Yarmouthport, MA
I was contacted by Will, one of the co-directors of Camp Wingate*Kirkland, to be a nature guide for a group of 6th, 7th & 8th grade students visiting camp, & coming from The Hurley School in Boston, MA. I was very excited to be their guide as they took a break from the city, and adventured on Cape Cod for about 24 hours. It can be a culture shock when people accustomed to an urban setting are suddenly surrounded by big trees, green fields and wonderful nature. Time to run around!
I was not expecting to necessarily see or hear too many birds, because our wonderful crowd was LOUD! They certainly seemed excited to be in the green fields and the crunchy woods with their peers and some fantastic teachers! My goal was for them to enjoy themselves, and to do my best to impart some nature knowledge, while sharing Camp W*K's incredible campus!
We brought along some bird guide books, clipboards with a bird behavior scavenger hunt, nature shapes... and some enthusiasm on our trek! The weather was not so fabulous on Wednesday afternoon, so when we turned to the nest building activity, I thought it best to bring our group indoors. Some impressive structures started taking shape. See for yourselves with the photos below. I'll admit... it REALLY bugs me to not be able to show the smiling faces and the looks of concentration while they worked together to create their nests! I have to honor their privacy though, so I show what I can in the photos below.
Thursday morning, the skies were blue, the air was crisp and we had another great escape in the outdoors! The morning group was also able to take advantage of the abundant sunshine and they constructed their nests outside. I love how careful they were when I showed them the actual nest with the egg in it. The baby bird in the particular egg never made it, which is sad. However, the beautiful egg left behind is an effective teaching tool, and the emotion it provokes, was proof that empathy is alive and well in the hearts of these children.
I hope to also post some photos that the teachers took if they send any my way! Thanks Hurley School students and teachers! Meeting with all of you and learning what you know was so very rewarding! Remember... it's COOL to be a Bird Nerd!
(double click photos to enlarge)
Our List:
Fish Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Hairy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Red-tailed Hawk
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| Building the base for the nest project |
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| A nice start |
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| Working with the materials |
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| One of these leaves is not like the others... |
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| Red-tailed Hawk soaring overhead reward! |
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| Working on their project outside the Art Barn |
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| NESTS!!! |
Happy Birding young Bird Nerds!
It was so good to meet you and to spend time with you! Tell the Boston Pigeons, Peregrine Falcons & American Crows in the city I said, "HELLO!"
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