Posts Tagged With: education

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

Pelican Pelican!

Posted on July 11, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Pelican Pelican!

While bird watching on the beach, we spotted some pelicans. This large billed birds were not the brown pelicans we are use to seeing, but the American White Pelican. They were so fun to watch and we couldn’t wait to learn more about them.

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American White Pelican Fun Facts:

  • White pelicans live near marshes and lakes.
  • These large birds can grow up to 70 inches long and weigh up to 14 lbs. Those famous bills can be 15 inches long.
  • Their wingspan is only 2nd to the California Condor.  Those wings can be 120 long when in flight! That is longer than a queen sized mattress, which measures 80 inches!
  • Males are larger than females.
  • These carnivores eat not only fish, but also bottom dwellers like salamanders and crayfish.
  • They are usually found in large flocks.
  • White pelicans do not dive for their food, but instead scoop it out of the water and drain the water out of their bills.
  • These big birds eat around 4 lbs of food a day!

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We love pelicans! They are so funny and kind of derpy, but graceful too! It was fun to watch some swimming and catching their food that way instead of diving.

 

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, camp, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Curlew!

Posted on July 10, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Curlew!

We are meeting our first resident of Camp EE at the beach- the long-billed curlew. One of our favorite pastimes at beach camp is to watch shore birds run around looking for food and running away from the waves.

 

2 of 5 Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus) bird eating sand

Long-billed curlew fun facts: 

  • These carnivores use those long bills to grab crustaceans and marine invertebrates.
  • They hunt for prey in groups.
  • They run or walk on the ground often.
  • They are the largest member of the sandpiper family.
  • Males do fancy flights to attract mates. They mate in grasslands and prairies away from the shore.
  • They are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

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We love these birdies with their skinny legs and long funny beaks. We could watch them all day and we might just do that!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, camp, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Strawberry Moon

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Strawberry Moon

We have a special post today for you! We made a little video about how the moon affects animal behavior in collaboration with our science partner- Science With My Cat!

Learn some fun animal facts with us and then head on over to their site to find a fun activity about moon phases! YAY for science!

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

Otters!

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Otters!

We hanging out on the dock today, ready to meet some otters! Come join us campers as we say to some super cute residents of Lake Salamander!

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North American River Otter Fun Facts: 

  • These members of the weasel family can grow up to 31 inches long and weigh up to 30 lbs.
  • Otters love burrows. They live in burrows near the body of water they call home. Often the burrow allows them to directly enter the water too.
  • Otters are predators and carnivores. They eat fish, amphibians and shellfish.
  • They are known for their playful behavior. They love to slide and interact with each other.
  • Even though they play with each other, otters prefer to live in their burrow alone or with offspring while they are young.
  • They have long powerful tails that make up about 40% of their body length. Those tails help propel them through the water.
  • Otters are known to be very vocal.
  • They are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

 

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We love the otters that call this area home! They often visit us while we are out canoeing on the lake. They are quiet chatty and so much fun!

 

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

Meet Penny

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

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Hi campers! We are meeting one of our favorite residents of the woods here at Lake Salamander, Penny the Porcupine! She hangs out with us around the campfire at night! She’s great at roasting load of marshmallows at once.

 

Hi Penny! We are so glad you have joined us at camp this year! Can you tell all the campers a little bit about yourself!

I’m happy to tell you all about porcupines!

  • We porcupines are rodents! That’s right, I’m related to squirrels and mice.
  • My back is covered in quills. I can not throw my quills, but if a predator like a wolf tries to attack me- I can release my quills.
  • I have around 30,000 quills!
  • My quills are made of keratin, the protein that make up human nails & hair.
  • I am a good climber and a good swimmer.
  • I like to eat a variety of plants, bark, berries and roots.
  • When I was a baby, I was called a porcupette! When we are born our quills are soft. They grow harder in just a few days.

Wow! You porcupines sure are neat! We just love your quills, especially that they are good for roasting marshmallows- hehehe! Thanks for coming!

 

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

Not Really Made of Wood

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Not Really Made of Wood

We are meeting a creature that you often find sunning themselves on branches along the shore of Lake Salamander. These reptiles are called Wood Turtles- but guess what, they aren’t made of wood- hehehe.

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Wood Turtle Fun Facts:

  • These little turtles grow up to about 8 inches long.
  • There scutes are slightly domed shaped.
  • These omnivores eat fruit, leaves, insects and worms.
  • Wood turtles thump on the ground with their feet to make earth worms come out of the ground. They then snatch up the worms.
  • They are listed as Endangered by the IUCN.
  • It is thought that their lifespan is over 60 years old.

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These neat little turtles are losing their habitats. That’s why intact and clean habitats like our lake here at camp are so important.

 

Categories: adventure, Animals, camp, Children, conservation, education, endangered species, Environment, nature, reptiles, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Foxy

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Foxy

We met another resident of the woods around camp- the red fox. These canines are known for being clever and sneaky. We just think they are cool.

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Red Fox Fun Facts: 

  • Red fox can grow up to 21 inches long and weigh up to 24 lbs.
  • They are the largest member of the true fox family.
  • These graceful mammals walk on their toes!
  • They are mostly solitary.
  • These omnivores eat small mammals, fish and frogs, but also eat fruit and vegetation.
  • While the red fox is mostly nocturnal, they are known to come out during the day.
  • They are very vocal and can produce 28 different sounds. Does anyone here speak fox?
  • Those large fluffy tails are called brushes. Foxes use them for balance and to wrap themselves up in during colder months.

Red Fox (Male), Horsefly Peninsula, Quesnel Lake, British Columbia

You can hear the fox around Lake Salamander chatter. These gorgeous animals often get a bad wrap, but that is very much undeserved. They are one of the most successful members of the canine family and can be found on 5 continents.

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

Lighting Up the Night

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Lighting Up the Night

One of the best parts of being at camp is watching the fireflies at night while we sit around the camp fire. We’re going to learn about these amazing beetles! That’s right- fireflies are beetles!

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Firefly fun facts:

  • Most fireflies have wings.
  • They on every continent except the Antarctica and the Arctic circle.
  • There are around 2,000 species of fireflies in the world.
  • Fireflies get that famous glow from a special organ under their abdomen. They take oxygen in to that organ and  it produces the glow with no heat!
  • Each species of firefly has their own pattern of flashes.
  • These lights are used to find potential mates.
  • These bioluminescent beetles can glow with yellow, red or green.
  • Scientist think that fireflies use their glow to help warn predators that they taste bad.
  • Fireflies are omnivores, eating worms as larva and nectar as adults.

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We here at Camp E & E call fireflies, lightening bugs! It’s fun to gather them in a jar with holes poked in the lid to watch them glow for a bit and return them to the skies to find a mate. What do you call fireflies in your neck of the woods?

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

Jeepers Creepers

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Jeepers Creepers

We are meeting a little frog that calls Lake Salamander. These little frogs sing their songs at night while we’re sitting by the lake. Luckily one little peeper hopped by to talk to us about spring peeper frogs.

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Spring Peeper Fun Facts:

  • My calls usher in spring across the Eastern United States.
  • I am a member of a group of frogs known as chorus frogs.
  • I have pads on my toes that help me grip to surfaces.
  • Those pads help make me an excellent climber!
  • Like all frogs, I am a carnivore.
  • I like to winter in Florida, hahaha! Just kidding, I hide under piles of leaves and logs.
  • In the winter, I allow my body to freeze! Yep, bet you can’t do that!
  • I have a lovely X shaped pattern on my back.
  • You can hear our lovely chorus here!

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I am one shy frog and you won’t see me out during the day! But if you’re sitting outside listen for us and our lovely songs of spring!

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

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