Wixon Innovation Middle School - Dennis, MA
The bird nerds in training and I headed out to the school yard, hoping to see some birds and we were not disappointed this afternoon! Almost immediately, we heard an American Crow... then we spotted her/him...and then, almost right away an American Robin was staking his claim on the grassy areas around the school yard. This was turning out to be a great bird walk already! Last week I pointed out the House Sparrow nests that were tucked behind old school bells on the outer walls of Wixon.(see blog entry/photos from 3.31.15) As we were walking by, one of the students noticed a male House Sparrow, hanging out on one of those very nests. He posed nicely for us, so we discussed why he was OK being so close to us and why he was all puffed up. Eventually we got to the woods - not much of a path there! We didn't mind though, walking over branches and dodging thorns. We were able to catch- some of us- a brief glimpse of two Mallards who may be occupying the vernal pool behind the school. It sure is nicely protected and I hope that these kiddos understand how special it is that they could have nesting ducks right on their school property. Not many students can claim that! We couldn't see a nest, but we'll monitor those Mallards if they let us, and who knows... wouldn't it be nice if we had to make way for ducklings? We practiced using the Nature Shapes and pointing out how even a square foot of the forest floor is precious and worth protecting. Happy Spring! (double-click photos to enlarge.)
Our List:
American Crow
American Robin
House Sparrow
Red-tailed Hawk
Blue Jay
Song Sparrow
Black-capped Chickadee
Mallard
Northern Cardinal
House Sparrow - male
American Robin
American Robin
Spotting 3 Red-tailed Hawk soaring
Black-capped Chickadee
'Til we see each other next week... Happy Birding!
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