birds

No Flying Here

Posted on September 24, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

No Flying Here

We are continuing to meet some animals from our coloring book this week and today that means were learning more about the kiwi! These little flightless birds from New Zealand are icons and quiet fascinating!

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Kiwi Fun Facts:

  • Kiwis are related to emus and ostriches.
  • Kiwis and their ancient relatives have been on earth for 30 million years.
  • They do have wings that are about 1 inch long. These wings are useless.
  • Flighted birds have hollow bones to help them fly; but not the kiwi, they have bones full of marrow – like mammals.
  • Kiwis also have claws on the end of each claw.
  • Female kiwis lay the largest egg to their body ratio of any bird on the planet.
  • A female can lay 300 eggs in their lifetime.

Kiwis are so cute and funny looking with their tiny wings, long beak and clawed feet. Can  you imagine a funnier looking bird?

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It’s Here!

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

It’s Here!

We’re so very excited to share with you that the coloring book our Photographer drew and we helped do the research for is now on sale on Amazon. There are 50 pages of animals and their relatives and even those who may not have any relatives at all. There are some basics on classification, but wow we would need a text book to do that subject justice.

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We hope it inspires you to learn more about animals and their relatives while have fun coloring! Oh and we recommend using colored pencils or crayons in the book so the colors won’t bleed! And as always THANK YOU for your support!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, crafts, education, endangered species, Environment, fish, frogs, mammals, nature, oceans, Puppets, reptiles, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pipe Up for Sandpipers

Posted on July 18, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Pipe Up for Sandpipers

Another popular bird that we love to watch run up and down the beach is the sandpiper. They are so funny with their little legs and high speed running! Let’s learn more about them.

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SPOTTED SANDPIPER FUN FACTS:

  • These funny little birds have an usual mating style. The females actually establish territory for nests.
  • The males incubate the eggs and raise the young. Sometimes females will help.
  • Females can actually lay several clutches of eggs in a season- often from different males. Each male that fathered the clutch will rear those chicks.
  • Sandpipers are known for their teetering motion. It is not known why they do this.
  • These little carnivores eat insects – including flying ones and crustaceans buried in the sand.
  • They are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

 

Who knew these little birds have such neat role reversals? Lady sandpipers are pretty cool as are the busy males!

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Knot Birdy

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Knot Birdy

It’s another day of watching birds and we’re meeting the Red Knot. Anyone have a guess how they got that name? Let’s find out!

 

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RED KNOT FUN FACTS:

  • These red birds are actually more grey most of the year. They develop that color during mating season.
  • They are found on every continent except Antartica.
  • It is thought that they get their name from the grunting noise they make.
  • Their numbers have fallen in North America due to population declines of one of their favorite prey- horseshoe crabs eggs.
  • These carnivores have special receptors in their beaks that help them detect pressure. These receptors help them find crustaceans buried in the sand.
  • Egrets eat their crustacean prey whole- shell and all. They crush the shells in their gizzard (a muscular part of their stomach), In fact, they have the largest gizzard of any shore bird.
  • They are listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

 

These adorable birds remind us of plovers a bit. It’s important that scientists are following population numbers as we are seeing a decline.  Remember to keep our shores clean of any trash, as plastics and other trash can harm our shore bird friends.

 

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You Won’t Egret It

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

You Won’t Egret It

We’re meeting a wonderful shore bird today. These bright white beauties are hard to miss and one of our favorites.

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GREAT EGRET FUN FACTS:

  • These wading birds are found on coasts, lakes and rivers. Like their cousins the heron, they can be found in fresh, brackish and salt water.
  • Great egrets are carnivores. They use their big pointy beaks to grab fish, crustaceans and amphibians.
  • During mating season, egrets grow extra plums on their backs to attract mates.
  • These majestic birds have a wingspan of up to 57 inches. They are large, but slow fliers.
  • Almost hunted to extinction for their feathers, the birds have made a strong comeback due to protection efforts.
  • They are also the symbol of the National Audubon Society.

We love these birds as much as we love the Great Blue Heron. Luckily they are easy to spot with their bright white feathers.

 

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Hello Heron!

Posted on July 15, 2019 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Hello Heron!

We are excited to meet some shore birds this week! There may be no better activity then to sit on the beach and watch the birds, especially the ones who run with the waves. Today we’re meeting a bird you’ll see in fresh, salt and brackish waters.

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MEET THE GREAT BLUE HERON:

  • Great blue herons call marshes, lakes, rivers and coast lines home.
  • These majestic birds are always fun to spot with their long necks and long legs.
  • They can stand 4 ft tall and have a 6 ft wing span.
  • They actually only weigh around 6 lbs! It sure helps to have hollow bones.
  • You can find herons hunting day or night. They have excellent night vision.
  • These carnivores wade in the water and wait for fish to grab, amphibians and crustaceans. They are surprisingly fast.
  • Their neck vertebrae are specially shaped to allow them to strike fast.

 

We love these amazing gorgeous birds. We never tire of seeing them whether on an hike or at the near by lake or here at Camp E&E by the Sea.

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Penguins!

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Penguins!

We are meeting an adorable species of flightless bird today, the chinstrap penguin! Everybody practice their waddle!

 

 

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Gobble Gobble

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

 

Gobble Gobble

It’s almost Thanksgiving here in the US and that means many people are eating turkeys. These noble birds have been around thousands of year and we are going to meet these woodland creatures.

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Hello Songbird

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Hello Songbird

We are meeting a favorite woodland bird today! They are can be spotted all year long!

Meet the Northern Cardinal!

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Knot Bird

Posted on July 12, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Knot Bird

We are so happy to finish our first week at Camp E&E at the Beach with more fun bird species! These little funny shore birds have an even funnier name- the red knot!

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Red Knot Fun Facts: 

  • These gorgeous little birds have one of the longest migration routes on any bird. They travel from places like Alaska to Southern America.
  • They are carnivores. They eat larva and Arthropoda.
  • They grow up to 10 inches long.
  • Red knots can double their weight before they migrate.
  • One cool fact is like most migrating birds, they reduce the size of their digestive organs before they migrate.
  • They are listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

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We love these little birds. How cool is that they migrate soooooo far! That trip must be exhausting- hehehe!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, camp, Children, conservation, education, endangered species, Environment, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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