March 27, 2008

I hiked the Adams Elementary School Nature Trail where I'll be teaching earth science curriculum to K - 5er's next week. It's a beautiful wooded trail that has a very twisty oxbow creek, and borders the Mississippi on one side.

The bird activity today was plentiful. Besides the chicadees, numerous types of woodpeckers, juncos, robins, crows and heron, the Mergansers were practicing their Jesus Lizard take-offs from the river:

Man, can they book. They are really moving when they're still ON the water, but when they pull up and take in the landing gear, it's like a jet taking off. Their wingbeats are at such a high rate, it's incredible.

The Scaup on the other hand take a more measured and reserved approach:

One of my favorites, the white-breasted nuthatch in a familiar pose.
They like to show off their talons by walking DOWN the tree:
And there's the tasty little grub that makes it all worthwhile. It's Larvae Time.