On Wednesday, May 23rd, 6th-grade students at Temple Hill Academy met four birds of prey up close and personal.

Ellen Kalish, from the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center in Saugerties New York, visited Temple Hill School with Shy Ann the Red-Tailed Hawk, Hudson the Barred Owl, T-Rex the Kestrel, and Linus the Screech Owl.

Tying in with their current English-Language Arts unit on Youth Activism with DDT and its impact on Peregrine Falcons and other raptors, students learned about the birds' habitats, nesting habits, place in the food chain, and what to do if they were to find an injured raptor.

Charles Byrne, 6th grade ELA Teacher said he "believes students need to not only read about the impact of pesticides and insecticides of the past but to see up close and personal those impacted by their use. Also, they really made the connection between the illegally kept birds they read about in Frightful's Mountain and meeting Shy Ann the Red-Tailed Hawk, who was raised by humans and now cannot be returned to the wild. Sometimes good intentions have bad consequences."

Ms. Kalish, using diagrams, walked students through how, if left unchecked, rodent populations would explode if it were not for owls and other birds and animals that hunt,

Ravensbeard was the temporary home of "Rocky the Owl," the tiny Screech-Owl that was found inside the 2020 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree that was brought to New York City from 170 miles away in Oneonta, New York. Rocky was able to be released back into the wild after being cared for at Ravensbeard.

 

Story and photos provided by Mr. Charles Byrne.