Sunday, September 30, 2007

P2F - Whistle While You Work

Day 16- Fri, Sept, 28: I like to keep my students on their toes. When they are working in groups, I use various methods of bringing order back to the class. Sometimes, it's turning off the lights or clapping a rhythm for them to complete. Occasionally, it's merely body language. Today it was the debut of a certain sound effect.

A few years ago, the teacher in the neighboring classroom returned from Puerto Rico with a bird whistle souvenir for me. When you blow in the birds tail, a high pitched squeal emanates from the hole in its back.

The true magic happens when you fill the hole with water. With liquid filling its innards, the bird's ear-wrenching becomes a warbling song.

Needless to say, the students stop dead in their tracks thinking they've been zapped into a tropical rainforest.

The funniest part was the other teacher also bought one for herself. She debuted hers the other day and amazed her students as well. She proudly announced to her students that she and I are the only teachers to have this in our school if not all of NJ!

There goes that P2F ripple effect again!

P2F - The Ripple Effect

Day 15 - Thurs, Sept 27: Not a very birdy day in my class today BUT...
A science teacher shared the recent issue of children's magazine with me. The magazine focuses on owls and features a Great Horned on the cover. He said he was definitely going to share the magazine with his class and tell them that I was the bird man. He also asked if I could bring in some more wild pellets for him this year.

This was very good news in terms of Fledging Birders. It's one thing to talk about birds with my own students. But having other teachers share MY passion with their students demonstrates into the larger ripple effect that this year's Pledge to Fledge blogging is all about!

The excitement of birding is absolutely contagious. Why hold back something so wonderful?!

P2F - Artsy Birds

Day 14- Wed, Sept 26: The camp trip was a success yesterday. The kids walked trails, participated in many environmental-based activities, and got dirty!

Our classes today were focused on post-camp activities. After reviewing the camp events, we proceeded to make "stained glass" animals to decorate the windows. There were several templates for various insects, frogs, turtles, and other animals. Of course, I also broke 4 different bird field guides.

Many of the students flipped through the book to get ideas for their own creations. Sure enough there were some owls and hawks hanging on my window at the end of the day.

There was even one overgrown kid who carefully created an American Kestrel with the black construction paper and colored tissue paper. While he is FAR from artistic, his kestrel's streamlined profile, pointed wings blue wings, cinnamon back, and head patttern make the ID easy when you gaze out my window. Now, if I could only get the colored glue off of my shirt!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

P2F - New Eyes at Camp

Day 13- Tues Sept. 25: This "Pledge to Fledge" really doesn't even relate to birds - directly. However, it does help kids build birding skills!

Today was our annula trip to Camp Ockanickon. Of course I was pointing out various birds to the kids. (Turkey Vultures, Eastern Towhees, Carolina Wrens calling out, and both species of nuthatch received the biggest oohs and aahs.) The big P2F incident was of mammalian blood.

An observant student discovered what he thought was a monkey sleeping in the tree. It was actually one very comfortable raccoon dozing the afternoon away. Needless to say, the other students were begging to see it.

Like a birding trip, I had to line the students up to share the sole pair of binoculars. Each student was given explicit directions on how to locate the masked snoozer. Many also needed a brief tutorial in how to use the binoculars themselves. It was the first time most of them had ever looked through a pair of quality optics.

Watching the smiles grow across their faces indicated that they succssfully navigated through the canopy and rotated the focus wheel just right to bring the raccoon into perfect view.

They now have a thirst for examining the world through magnified lenses. Definitely birders to be!

P2F - Weekend Update

Day 12 - Mon, Sept. 24: Monday morning homeroom is always interesting becuase the kids and I share our weekend highlights. At my turn today, I shared a story my 5 year old daughter playing nurse to an injured bird. It goes a little something like this . . .

We were just finishing breakfast at Ballyhoo's in Cape May when we heard a loud "plink" at the window. My daughter's expression was pure puzzlement.

My explanation that a bird probably hit the window piqued her curiosity and concern. She asked if we could go make sure it was ok. Once outside, we found a Magnolia Warbler teeteringly in a daze on the edge of a raised flowerbed. Gulls were circling overhead. We also spotted a cat in the area an hour earlier. My daughter begged to help the bird.

Given the lack of cover, we took the bird back to our hotel balcony and sat with it as it regained its wits. My daughter was delighted to share the experience with her little brother and mom. They were so proud when the bird safely took back to the sky!

Many of my students were quite interested in the story. Others were half asleep. But then again, it was Monday morning!

Friday, September 21, 2007

Pledging for Fledging

For this school year, I pledge to write about 180 different Fledging Birders moments at school. You may be asking , "why 180?"

This would be a single incident for each of the 180 school days!

I'm off to a late start so this first post is in digest form. I intend to write everyday but that may prove impractical with such a busy year bearing down on me.

Here goes the first 3 weeks in a flash:
Day 1 - Wed, Sept. 5: I ran into one of last year's WSB team members her right after dismissal. After a quick run down of her summer life birds, she inquires about the morning bird walk schedule. ALready rearing to go!!

Day 2 - Thurs, Sept. 6:
During lunch today, one of my new students asks, "Mr. Magpiong, aren't you that bird guy?"
With his suspicions confirmed, he made his interest in birding known. (note: after 2 weeks, I'm still waiting for a permission slip though!)

Day 3 - Fri, Sept. 7: Surprise! Another former WSB team mate showed up in my classroom at 7:30am. Time to bird. Not many species around but a large number of robins in the fields. We also had our first killdeere of the year fly over. A brief foray into the field but the day was off to a nice start.

Day 4 - Mon, Sept. 10: "Don't DUCK your responsibility!" discussion. Students are told missed work will be left under the Canvasback decoy on the shelf. They are responsible for picking up the work when they return from an absence.
your make-up work will be under the Canvasback
Day 5 - Tues, Sept. 11: Student shows up for birding bright and early. We add a few species to our school year list - American Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, and Blue Jay.

Day 6 - Wed, Sept. 12: A former student stops by my class after school. A quick field guide perusal leads to a flurry of, "Have you ever seen this one?" and "what about this guy? he's cool!"

Day 7 - Mon, Sept. 17: Birding before school again. The highlight is a "year bird" for the VMS list - a Northern Flicker.

Day 8 - Tues, Sept. 18: In the hallway, a students yells, "I have a gift for you Mr. Magpiong!"
When she shows up to class, I am surprised by an origami swan that stands about a foot high.

Day 9 - Wed, Sept. 19: The students are already well aware of my birding "obsession". During lunch, a group of kids try to impress me with bird sounds. Their limited play list includes only the onomatopoetic quack, cluck, and tweet. I envision this game developing nicely! I will probably challenge them to learn a few REAL songs each week.

Day 10 - Thurs, Sept. 20: Some students finish their tests early and start to doodle on the back of the paper. They work hard to recreate the Canvasback and birds from the Audubon calendar.

Day 11 - Fri, Sept. 21: We had a fire drill around mid-morning. I was hoping for a few vultures or hawks overhead but no luck. The afternoon fire drills work best for those sightings. However, I was able to get a few kids on a passing flock of grackles.

Check back for "Pledge to Fledge" stories!

Dave

Thursday, September 6, 2007

New Burly Birders

I have recently shared my birding interest with some unlikely candidates.

ACT 1:
A family getaway in Cape May was disrupted by an emergency visit to the local mechanic. When I dropped the vehicle off, the head mechanic offered to give me a lift. I refused by explaining, "Thanks but I'd rather walk. You see I'm a bird watcher and, with any luck, I may find some nice birds along the way."

The wrestler turned mechanic's jaw dropped open. "YOU'RE a BIRD WATCHER!"

Not sure if I was annoyed or simply taken off guard by his amazement, I shot back, "Yeah. Why are you so shocked?"

"When I think of bird watchers, I imagine little, frail ladies in their 70's dressed in goofy clothes and writing poetry. You look like a Yankees fan!"

This was an opening I could not resist. "Are you playing with me?! You live in Cape May, one of the world's most famous bird watching destinations, but you've never met a birder?!"

He chuckled, "Not that I know of."

I tried to appeal to his manliness by talking about the impending kick-off of hawk migration season. He was totally surprised to hear that so many "cool bnirds" were around his hometown.

As I walked back to meet the family, I vowed to wow him with more manly bird scenarios like Peregrines stooping on birds at full throttle when I picked up the car later in the day. Unfortunately, he was gone when pick-up time arrived.

Hopefully, his eyes were opened a bit more to the wonders of his own neighborhood.

ACT 2:
A trip to the pool club afforded me the opporutnity to fledge another birder.

As my children were splashing about the kiddie pool, a lone Common Nighthawk flew overhead. I excitedly pointed out the birds to my own little cherubs. Within moments, a deep voice uttered, "what kind of hawk did you say you saw?"

The spokesman appeared to be a old school linebacker/biker hybrid covered in tattoos.

The resulting 20 minutes conversation was full of questions relating fly-bys during his commute to work, his neighbor's feeders, and other bird information. Every so often, the discussion was punctuated by my poiting out of birds flying over (more nighthawks, Red-taikled Hawks, Great Egret, American Goldfinches).

The conversation closed with him saying that he was going to buy a bird book to learn more about the interesting birds in our area.