Red-Tailed Hawk Sighting!

I could hardly believe my eyes. Perched on a neighbor's shed, adjacent to the back of my yard, stood a gorgeous red-tailed hawk clutching a male house sparrow with its talons. This kind of stuff doesn't bother me...after all I do teach the food chain to fourth-grade students and I know that this kind of behavior isn't mean or bad, it just keeps nature in balance.

So I ran to the dining room, unzipped my camera bag and pulled out my trusty Canon Rebel. It was freezing outside but I went out barefooted and in my pajamas because I didn't want to miss an opportunity for a close look and a great photo! I walked slowly toward the hawk, noticing the teardrop design of its breast and the stern expression of its yellow eyes, and the hawk just stood there unfazed by me. When I got close enough, I stopped and just watched. The hawk pulled at the bird's innards, devouring bits and pieces, and I just kept snapping.

When my feet started getting numb, I went inside to warm up, happy to have these pretty cool photos of a red-tailed hawk in my backyard. Wishing you many adventures in nature -- Ms. Seitz

Cornell Lab of Ornithology Bird Cams

One of my anonymous viewers has asked for the link to the bird cams. This is the camera in Ithaca and this is the link to the overall site which has several cams you can check out!

Life at the Feeders

During winter, it can be difficult for birds to find the food they need to survive. That's why I've put up a bird feeding station in my yard! It has four feeders. One of them is a suet feeder, which woodpeckers like, but I haven't yet seen a woodpecker.

Female Cardinal

 I was inspired to build my own station by the bird feeder cams on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's allaboutbirds.com website. The cameras are focused on a bunch of bird feeders in Ithaca, NY and Ontario, Canada. Right now, my fifth-graders at the Brooklyn School of Inquiry are tuning into the Ithaca feeders and recording their observations. These observations will inspire questions that they can investigate on their own. For example, "What types of seeds do goldfinches prefer?" or "What time of day is busiest at the bird feeders?"

Male House Sparrow

These photographs feature some of the birds that have visited my backyard feeders so far. I plan on diversifying my food options to see if I can attract some other species, so stay tuned! Right now, I'm featuring black sunflower seeds and suet. No one has noshed on the suet yet.

White-Throated Sparrow

Female House Sparrow

Blue Jay

White-Throated Sparrow