Sue G in PA
03-14-2008, 12:36 AM
So we didn't do much in the way of "formal" school today...much too tired. BUT, the kids explored our backyard this morning...looking for "nature stuff". Ds9 comes running inside and shoves this little plastic bug hut in my face. As my eyes focus (I was still half asleep), he exclaims, "Look what we found...a bird claw!". Indeed, it was a bird's claw...attached to the leg bone. Yuck. Then they show me feathers they collected near the "remains" and we embark on our journey to find the predator/prey. Turns out, the remains were in our bushes lining our fence where there is *possibly* a bluejay nest. Dc said that the bluejay "screamed" at them while they were exploring the bushes. Hmmm... So, we searched our bird field guide and matched our claw and feathers to that of the American Crow. Ds9 says, "Guess the blue jay won!". I suggested that the blue jay was protecting the nest and probably injured the crow making him easy pickins for another predator. Thus the reason for the "remains". Later, dc found the beak and other bones. YUCK! Anyway, to make this long boring story short...this little "find" catapulted us into a day long discussion about birds, their anatomy, predators/prey, etc. Very productive. A good day. Just wanted to share.