Saturday, March 27, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
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dePaul School Bird Presentation
10:22 AM
Ryan Ankeny
Back in January I had the privilege of speaking to Mr. Kepler's and Ms. Erickson's third grade class at the dePaul School about birds. They had been learning about birds and asking me questions through my blog, and in January I went to speak with them about bird beak adaptations. First there was a brief presentation on the eight different types of beaks and what birds they belonged to and what food items they captured with their beaks. Then we set up a fun activity where the students would come up one at a time in front of the class, select a bird, what beak they thought matched, and the food item that bird would eat.
The beaks and food items both had magnets glued to them so when the kids decided which piece of food each beak was adapted to eating, they would place the beak over the food and it would pick it up. Everyone pretty much got it right on the first try and the students did a great job of matching up birds, beaks, and food. I had a wonderful time speaking to Mr. Kepler's and Ms. Erickson's class and would love to come back again. Not many students get the chance to learn about birds and their adaptations and I am glad I was able to help do my part. It is very important we continue to teach our children about animals and the natural environment and get them interested in the outdoors so they can learn about all the amazing things nature has to offer. Thank you guys for letting me come speak to you and keep up the good work!
The beaks and food items both had magnets glued to them so when the kids decided which piece of food each beak was adapted to eating, they would place the beak over the food and it would pick it up. Everyone pretty much got it right on the first try and the students did a great job of matching up birds, beaks, and food. I had a wonderful time speaking to Mr. Kepler's and Ms. Erickson's class and would love to come back again. Not many students get the chance to learn about birds and their adaptations and I am glad I was able to help do my part. It is very important we continue to teach our children about animals and the natural environment and get them interested in the outdoors so they can learn about all the amazing things nature has to offer. Thank you guys for letting me come speak to you and keep up the good work!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
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Crawdad
8:27 PM
Ryan Ankeny
I went looking for the Upland Chorus Frogs that have been calling like crazy in all the wet fields but all I could find was this little guy. No idea what species this is so 'Crawdad' is about as scientific as it's going to get. That is his little mud hole he lives in on the bottom.
Friday, March 5, 2010
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Red-wing Duel
7:12 PM
Ryan Ankeny
These two Red-winged Blackbirds were obviously trying to size up one another as they bounced from limb to limb, calling and posturing to each other. For a while they were sitting side by side about a foot apart and were going back and forth calling and flashing their red epaulets. They do this to gauge which of the two of them is bigger and therefore more fit to hold the territory they are fighting over. You can see in the picture below the bird on the top limb looking down at his rival...
...and this is what he was screaming in his face, "konka-ree!". Or in other words, "this is mine!". Male Red-winged Blackbirds return to the breeding grounds first and must secure the best territory they can muster. That is why this time of year you only see the males, which are black with the red shoulders, and no females, which are streaked brown. The females arrive later after the males have had time to sort out who gets what patch of cattails. It is extremely important for the males to find and fight for a good territory because when females arrive it will be the territories they are choosing, not the males. The females will nest in a territory they find the most suitable and it is up to the males to guess what territory the females will like best. If he has secured a really good spot he will have multiple females to attend to during the breeding season.
If you look at the picture below, you can see the male on the left is a solid, glossy black, while the male on the right still has some brownish feathers and his plumage isn't as uniform. That means the bird on the right is probably a Second Year bird, meaning he was born during the last breeding season and this is his first year to breed. The solid black male on the left is an After Second Year bird, meaning he was born at least two breeding seasons ago but possibly more. After the second year it is impossible to say how old the bird is unless it has been banded.
These two tough guys couldn't seem to settle their differences merely by posturing because they dropped into the bushes and were wrestling on the ground for quite a while. Sometimes you can't tell who the toughest guy is until you duke it out. The stronger bird in this case, the After Second Year male, managed to chase off the younger male, though I doubt the matter was completely settled. Fights usually end this way, with the older male being the victor. Older males have had more experience breeding and selecting mates and are tough to run off if you are a younger bird. The Second Year male may have to settle with a sub-par patch of real estate this year. If he makes it to another breeding season he will likely have the upper hand over the new green males this time next year.
...and this is what he was screaming in his face, "konka-ree!". Or in other words, "this is mine!". Male Red-winged Blackbirds return to the breeding grounds first and must secure the best territory they can muster. That is why this time of year you only see the males, which are black with the red shoulders, and no females, which are streaked brown. The females arrive later after the males have had time to sort out who gets what patch of cattails. It is extremely important for the males to find and fight for a good territory because when females arrive it will be the territories they are choosing, not the males. The females will nest in a territory they find the most suitable and it is up to the males to guess what territory the females will like best. If he has secured a really good spot he will have multiple females to attend to during the breeding season.
If you look at the picture below, you can see the male on the left is a solid, glossy black, while the male on the right still has some brownish feathers and his plumage isn't as uniform. That means the bird on the right is probably a Second Year bird, meaning he was born during the last breeding season and this is his first year to breed. The solid black male on the left is an After Second Year bird, meaning he was born at least two breeding seasons ago but possibly more. After the second year it is impossible to say how old the bird is unless it has been banded.
These two tough guys couldn't seem to settle their differences merely by posturing because they dropped into the bushes and were wrestling on the ground for quite a while. Sometimes you can't tell who the toughest guy is until you duke it out. The stronger bird in this case, the After Second Year male, managed to chase off the younger male, though I doubt the matter was completely settled. Fights usually end this way, with the older male being the victor. Older males have had more experience breeding and selecting mates and are tough to run off if you are a younger bird. The Second Year male may have to settle with a sub-par patch of real estate this year. If he makes it to another breeding season he will likely have the upper hand over the new green males this time next year.
