"Our" Hawks

I am sure everyone has been waiting with baited breath for a hawk update.....so, here it is.  :) 

We have been enjoying watching the red-tailed hawk nest at Cornell, as well as the Great Blue Herons, and trying to guess when they will hatch.  On Sunday the 22nd, the first pips were confirmed, and by Monday morning, amidst a lot of snow (!!!), the first baby hatched!!  The male and female fed it off and on throughout the day, so we were able to get some glimpses of it!

Waiting....

Why, hello baby!!

Here are mom and dad hanging out in the nest....

And eyas number 1 is hungry....

 But look, there's a second eyas hanging out in there (as of Tuesday afternoon)! 

 And number three is working away in here!
 (Apparently it takes about 50 hours from the first pip for an eyas to emerge, so we 're thinking maybe Thursday afternoon?)

See the red-tailed hawk family for yourself here!

Birds of Prey

We have been greatly enjoying watching the nests of a great blue heron and a red-tailed hawk, courtesy of Cornell University's Ornithology Department. Right now the hawk has three eggs and the heron has just laid her first! Since we are studying birds right now in our zoology course, we decided to learn a bit more about these beautiful birds.

Here are the birdcam links:
Great Blue Heron
Red-Tailed Hawk

Here are some informational pages with great photos:
Great Blue Heron
Red-Tailed Hawk

Here is how the kids measure up to the height and wingspan of a red-tailed hawk:








Here is how the kids measure up to the height and wingspan of a great blue heron:

Botany

We just began Apologia's Exploring Creation with Botany course and are really enjoying it! Our first big project was building a light hut so we could grow some seeds. Here is our light box building project (we had several sick kids, so school was done in pjs all week if at all).






We planted our seeds a week ago and kept peeking in at them. Here they are a week later!
Broccoli, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zucchini and a green onion! Now to prepare the garden!

Rock Cycle Studies

We have been enjoying learning about rocks in anticipation of a field trip to Stone Mountain Park next week. The site I have found to be most helpful in our studies these past weeks is here.

Yesterday, we learned about the rock cycle using a fun website (that I think looks promising for other studies, too!) and then drew our own interpretations. Then, the girls were given an assignment when we went to the park later in the day. They had to plan and act out a rock cycle show for us. Here it is, for your viewing pleasure. :)

Notice that they even get weathering, erosion, deposition, compaction (into sedimentary rock), metamorphism, melting and crystallization (into granite) and extrusion (volcano)! I think they're ready for our file trip. :)