Field Guide 1966 - Birds - Bufflehead page finished. Awkward waddling ex-nest users...

Habitat

Buffleheads are migratory, and spend the winter in inland waters or protected coastal waters such as shallow bays, sheltered coves, harbors, coastal lagoons, and estuaries, and breed in wooded lakes and ponds in northern taiga habitats. They nest in cavities of aspens or poplars close to small lakes or permanent freshwater ponds and marshes, and have been known to nest in priaries when trees and water are nearby. Their small size allows Buffleheads to use the nesting cavities left by Northern Flickers, and their habitats coincide.

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Field Guide 1966 - Mammals - Virginia Opossum page finished. More defenses than just "playing possum."

Habitat

The Virginia Opossum is native to the southeastern United States, and was introduced into the West during the 1930s as a food source. The Virginia Opossum has been successful inhabiting the Pacific coast, and is expanding its range into Canada.

It lives in a variety of habitats such as deciduous forests, prairies, marshes, swamps, farmlands, and even cities, and prefers areas near water. The Virginia Opossum is equally at home on the ground and in trees, and prefer dens in hollow logs, tree cavities, woodpiles, rock piles, crevices, under buildings, in attics, and in underground burrows left by other mammals.

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Toolbar at the bottom added. Site search, scroll-to-top arrow (far right), google translation, and RSS feed of this very list of updates.

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Field Guide 1966 - Birds - Northern Harrier page finished. Check out that bit about kleptoparasitism!

Habitat

Northern Harriers prefer open wetlands, meadows, pastures, prairies, plains, sloughs, marshlands, swamps, grasslands, croplands, shrublands, savannas, desert steppes, and riparian woodlands. Large forest clearings serve as preferred hunting grounds, and they prefer low perches such as stumps or fence posts.

They make their nests on the ground, usually near water, or in tall grass. Occasionally Northern Harriers will make their nest on the water, using a foundation of sticks, willow, or sedge.

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Field Guide 1966 - Arthropods - Goldenrod Crab Spider page finished. Who knew they had such interesting camouflage abilities?

Habitat

The goldenrod crab spider can be found all over the Northern Hemisphere, and it gets its name from the goldenrod sprays in which it hunts during the autumn. Other hunting grounds for this spider include spotted joe-pye weed, ox-eye, spotted jewelweed, evergreen blackberry, common milkweed, queen anne's lace, common dandelion, black-eyed susan, bird-foot violet, bushy aster, swamp rose mallow, and common mullein.

Goldenrod crab spiders can range from yellow to white, depending on their current flower, and can change their color to blend in with their current flower species. This spider does not use a web to capture its prey, but does produce webbing as a safety line, and also for creating egg sacs.

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Student Leaders - SL Teams page updated with as many photographs and groupings as I could find to date.

Each week at Namanu Outdoor School, a new group of high school Student Leaders arrives to teach the Animals Field Study curriculum. These brave souls learn from and support each other, laugh and share stories, and persevere even when they're more tired than they have ever been before. Some return again and again, some only participate once—but all are valuable components to our learning community. Here they are at the end of their week: dirty, tired, and happy.

If I'm missing a photo that you have, please send it to me!

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Student Leaders page finished. Blurbs taken directly from its two sub-pages.

Student Leader Teams
Each week at Namanu Outdoor School, a new group of high school Student Leaders arrives to teach the Animals Field Study curriculum. These brave souls learn from and support each other, laugh and share stories, and persevere even when they're more tired than they have ever been before. Some return again and again, some only participate once—but all are valuable components to our learning community. Here they are at the end of their week: dirty, tired, and happy.

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ODS Curriculum - Short Stations - Scavengers page finished. Information on skulls, arthropods, opossums, and live millipedes included.

Animals that feed on dead and decaying matter. These animals may be carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores, and may engage in scavenging in addition to other eating habits. Scavengers can be mammals, birds, reptiles, arthropods, and more.

This station contains live specimens. Please be careful when handling the live specimens. The Giant Northwest Millipedes in this station like to hide in the soil. As a group, gently sift through the soil until you find a few. There may even be enough of them for every member of your group to hold one. Hold the millipedes over the tub so they don't fall very far if they are accidentally dropped.

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ODS Curriculum - Short Stations - Rodents page finished. Skulls and Pelts information included.

Mammals of the order Rodentia, with incisors (front teeth) that grow continuously and must be kept to a manageable size by gnawing on things. Because of this unique trait, making observations about the teeth of the rodent skulls in this station can be enlightening. Each pelt in this station has a corresponding skull, and there may be extra skulls or rodent parts such as quills.

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ODS Curriculum - Short Stations - Reptiles & Amphibians page finished. Information about live specimens contained in the station.

Though both tetrapod (four-footed, mostly) and exothermic (cold-blooded), reptiles and amphibians form two distinct groups with defining characteristics. This station contains live specimens. Particular care must be exercised when handling live specimens.

Reptiles have smooth, dry, scaly skin. Baby reptiles are born from eggs with leathery shells, and can be oviparous (eggs are laid, and then babies hatch from the egg) or viviparous (eggs form internally and hatch internally, and then emerge from the mother as if there were no eggs at all). Baby reptiles are born resembling the body plan of their parents.

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