Spring Brings New Life... Even to the Blog!

Today was beautiful and spring like! We drove Kev to the train this morning, and stopped off at the canoe launch to see if there were any interesting birds around. As Mikro said, "Just seagulls and geese..." I snapped a couple of photos of the very low tide conditions, and Mikro made a goofy self portrait while I drove us to the park nearby.









First we stopped at the nature center for a look around. The place makes me sad, as it seems a shadow of its former self, back when we had homeschool nature classes there...



Next, we went to the beach, where Mikro amused himself, and I discovered a pair of nesting redtails. I never did get a great shot, but they didn't pop up out of the nest much. I will try again tomorrow with a better lens...











After that, we headed home for a day of homeschooling and wretched NY homeschool paperwork. But first, we filled feeders and looked at all the new flowers in the garden...

Nature Nearby

Since we are basically broke, we aren't doing as much traveling as we normally do. I can't afford to keep paying the train fare. So we have had to find other, more affordable learning and entertainment opportunities. What could be better than the great outdoors? It's free! So we've been taking full advantage of the scenic beauty of our area, and the wonderful local parks. We are a stone's throw from the Croton and Hudson Rivers, which we visit often. I'm sure the weather will soon put a crimp in our style, but we are making hay while the sun shines.

We're also enjoying our own yard and the feeder birds. Mikro has made fast friends with Pumpkin, one of the neighborhood cats. Pumpkin found herself a home on Halloween, and her new people have put a bell on her collar, which makes life safer for the birds. But there are other perils. We now have a sharp shinned hawk staking out our feeders, and hunting here. It makes me a bit sad, but as Mikro is quick to assure me, "that is nature's way."

Raptor Fest 2010 -- Part 2

Some of the educational exhibits at Raptor Fest:

There were plenty of replica raptor skulls and talons. Mikro is holding bald eagle and golden eagle talons below (Golden eagle's are bigger). And this is what a redtailed hawk's skull looks like.



Owl pellet dissection was really interesting. Our pellet had a vole skull, a mouse skull, and a rat skull, as well as lots of smaller bones. Last time we did this project at home, Mikro didn't want to get his hands dirty and I wound up doing most of the work. This time he dove right in and really got into it. I'm not sure if that was because he's older, less easily grossed out, or because, having watched The Owl Box webcam, and seen Molly the Barn Owl hack up pellets, it was more intriguing to him...



We learned about different types of feathers and their purposes.





And we reviewed the science behind flight and looked at the differences in types of raptors.




I have to edit down videos before I can post them, and my back is really bad right now, so I'm hoping to get to it tomorrow... Being on my feet too much two days in a row, in the damp, has made my arthritis sit up and take notice...

Raptor Fest 2010 -- Part 1

Yesterday was the NYC Urban Park Rangers' annual Raptor Fest in Central Park, featuring birds of prey and trainers from the Hawk Creek Wildlife Center.

They had a static display area where rangers were showing off birds to the public and talking about each species, as well as three shows where the falconers actually flew many of the birds. Not without incident, as a territorial wild redtailed hawk decided to get involved and spooked a couple of the birds...

There were also informational booths with educational displays and an owl pellet dissection station.

Mikro had a great time!

First we visit the static display area.




Eastern Screech Owl:


Eurasian Eagle Owl:


Barn Owl:


Saw Whet Owl:


Spectacled Owl:
(Native to the rainforests of South America.)



Harris Hawk:


African Auger Buzzard (closely related to our red tailed hawk):


Ferruginous Hawk:




Gyrfalcon:




Peregrine Falcon:



Saeker Falcon:




Turkey Vulture, aptly named "Barf":




The majestic Golden Eagle. This one, named Canyon, was hit by an airplane, and is not able to fly. Sadly, he can never be released back into the wild. But what a beautiful creature!







This is getting to be a huge post. Guess I'm going to have to split it up. Kev and Mikro are rushing me out the door. Some photos of the educational booths and flight shows when I get back...