies (taken through a window)

For a little guy who used to hate bugs and outdoor critters, he's come a long way.  He was first in line to hold everything they brought out and often got in line for a second chance.  I was grateful to have picture taking duties and therefore unable to hold anything myself.

 

Owl Calls

This evening while walking our dog, Fritz and I heard our first owl call.  Okay, we've probably heard it before but this was the first time we could identify it thanks to our training at the Missouri Dept of Coservation.   It was the "Who cooks for you, who cooks for you-all" sound of a barred owl--and my Schnickelfritz identified it.   I've been very pleased lately as I've seen Fritz able to recall and use some of the information we've covered in school.  

Owl Prowl

One of my favorite movies is "So Dear to my Heart."  In it, a young boy keeps a scrapbook with sayings by The Wise Old Owl.  Turns out owls aren't so wise.  Their eyeballs take up so much head space that there's very little room left for brains!  This is just one of the things my Schnickelfritz and I learned at the MO Conservation Dept's Owl Prowl. 

Missouri is home to four types of owls year-round with four others that visit occasionally.  Even the snowy owl can be found this far south in the years that the lemmings plunge into the sea (forcing the owls to search elsewhere for food).  Year round residents include the great horned owl, the barred owl and barn owl.  Our lecturer had stuffed birds of each to show us -- it is illegal for anyone to have a live or dead owl in their possession.   The best visual of the evening was when he called Fritz up front and held up two whiffle balls in front of his face.  If Fritz were an owl, these balls would represent the size of his eyes.

Studying animals always reminds me what a wonderful Creator we have.  Did you know the owl is the only bird God designed with a movable toe?  They can position three toes in front and one in back for perching or switch to two in front and two in back to grasp prey.   The "plate" of feathers around their eyes is actually a way of channeling sound into their ears.  One ear is located higher than their eyes and the other lower than their eyes.  This gives them an extra dimension to be able to locate the source of sounds and actually catch mice in total darkness.

Our evening ended by going outside and trying to attract some owls (this is actually a great time of year to spot owls as they are looking for mates).  We had several commercial and homemade owl calls and a recording to play.   We even tried our best owl imitations.  The owls had the last laughs however.  They may not be wise, but they were smart enough to not be standing in the snow hooting in the 8 degree weather.

--Followup:  We disected owl pellets today (Sat).  I found some lab guides online that included diagrams of the skeletons we were likely to encounter.  We were lucky enough to find the skull of a mouse and its spinal column.  Fritz loved this activity.

Creek Crawl

It's said "The best things in life are free."  Well, one of the best things I've discovered this summer are the free programs offered by the Missouri Dept. of Conservation.   You can read about our cave adventure here .  This time our adventure, specifically for homeschoolers, was to explore a creek and search for "critters"  at Powder Valley.  Our group of 15 kids and their parents and grandparents gathered in a classroom of the nature center and picked up our equipment for the day: large plastic boxs, aquarium nets, and magnifying cubes and viewers.

We had a half mile hike to the creek, but our guide kept us entertained with a nature scavenger hunt--looking for woodpeckers,  burls on trees, etc.  And these keen eyed kids managed to find several creatures not on the list.   We saw at least four deer ( two being fawns with their cute little spots), a racoon, and a skink (that's skink-- like a lizard ,not a skunk. Thank goodness).    At last we reached a "wet-bridge"  over the creek and rocky beach.  Here we got our lesson on collecting samples. 



We were to place our nets in the water and begin to dislodge the rocks immediately upstream.  Anything under the rock should be carried by the current into our nets (our guide assured us that there weren't any crawdads or crayfish with pincers to worry about).  We would then empty our nets into two plastic containers which would act as holding tanks.  Most of what we would be finding would be extremely small and would need to be observed  in the magnifying viewers.  My Schnickelfritz and the other younger kids were more interested in the immediate gratification of catching  water sliders as they skittered about. 

  



This picture was taken mere moments before Fritz took a header into the creek.  We had to skp swimming lessons this day in order to attend, and apparently he felt the need to practice his strokes anyway.  I wrung out his shirt as best I could while we moved on to phase two: observation.

 The prize find was a planarian--a freshwater flatworm with an arrowshaped head.  According to our guide, they are a sign of a healthy and balanced stream ecosystem.  Fritz filled  the cup portion of his viewer (again going for the visible and high-animated water sliders).  When I dumped the water, I noticed a brown streak on the lip of the cup.  At first we thought it was just a drop of dirty water, but then it started moving on its own.  I had brought our handheld magnifying glass along and a quick examination revealed a planarian, one of only two discovered that day.  Fritz was extremely pleased to have "bagged" one of the prize catches of the day.

We returned to the nature center and explored the exhibits there--including a "Wild Kingdom" moment with a pair of snapping turtles.  I'll save that story for another time.

Reptile week

In a previous entry I mentioned all the animals we have spotted on our property.  This week we added several new ones to our list and ironically they were all reptiles.  The most frequently spotted were box turtles.  I'd say at least seven, but since we weren't actually studying the markings, we may have seen the same one over and over.  There were at least two for certain--my husband almost ran over them with the lawn tractor as they were making baby turtles.   I'll have to read up on where they lay eggs to see if we can spot the babies.

Our next visitor was a little lizard.  It has taken up residence in a stone retaining wall along our driveway.  My son has seen it flitting in and out of the open garage door.  I saw it on the driveway and tried to get a closer look, but that was the fastest little critter! I couldn't keep up with it despite my much longer leg span.  From my brief glimpse and my Handbook of Nature Study , I think it might have been a skink.  The book said its territory only goes as far east as Kansas, but that was written in 1939 so maybe they've ventured further to Missouri.

The next encounter, and perhaps the funniest was when our dog Della met a large bullfrog cruising the road.  Little miss inquisitive stuck her nose right down on the frog's back and when it jumped forward to get away she jumped twice as far backwards.  Then she started following the frog, jump for jump, and she was taking off and landing on all four legs at once.  I was laughing myself silly by the time the frog made it to the culvert on the other side of the road.

Della also discovered our last reptile.  She was sniffing around the rock wall where I had last seen the lizard.  Imagine my surprise then when she pushed a large rock off and revealed a snake!  She was trying to paw at it and sniff it.  I was a little disappointed to see her curiosity was stronger than her survival instinct, for while this was just a garter snake, we do have copperheads on the property.  Maybe she'll know to stay away from the bigger ones if she comes across them. 

Lovely Flowers

We interupt this string of reviews to bring you pictures of the gorgeous flowers in my yard.  I had to run out and take pictures today because the forecast tonight is for high winds, hail, and possible tornados.  We moved here in late fall so it's been like finding surprise packages under the Christmas tree every time something new pops out of the ground and blooms.

 Iris growing along the roadway.

 

Peonies along the driveway