[Mnbird] A pretty cool day

[Sid Stivland]

Last Thursday was a pretty cool day.

It was the annual Young Naturalist’s Field Day for the Prior Lake/Savage schools held at McColl Ponds ELC.  We lucked out and got a rare sunny and DRY day.  I do the bird part.

I have to find birds for some 60 odd – third, fourth, and fifth graders.  

The first class starts off with a bang.  The bushes are full of sparrows; House, Song and White-throated.  The kids like the little birds but it is hard to get a good look, the birds are shy and hanging out in the grass.  We find some blackbirds in a tree.  I get them in the scope – wow - one is a Rusty!  but fourth graders are not impressed with blackbirds, no matter how rare.  But wait – there is a pair of Red-winged Blackbirds in the scope, a male and a female.  The kids are impressed.  They have never seen a female RWBB.  All the kids get to see it.  A Killdeer flies overhead, scolding us.  I tell the kids about the female bird’s decoy behavior.

We move on to the wetland.  Some sparrows hiding in the cattails.  Three boys wander off to the other side of the wetland, probably looking for snakes.  One says “We have a Raven here!”, No I don’t think so, I say.  “No really, it is a big bird, it is gray with yellow around the eyes”.  OK – we go check it out.  The rest of the group heads over.  As we approach – the birds flushes.  “Green Heron,  cool bird”, I say.  All the kids see it fly to the other end of the wetland.  It flushes again but all the kids get to see it.  OK – cool, they say. I say, “Good spot” to the boys – they seem pleased.

We still see more birds – Chickadees, finches, mourning Doves, and others.  Time to head back.

The second class – how are we going to top this one?  Off we go and stop at the Chimney Swift tower.  We discuss Chimney Swifts.  One of the kids looks it up in Tekiela’s book and starts reading to the other kids “Migration to South America”, “one of the fastest flyers in the world” ,” flies all day and doesn’t perch”.  wow – interesting.

We get to the lake and one of the kids’ dad, a volunteer, hears a “sploosh” on the lake.  I set down the scope and find the Kingfisher on the other side of the lake.  The kids line up and all get to see the Kingfisher.  They ask me “How did you see that?” I play it cool.  I do not tell them that I heard it earlier in the day and the parent in our group heard the ‘sploosh’.  I’m not giving away all my secrets – it is not all that easy to impress a fourth grader, you know.

We see some more birds – lots of Ring-bills overhead.  Time to head back.  But the kids have found many of the birds.  I compliment them on their observation skills

Third class after lunch.  Now it is even more challenging.  Off we go.  Stop at the Chimney Swift tower, check out the wetland, not much there. We get to the lake and I spot a Great Blue Heron across the lake.  I get it in the scope but only a couple kids see it before it flies off.  We continue.  Ahead, a cooperative family of Eastern Bluebirds.  I get them in the scope - the birds sit on the Bluebird box and a nearby post.  All the kids get to see them.  Two go inside the box and stick their heads out.  The kids get a big kick out of that.  The kids are great with the scope.  I tell them to line up – they do so immediately, they are polite and patient – and no one “hogs” the scope.  They are much better than some birding trips I have been on.

We go around the lake and in the woods.  I re-find the Heron across the lake.  I love watching kids at the scope – squinting, first one eye – then the other - trying to master the device.  It’s harder than it looks – closing one eye and opening the other.  But eventually, they get it, I see the little light go on, and they say “Oh, cool – he (the bird) looks so big”.  It is cool.

Time to go back – Again, the kids have spotted some of the birds.  The parent volunteers are a big help.

Last class of the day.  But by 1 PM, most of the little birds have scattered.  Even the Red-wings have had enough of 100 kids in their territory.  This is going to be rough.  Plus, everybody is tired, especially me – lugging that scope all day, 5 hours on my feet, and – NO NAP! Off we go.  Not much in the grass, the wetland.  One of the kids yells out – “What is that?”  We look up – adult Bald Eagle soaring lazily just over our heads.  It continues to circle, not very high, either.  All the kids get their binocs on it.  One girl says “Cool” and proceeds to tell me about a bird with an even bigger wingspan.  We talk about the Condor.  The kids have all seen my bird wing cut-out – full eagle size – six feet wide.  They all say “cool”.

We continue on – just as we get to the other end of the park – WHOOSH – out of the west, an adult Red-tailed Hawk, no more than 20 feet above our heads.  The kids all go – “Whew, that was really cool!”

Indeed!

Sid Stivland
Plymouth, MN and MOU YMP volunteer

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