raptors in the classroom (306-star09-07)

8/9/2019 Raptors in the Classroom (306-star09-07)

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Who: The Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory and the Lake Superior Zoo, funded by grantsfrom: Donald Weesner Foundation

MN DNR Lake Superior Coastal Grant (sponsored by NOAA)

What: FREE Raptors in the Classroom program

Where: 4th grade classrooms in area school districts

When: February through May of 2008. Each school has a designated week during whichtheir programs can be scheduled. See your schools info on the back of this flyer.

How: Contact Debbie Waters for more info!

YEAR FOUR!!!

The Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory and the LakeSuperior Zoo are teaming up once again to bring a

"close encounter of the raptor kind" to area 4thgraders. Thanks to generous grants, Hawk Ridge hasdeveloped 4th grade programs and is offering theseprograms free of charge to all 4th grade classrooms

throughout area schools.

Teachers have a variety of programs to choose from,and each program consists of 2 sessions: the first

includes background information and an introduction to

the lesson, and the second concludes the lesson andincludes a demonstration with a live raptor.

Details about the lessons and the raptors are locatedon the back of this flyer.

Debbie WatersEducation DirectorHawk Ridge Bird [email protected]


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LESSONSEach lesson is made up of TWO 45-minute sessions: the first session containsthe bulk of the lesson, and the secondsession concludes and reinforces thelesson with a visit by a live raptor.

On Silent WingsTwo 45-minute sessions

Raptor: Screech-OwlOwls are nocturnal predators. Owls often cantsee their prey, either because of low lightconditions or the prey is hidden undervegetation or snow. Because of this, they havedeveloped adaptations for hunting, includingusing their sense of hearing, camouflage, andvery unique feet.

Raptor Relatives

Two 45-minute sessions

Raptor: American Kestrel or Screech-OwlRaptors are birds of prey, and they are differentfrom all other birds because of their keeneyesight, talons, and sharp, curved bill. Thereare many different types of raptors, and thethree main diurnal (daytime) types are buteos,accipiters, and falcons. Each of these three typeshave characteristics that set them apart fromeach other, and are usually adapted from theirhunting techniques and habitats.

Raptors on the Move!Two 45-minute sessions

Raptor: American Kestrel

Some birds migrate--that is, they fly south in thefall and return north in the spring. Migration ismainly driven by availability of food. Raptorsfollow rivers, lakeshores, and mountain rangeswhen migrating, which is why the Hawk RidgeNature Reserve is a point of concentration formigrating birds. Migrating takes a lot of energy,and raptors use a couple of methods to increase

their energy efficiency.

American KestrelKestrels are small falcons--in fact,they are only about the size of a

robin. Kestrels are most often seenperched on telephone wires as they

search for their favorite insectfoods. Athena is a 12-year-oldfemale and stands 9 inches tall.

Screech-OwlScreech-Owls are one of thesmallest owl species in NorthAmerica. Their gray coloringand mottling allows them tobe masters of camouflageagainst tree trunks. Bosley is a12-year-old male and is only 7inches high.

Sign upDebbie [email protected]

today!

Your School:

Your Week:

How to schedule:We will visit your classroom for TWO 45-minute

presentations, preferably on different days. It works bestfor us if we can present back-to-back lessons to all the 4thgrade classrooms in each school. We prefer not to com-bine classesour lessons are designed for classes of 20-35

students.

Call Debbie: 218.428.3539

Email Debbie: [email protected]


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Raptors in the Classroom

Contract Number: 306-STAR09-07Project Number: B11316

August 2008

Debbie WatersEducation Director

Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Funding for this project was generously provided by the following:

The Coastal Zone Management Act, by NOAAs Office of Ocean and CoastalResource Management, in cooperation with Minnesotas Lake Superior CoastalProgram.

The Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation

The Donald M. Weesner Foundation


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INTRODUCTION

Since 1972, research, education and stewardship have been conducted at theHawk Ridge Nature Reserve in eastern Duluth, Minnesota. Due to twosignificant geographical features, raptors are funneled and concentrated over

Hawk Ridge. The most significant feature is the north shore of Lake Superior,which provides a shoreline concentration point for migrating raptors and otherbirds. These birds, which do not want to cross such a large, cold body of waterfly south along the shoreline and their point of greatest concentration beforerounding the tip of Lake Superior is over Hawk Ridge. The second feature is theSawtooth Mountain ridge--the former glacial Lake Duluth shoreline--which theraptors follow south along the shoreline and allows them to gain lift. In the fall,one could see a few migrating raptors just about anywhere in the Arrowhead ofMinnesota, but it is Lake Superior and its miles of shoreline that concentratesand funnels them to Hawk Ridge; once past the ridge, the raptors disperse andcontinue their southward journey.

Recognizing that our youth are our future and that due to budget cuts, schoolfield trips were being drastically reduced, Hawk Ridge decided that if the schoolstudents couldnt come to us during the fall at Hawk Ridge, we would go to them.In the spring of 2005, utilizing a grant from the Duluth-Superior Area CommunityFoundation, Hawk Ridge education director Debbie Waters conducted anambitious raptor education program in 22 area elementary schools,encompassing 58 fourth grade classrooms. The Raptors in the Classroomprogram involved two 45-minute sessions in each classroom: the first includedbackground information, an introduction and the bulk of the lesson, and thesecond concluded the lesson and included a visit from a live raptor. Hawk Ridgecollaborated with the Lake Superior Zoo education department to bring the liveeducation raptors into the schools.

A generous grant from the Donald M. Weesner Foundation was used to fund anexpansion of the Raptors in the Classroom program in area elementary schoolsin the late winter and spring of 2006. The $13,100 grant enabled us to expandthis program to 43 elementary schools in an expanded geographical area up to60 miles from Duluth, Minnesota. A further expansion of the program took placein 2007 to 50 elementary schools, and the final expansion in 2008 with 56elementary schools.

As a companion program to the current Raptors in the Classroom program, wedeveloped the Experience Hawk Ridge program and offered free field trips toHawk Ridge in the falls of 2006 and 2007 to these same fourth graders whenthey returned to school in the fall as fifth graders. The on-site programs at theHawk Ridge Nature Reserve were developed with the goals of increasingknowledge about raptors, demonstrating the role of Lake Superior in themigration over Hawk Ridge, and to reinforce the lessons taught during the springclassroom visits.


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WORK COMPLETED

Hawk Ridge education director Debbie Waters developed, marketed andimplemented the 2008 Raptors in the Classroom program. This involvedcontacting teachers, arranging schedules, curriculum development, staff

scheduling, travel and teaching.

Scheduling programs continued throughout the course of the project. Programswere implemented by Debbie Waters and Julie OConnor. All staff wereindependent contractors. The contractual expenses for staffing included actualprogram implementation time for two instructors, and time for scheduling,preparation, travel and evaluation.


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RESULTS

The program has undergone development, marketing, scheduling, andimplementation. The total number of elementary schools served is 56which is MORE than our target of 55! The project proceeded according to the

initial plans with one exception. We expanded our collaboration to provideeducation birds from the Lake Superior Zoo to also include the Audubon Centerof the North Woods and Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center.

We are in general very pleased with the program as a whole, and the program isslated to be an ongoing offering. Continual adjustments were made throughoutthe season to improve the program, and while some of them related to the actualprogram content and delivery, most were focused on the logistics, such aseducation bird well-being and school scheduling.


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CONCLUSIONS

The degree of retention by the students of the Raptors in the Classroom (RITC)information was truly amazing. At the start of the second session, studentsbrainstormed the concepts and terms they remembered from the first session.

It has become a typical sight to see a classroom teacher sitting at his/her desk orin the back of the class, taking notes throughout the program. Providing teacherswith background information, a jumping-off point, and enthusiastic studentspaves the way for more study about birds and the environment. I am thrilled bythis unanticipated benefit and personally provided additional resources to manyof the teachers.

Now that the program has been in the schools for four years, we are seeing anincreasing number of students visiting our Peregrine Watch program during thesummer and visiting Hawk Ridge to view the migration during the fall. Raptors in

the Classroom provides a wonderful start to childrens interest in the outdoors ingeneral and birds in particular. And these students are learning on their own!They are very proud of all the information theyve learned through videos, theinternet and PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, gained by their own observations!

As someone who is passionate about birds, it thrills me to see the doors thatRaptors in the Classroom has opened for our students. Theres nothing quite likelistening to a 5th grader tell about all her experiences watching the Merlinsnesting in their neighborhood or seeing young Bald Eagle chicks grow into

juveniles and learning to fly. Raptors in the Classroom opens their eyes to theworld around them and provides a base for understanding what they see.


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Raptors on the Move

Raptors in the Classroom4th grade

OverviewSome birds migrate--that is, they fly south in the fall and return north in the

spring. Migration is mainly driven by availability of food. Raptors follow rivers,lakeshores, and mountain ranges when migrating, which is why the Hawk Ridge Nature

Reserve is a point of concentration for migrating birds. Migrating takes a lot of energy,and raptors use a couple of methods to increase their energy efficiency.

Concepts Raptors are birds of prey. Some birds migrate north in the spring and south in the fall, and this is mainly

driven by availability of food. Birds that dont migrate have a food source available to them all year. Raptors like to follow things when migrating, like rivers, lakeshores, and

mountain ranges. Hawk Ridge is a point of concentration because of Lake Superior. Migrating takes a lot of energy. Raptors use various methods to increase

efficiency of flying:

o updraftso thermals

Materials Raptor Cards: 1 per species, total of 10 species Raptor Migration Worksheet, 1 per group Large North/South America map HRNR migration map RLHA large card HAHA large card Updraft Diagram Thermal/Kettle Diagram dry erase markers masking tape pins for pinning up posters


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Lesson: Part One

Introductiono introduce presenter: Debbie Waters from Hawk Ridgeo introduce lesson: How many of the students have been to HR?

(Question students about what they did there.) Hawk Ridge is a place

right here in Duluth where a lot of birds migrate through, and well talk a

little bit later about WHY there are so many birds at Hawk Ridge, and

just how many there are. Whats a raptor? (a bird of prey; keen

eyesight, talons, curved bill). A raptor is a predator, meaning they catch

& kill their prey. This is different from being a carnivore.

Why Raptors Migrateo Close your eyes and think about this winter. Name some birds you see

here in the winter time. Now think back to summer and name some

birds you see during the summer. During which season do you see more

birds? Summer! Why? Because of migration! (when birds fly south in

the fall and north in the spring) Why would they do that? (its cold, lack

of food) Do all birds migrate? (No) Why not? (they have a lot of

feathers for warmth and they have plenty of food.)

o Give examples of raptors that migrate and those that dont. migrating raptor: Rough-legged Hawk

eats: mice & other small mammals lives: far northern Canada; snow & cold in winter cant find prey under the snow migrate to areas with no snow or very little snow

non-migrating raptor: Harriss Hawk eats: small mammals and small birds


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lives: Mexico no snow, prey all year dont need to migrate

ACTIVITYo Form small groups of 3-4. Each group gets an information card and

question sheet about a different raptor.

students read the raptor cards and work together to answer thequestions on the worksheet.

o Go around the class and have each group explain why their raptormigrates or doesnt migrate. Dont judge them right or wrong, but their

decision must be explained.

Prep for Part Twoo Next time were going to review, well talk about some new stuff and I

will be bringing in 2 visitorsone is a human, and the other is a raptor.

o How to make a wild animal feel comfortable in the classroom? CALM---they must know this word, and that it means QUIET and

STILL

Lesson: Part Two

Introductiono Whats the word? CALMo This is , she works at the Lake Superior Zoo.

Have any of you been to the zoo before? Then you might recognize the

bird that she brought with her today

Review Last Sessiono Ask students to recall concepts and terms that they learned during Part

Onewrite them on the board.


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How Raptors Migrateo If your raptor migrates, one person from your group raise a hand. So

these birds fly south in the fall and back north in the spring. What

roads do they take?

o Raptors like to follow things, like rivers, shorelines, and mountain ranges.(Use the N/S America map to illustrate). Use dry erase markers to mark

flyways on the map. Start at the East Coast and work west, asking

students to identify the roads a raptor might follow. Mark these

flyways: Atlantic, Appalachian, Mississippi, Central, Rocky Mountain,

Intermountain, and Pacific.

o Demonstrate why HRNR is a point of concentration for fall migratingbirdsas the birds are flying south, generally following the Aspen

Parkland southeast through Canada, they encounter Lake Superior! Lake

Superior is very large and cold. Cold air sinks! If raptors flew over Lake

Superior, they would have to flap the entire way. So raptors turn

southwest along the North Shore and increase in number until they get

to the point of greatest concentration at Duluth!

Energy Efficiency in Migrationo Some of the raptors flying past Hawk Ridge are traveling all the way to

South America, and it takes them about a month to get there. Can you

imagine how tiring it would be to get up every day for a month and run

to wherever you needed to be? (OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: have all the

students stand; half of them should just hold their arms out like theyre

soaring, and the other half should flap, usually 30 seconds is sufficient.

Talk about how much more energy the flappers used, versus the

soarers) Humans have developed ways to be more efficient. What are


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some of them? (bikes, cars, trains, airplanes) Raptors have ways of being

efficient, too.

o The first way raptors use to SOAR instead of FLAP is by using updrafts.An updraft is created when wind hits a vertical surface (like a cliff) and is

deflected upward. (show diagram of an updraft) This is fun at HR

because often the birds are soaring past right at eye level. Over 2 days

we saw over 6,000 Sharp-shinned Hawks, and they all floated by right at

eye level!

o The second way raptors can soar instead of flap is by using thermals.Think about warm air and cold air. What does warm air do? (rises) And

cold air sinks. Some areas on the earth heat up faster than others, like

parking lots can get very hot. This warm rising air is called a thermal, and

raptors use it by circling up & up, and this swarm of raptors is called a

KETTLE. (show diagram of a thermal/kettle) Once they reach the top,

they stream off, and they look like a river of hawks. The cool thing is

that for every mile that they gain in height, they can glide for 7 miles!

BIRD TIME Introducing Lady!

o Handler should cover these points. Allow students to ask questions, andprompt if necessary:

Lady is a Red-tailed Hawk (RTHA) She is ?? years old. Adult RTHA have a red tail, immatures have a

brown tail with bands. Adults have a brown eye, while immatures

have a yellow eye.

Why she is not living in the wild. Lady is an education bird.


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Demonstrate the flexibility in her head/neck. Raptors have twiceas many vertebrae in their neck as humans. Imagine 2 bead

necklaces: one with seven large beads, and one with 14 little

beads. The one with 14 beads is much more flexible than the

other. Raptors cannot turn their head ALL the way around, but

they CAN turn their head of the way around. This flexibility is

necessary because they cant move their eyes in the sockets. It

also helps them keep their eye on their prey as theyre chasing it.

Ask students to describe what RTHA eat (mice and squirrels aretheir main prey, although they also prey upon rabbits, moles,

shrews, weasels, skunks, porcupines, feral cats, and many

medium-sized and small birds)

Introducing Athena!o One of the coolest raptors that we see at Hawk Ridge is the American

Kestrel.

o Handler should cover these points. Allow students to ask questions, andprompt if necessary:

Athena is an American Kestrel (AMKE) She is?? years old. Why she is not living in the wild. Athena is an education bird. AMKE males and females are different colors, which is usual in

most birds, but unusual in raptors. Female AMKE are more drab-

colored than males.

Demonstrate the flexibility in her head/neck. Raptors have twiceas many vertebrae in their neck as humans. Imagine 2 bead

necklaces: one with seven large beads, and one with 14 little


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beads. The one with 14 beads is much more flexible than the

other. Raptors cannot turn their head ALL the way around, but

they CAN turn their head of the way around. This flexibility is

necessary because they cant move their eyes in the sockets. It

also helps them keep their eye on their prey as theyre chasing it.

American Kestrels are one of the few raptors that we can watcheat while migrating past the Ridge. Question students as to what

they eat (dragonflies!). They catch them in the air, then hold

them in one talon, reaching down to eat.

Point out the tooth in her bill, and explain the use. Falconshave this, and they use it to help break the neck of their prey.

raptors in the classroom (306-star09-07)

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