Great Blue Heron by Adam

Great Blue Heron by Marcus

Black-capped Chickadee by Amy

Baltimore Oriole by Ben

Steller's Jay by Sean

Peregrine Falcon by James

Cardinal by Chip

Painted Bunting Acrostic by James

Woody Woodpecker by Julia

Great Blue Heron by Amy

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Bird Visits at Our Feeders

By Franki, Jenni, and Jessica, 7^th grade
Homer Jr. High School
Homer, NY

We set out to see the total percentages of bird species that visited our school feeders. We calculated our percentages and put them into a pie graph (Figure 1).

While the data looked good, they could be misinterpreted. As an example, Common Redpolls made up 6% of the total birds seen, but they were not frequent visitors. In fact, they came only once. On the other hand, Downy Woodpeckers accounted for less than 1% of the total number of birds but came on eight separate visits.

We decided a more accurate study would be to show the number of visits by each species (Figure 2) and compare that with the percentages. By comparing the two graphs we were better able to interpret our data.

We had a lot of fun doing this project, and we learned a lot of new information about birdwatching and different bird species.

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Great Blue Heron

By Adam, 5th grade
African Road Elementary School
Vestal, NY

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Great Blue Heron

By Amy, 4th grade
Preston Elementary School
Preston, MD

The Great Blue Heron is like no other bird, it is graceful and mysterious. Here are some facts about the Great Blue Heron. The Heron eats small fish, salamanders, frogs, shellfish and insects. Their habitat consists of marshes, lagoons, lakes and rivers. It nests from November through May. The male gathers the materials for the nest, but the female actually makes the nest. The female then lays her eggs and they hatch between 25-29 days later. The young can fly within 60 days and leave the nest 30 days later.

The appearance of the Great Blue Heron is unusual. They grow to be about 50 inches tall, and weigh about 5-8 pounds. They have a sharp yellow bill, a white head, long legs, and their overall plumage is bluish gray in color. On the top of its head is a black crest and on the shoulder is a black patch. The typical wing span is 6 feet wide.

Their habits include stalking through the water slowly and carefully so they don't scare their prey. They also fly with their legs tucked under and their necks in an "s" shape.

In conclusion, I find the Great Blue Heron very interesting.

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Great Blue Heron

By Marcus, 6th grade
Northampton Middle School
Machapongo, VA

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Peregrine Falcon

By James, 4^th grade
Leeds Elementary School
Arlington, WI

Peregrine Falcon flapping your wings,
At over 200 miles per hour,
Swooping at prey,
To get a meal for today.
You're a beautiful bird,
You are the king of the sky.

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Black-capped Chickadee

By Amy, 7th grade
St. Anne's-Belfield Middle School
Charlottesville, VA

Cardinal

By Chip, 4^th grade
Stone-Robinson Elementary
Charlottesville, VA

Bright red royal cardinal's crown shining in the sun
Firebird's whistle like a siren wailing
Hot, fiery, flaming feathers gleaming
Spicy sauce burning like a tamale
Scent as strong as peppermint.

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