Whether it’s highlights from a recent outing, some pishing to get their attention, or an end of class discussion on “why birding?”, birds are brought up in my class quite frequently.
During a recent review, the kids were glad to hear there would be extra credit on their upcoming test. I explained that the extra credit could include ANYTHING and advised them to pay attention to the news and all class discussions.
Like a boxer, I saw an opening and threw a quick jab. “You may even want to remember that 298 Peregrine Falcons migrated through Cape May on October 5, 2002.” Of course, such a detailed factoid drew many questions from my young audience. They were tickled by the story of how I opted to clean the garage instead of heading to the hawkwatch that day resulted in my missing the record setting migration. Lots of questions were answered. Lots of eyes were opened.
A few days later, the peregrine fact was included as extra credit for a few classes. For one group, the question was ” A record setting 298 _______________ were observed migrating through Cape May, New Jersey.” Several students did indeed receive bonus points for the question!
Those that attempted the question did entertain me with their responses. Some were in the ballpark - hawks, birds, eagles. Some alluded to previous conversations - butterflies, Monarch Butterflies, geese.
The most amusing guesses were - people, Russians, Mexicans, and Italians!
(originally posted Nov. 2006)
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