Field day 201!

Getting the costumes ready for the parade.

Cotton candy!

A peppermint!

Today was the annual Parker Middle School Field Day.  Our homeroom did really well in all of the events and had a great time!  Our costume theme was, "Willie Williams's Candy Factory".

Nerds! - The candies!

Pixie sticks surrounded by Jolly Ranchers!

Double Bubble gum, M7M, Jolly Rancher, and a Reese's cup!

Wilky Way!

York peppermint patty and a Butterfinger.

Reese's Cups!

A Hersheys bar and a Watermelon Jolly Rancher.

Bird of the Week - XXXlV

The last "Bird of the Week" is the Eastern Bluebird. It is not a common bird in Reading. As a matter of fact, I saw my first Bluebird in Reading in April of 2008. We just don't have enough of the necessary habitat to attract a lot of Bluebirds. The Male Eastern Bluebirds are vivid, deep blue above and rusty or brick-red on the throat and breast. Blue in birds always depends on the light, and males often look plain gray-brown from a distance. Females are grayish above with bluish wings and tail, and a subdued orange-brown breast. Blue tinges in the wings and tail give the grayer females an elegant look. Eastern Bluebirds sing a fairly low-pitched, warbling song made up of several phrases.

You can find Eastern Bluebirds in open country with patchy vegetation and large trees or nest boxes. Meadows, old fields, and golf courses are good places. Bluebirds typically sit in the open on power lines or along fences, with an alert, vertical posture. When they drop to the ground after an insect, they make a show of it, with fluttering wings and a fairly slow approach, followed by a quick return to the perch. Eastern Bluebirds eat mostly insects, wild fruit and berries.

Eastern bluebirds nest in cavities (holes). These holes may be in old trees, old fence posts, etc. They take readily to nest boxes erected in the proper habitat. The male Eastern Bluebird displays at his nest cavity to attract a female. He brings nest material to the hole, goes in and out, and waves his wings while perched above it. That is pretty much his contribution to nest building; only the female Eastern Bluebird builds the nest and incubates the eggs.
Eastern Bluebirds typically have more than one successful brood per year. Young produced in early nests usually leave their parents in summer, but young from later nests frequently stay with their parents over the winter.
The best place to see Bluebirds in Reading is at the Bare Meadow Conservation land off of Pearl St. Two years ago, a pair raised 3 broods (families)! I observed 1 male bird there this spring.
Photos from All About Birds.

Bird of the Week - XXXll

Chimney swift in flight.



You will often see, and hear, several Chimney swifts in flight together.



It is very rare to see a Chimney swift nest.



This weeks "Bird of the Week" is the Chimney swift. A "flying cigar," the Chimney Swift is rarely seen perched. Its high-pitched twittering is a familiar sound during summertime as it flies high above, catching small flying insects. The Chimney swift has a fast, erratic flight. They are among the most aerial of birds, flying almost constantly except when at the nest or roosting at night. The Chimney Swift bathes in flight, gliding down to water, smacking the surface with its breast, then bouncing up and shaking the water from its plumage as it flies away. Chimney swifts feed on flying insects by pursuing the flying insects and catches them in their bill. They feeds in flocks or alone. Chimney swifts can devour over 1,000 insects in a day!

It's nest is a half saucer of woven small twigs held together with saliva. It's glued with saliva to inside wall of chimney.

Photos from All About Birds.

Bird of the Week - XXXl



Male Baltimore oriole.



Female Baltimore oriole.



This week's "Bird of the Week" is the Baltimore oriole. This is the time of the year that the Baltimore oriole returns to Reading from it's wintering grounds in Central and South America. The male Baltimore oriole has brilliant orange and black plumage. It's wings, throat, back, and tail are black while it's underparts, shoulders, rump, and the tip and edges of tail are orange.

Male Baltimore oriole at it's nest.

The Baltimore oriole breeds along woodland edges and open areas with scattered trees, especially deciduous trees. They also frequent parks and wooded urban areas. There nest is gourd-shaped and woven from hair, plant fibers, and synthetic fibers. It is hung by the rim from thin branches or a fork in a tall tree.
The Baltimore oriole eats caterpillars, fruits, insects, spiders, and nectar. They can sometimes be attracted to your backyard by putting out halved of oranges or grape jelly!

It's song is a series of rich whistled notes interspersed with rattles. It's call is a chatter.
Photos from All About Birds

More LINX Wind Vehicles pictures

Getting ready to test!

Making some adjustments.

Almost ready!

The students have been doing a great job with their LINX Wind powered vehicles!  More than 75% of the students have accomplished the task and are now working on extra credit.

Bird of the Week - XXX

Add caption

Male Ruby-throated hummingbird.

This little guy flew into a classroom window.

This week's "Bird of the Week" is the Ruby-throated hummingbird. This little, brilliant jewel has just started showing up here in Reading. These little birds zip into your yard, hover, feed, and zip off. Hummingbird feeders and flower gardens attract these beautiful birds. The Ruby-throated hummingbird is the only hummingbird that breeds in eastern United States. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are bright emerald or golden-green on the back and crown, with gray-white underparts. Males have a brilliant iridescent red throat that looks dark when it’s not in good light. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds fly straight and fast but can stop instantly, hover, and adjust their position up, down, or backwards with exquisite control. They often visit hummingbird feeders and tube-shaped flowers and defend these food sources against others. You may also see them plucking tiny insects from the air or from spider webs. The Ruby-throated hummingbird spends the winter in southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.

When you click on the link to All About Birds, be sure to watch some of the videos of them.
Photos from All About Birds and National Geographic.

LINX Wind Powered Vehicles

First, we have to decide on a plan.



Carefully aligning their vehicle.

 To culminate our Energy, Force, and Motion unit, the students will be desihning, constructing, and testing a wooden, wind powered vehicle.  The students are working in teams of thre and their goal is to construct a vehicle with a base leass than 200 square centimeters that will travel 8 meters in less than 12 seconds and it must do this twice in a row.  This is our third day working on this project and the kids are off to a great start!


Here's a great looking sketch!



Bird of the Week - XXIX

 

This week's "Bird of the Week" is the Northern flicker. This large woodpecker is the fourth woodpecker to be on the Bird of the Week, along with the Downy, Hairy, and Red-bellied woodpeckers. Flickers are large, distinctive woodpeckers that are often seen on the ground in open areas, eating ants and beetles. In flight, these large brown, woodpeckers have a white rump that is very visible and a flash of yellow in the wing. The face is gray and there is a black patch just below the throat. The male has a red "moustache". There call is a long, loud, "laughing-like" sound. Look for flickers in open habitats near trees, including woodlands, edges, yards, and parks.

Photos from All About Birds.

Roller Coasters!

To better understand the terms average speed and velocity, the students designed and built simple roller coasters out of Hot Wheel tracks and other tracking material.

Bird of the Week - XXVIII

Grey phase Screech owl.

Red phase Screech owl in a hole in a tree.

This week's "Bird of the Week" is the Eastern Screech owl. This small owl, about 10", has ear tufts and can be found in either a brownish-gray color or a reddish-brown color. The male and female birds look alike, with the female slightly larger. Believe it or not, the Screech owl is common in Reading, however, because it is nocturnal, we don't often see or hear it. They found in most habitats with trees, including urban and suburban areas. If you are careful, patient, and lucky enough, you may spot a Screech owl sitting in a hole in a tree. You may hear one of it's two common calls at night; a descending whistled whinny, or a whistled trill on one pitch.

This photo was taken by a former student of mine in her backyard.

The Screech owl hunts and eats large insects, small rodents, crayfish, earthworms, and small songbirds. They nest in tree cavities (holes) and will readily nest in man-made nest boxes.

Photos from All About Birds and Roger Tory Peterson print from Bird Watchers Digest.

Grey phase Screech owl in a nesting box.

Painting done by Roger Tory Peterson,  From Bird Watchers Digest.

Snowy owls!

To be this close to this impressive bird is incredible!

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to see and hear Norm Smith speak about his almost 30 years of working with Snowy owls!  Norm is the director of the MA Audubon Society's Blue Hills Trailside Museum.  He has been studying Snowy owls since 1981.  He has been doing research into their migration patterns and their ecological requirements.  He has obtained the necessary permits and permissions to capture Snowy owls at Logan airport.  He has color marked and leg banded most of these birds.  In addition, he has attached satellite transmitters to some of the birds.  The data collected via satellite telemetry on these birds will provide critical information on the physical health and the elusive migration patterns of Snowy owls wintering in Massachusetts.  To learn more about the MA Audubon's Snowy Owl Project, click here.  These photos were used with the permission of Sean Riley http://10thstreetbirding.blogspot.com/  and Dave Larson http://www.larsonweb.org/2012/normandsnowy.html

A beautiful close-up of this magnificent bird!

I am holding the wing of a Snowy owl.  This bird met it's death at Logan airport and Norn uses these parts for education purposes.

Look at those eyes!

Here is Norm pointing out something of interest.

Norm and the Snowy.

The owl is set free!