 Other Education News
Our
own Raptor Campers this year produced their personal Passport to Oregon
Raptors. Starting with a general introduction, tour, and construction
of their passport on Monday, on Tuesday they made their own wings under
Falcons & Flight. On Wednesday (Eagles & Legends), they met
Orion, one of our Golden eagles, up close and personal, listened to
some raptor legends, and then created their own legends and shared
them. Thursday was Hawk Talk day, not only learning about hawks
and their habitats but then imagining their own unique habitats and
what kind of birds might live there. Friday was the ever-popular
owl day, with owl pellets and constructing paper bag owls. I love the
cross-discipline aspect that Kit has incorporated in our camps, with
art, science, and literature. Maybe by next year we’ll be ready
to do more than one camp week - stay tuned!
As we mentioned in our last e-newsletter, we have two new barn owls
joining our education program - Nani and Soren. Both have done
multiple programs, enraptured visitors at handler talks, while playing
on the lawn, or just snoozing in their roost box as owls do! Our
latest addition is Miri, a young black-billed magpie. Totally out
of her usual element (magpies are not indigenous to the Willamette
Valley but found only on the east side of the Cascades), Miri was found
just south of Eugene, trying repeatedly to get into a woman’s
home. Completely unafraid of the resident dogs and cats, Miri
kept trying to come in the door, tapping at the windows, and following
the finder around. Finally giving in the second day and letting
the bird inside, it was obvious that Miri was more comfortable inside
than out and was highly socialized to people - so she brought the bird
to us. CRC had a magpie for 12 years, who we lost to cancer in
1999, and we were delighted to receive permission to keep Miri for
education. Although it’s always sad to find a bird that is more
comfortable with people than her own kind, we like working with the
corvids (crow family) as so many people have preconceived ideas about
them - either positive or negative. Members of this family, which
includes ravens, crows, magpies and jays, have interacted with humans
for thousands of years and have a role in many cultural myths and
legends all over the world. Considered the most intelligent of
all the birds, the corvids are often persecuted for adapting so
successfully to changes in the environment created by people.
Humans tend to love the underdog and that typically is not the corvid
role!
Special thanks to April Wallen, our AmeriCorps/LINKS volunteer
Education Assistant, for all her hard work with our programs this
summer. |
