Lessons | Raptors | Scheduling

Who: The Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory and the Lake Superior Zoo, funded by a grant from the Donald M. Weesner Foundation and Minnesota Coastal Grant (funded 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 will be contacted by staff for scheduling.

How: Contact Debbie Waters for more information!

Topics learned during the Raptors in the Classroom program are reinforced by a visit from a live raptor...in this case, a Red-tailed Hawk from the Lake Superior Zoo.

An Eastern Screech-Owl from the Lake
Superior Zoo helps students learn about owls.

Debbie Waters
Education Director
Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory
dwaters@hawkridge.org
218.428.3539

YEAR FOUR!!

The Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory and the Lake Superior Zoo are teaming up once again to bring a "close encounter of the raptor kind" to area 4th graders. Thanks to generous grants, Hawk Ridge has developed 4th grade programs and is offering these programs 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 two sessions: the first includes background information and an introduction to the lesson, and the second concludes the lesson and includes a demonstration with a live raptor. Details about the lessons and the raptors are located below.

Scheduling

We will visit your classroom for TWO 45-minute presentations, preferably on different days. It works best for us if we can present back-to-back lessons to all the 4th grade classrooms in each school. We prefer not to combine classes—our lessons are designed for classes of 20-35 students. **Note: if you only have one 4th grade classroom at your school, we will do the 2 lessons back-to-back, which will take a block of 1.5 hours.

Lessons

Each lesson is made up of TWO 45-minute sessions: the first session contains the bulk of the lesson, and the second session concludes and reinforces the lesson with a visit with a live raptor.

On Silent Wings
TWO 45-minute sessions
Raptor: Eastern Screech-Owl
Owls are nocturnal predators. Owls often can’t see their prey, either because of low light conditions or the prey is hidden under vegetation or snow. Because of this, they have developed adaptations for hunting, including using their sense of hearing, camouflage, and very unique feet.

Raptor Relatives
TWO 45-minute sessions
Raptor: American Kestrel, Eastern Screech Owl or Red-tailed Hawk**
Raptors are birds of prey, and they are different from all other birds because of their keen eyesight, talons, and sharp, curved bill. There are many different types of raptors, and the three main diurnal (daytime) types are buteos, accipiters, and falcons. Each of these three types have characteristics that set them apart from each other, and are usually adapted from their hunting techniques and habitats.

Raptors on the Move!
TWO 45-minute sessions
Raptor: American Kestrel or Red-tailed Hawk**
Some 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.

Raptors

Each lesson includes a visit from a live raptor.

American Kestrel Kestrels are small falcons--in fact, they are only about the size of a robin. Kestrels are most often seen perched on telephone wires as they search for their favorite insect foods. Athena is a 12-year-old female and stands 9 inches tall.	Eastern Screech-Owl Eastern Screech-Owls are one of the smallest owl species in North America. Their gray coloring and pattern allows them to be masters of camouflage against tree trunks. Bosley is a 12-year-old male and is only 7 inches high.	Red-tailed Hawk Red-tailed Hawks are large hawks from the buteo group. They are most commonly seen perched on telephone poles and fence posts along roadways. Lady is a very large 13-year-old female, weighing close to 4 lbs and standing almost 2 feet tall. **NOTE: Lady is in "nesting" mode and is not available for the rest of the 2008 season.

Call Debbie: 218.428.3539

Email Debbie: dwaters@hawkridge.org