A Trip to the Conservancy

We headed out to the Great Swamp Conservancy this past week....It's very close to the house and we were hoping to see nesting Osprey.  

We have been studying birds and John James Audubon.  The kids were very excited when they saw this sign, declaring the swamp an "important bird area" by the National Audubon Society!

There are bald eagles making a great comeback in this area.

We didn't see any bald eagles on this trip, but just last week we spotted one at Grandma and Grandpa's house. 

True Forget-Me Not 

A very diverse area...it has native wildflowers, many bird varieties and the largest Great Blue Heron rookery in Central New York. 

Red-wings blackbird and a cattail

It always has open fields, ponds, and a boardwalk leading into a flooded wood. 

common fleabane

Great Blue Heron ---an awesome sight!

Dried Bull thistle

 ragged robin

birdsfoot trefoil 

Our first ever sighting of an Orchard Oriole.  The kids first spotting its hanging nest...and then we chased this bird and what we thought was a robin around the trails, trying to get a good photo. 

After getting this photo we can home and searched our bird books....we are almost positive it is a pair of orchard orioles. 

Larger--or Slender Blueflag

The kids decided it was the track of a pterodactly....I decided it is the track of a wild turkey. 

A very cute raccoon track

 We also saw a flycatcher....I have know idea what kind...they confuse me!

New York's state bird...the Eastern Bluebird

We are also for the bugs...Mark spotted this fishfly...we identified it by its feathery antennae

A nesting Great Blue Heron

Luke found this Goldenrod  Spider...it was the first time for this spider...how awesome!

Kim on the lookout!

We saw many, many tree swallows...they have totally overtaken all bluebird houses

We saw, but didn't get pictures of, cardinals, wrens, robins, mallard ducks, Canadian geese, and an allusive Bobwhite Quail we chased all over the trails to identify. (In the quest for an osprey nest, we discovered that there are no nesting pairs of Osprey at the Great Swamp Conservancy.)

We can't wait to visit again soon.  

You can check out the Conservancy's current newsletter, Marshlander, here. 

A Week in Review April 26-May 2

Our week started last Sunday with a nice drive to Grandma and Grandpa's house.....we took the long way.  I wanted to see what nature we could find. Everyone wasn't pleased with this round about way.  But I was happy, especially finding this pilleated woodpecker

and a log full of sunning painted turtles....photo credit: Mark

I learned to make these "best ever" bookmarks.  Myself and everyone around me is now stocked up with book marks!

Last Monday we have begun our plant unit.  The kids made these cute see through planters at a Lowes Build and Grow clinic.  They are offering another "Mother's Day Planter" clinic for Mother's Day...all for free.

We also sprouted our seeds in ziploc bags....we have never done sprouting this way before, we always used a paper towel and a jar.  I love the compactness of this technique. 

We are kind of amazed at the amount of growth from Monday to Friday...

The bean plants ever burst out of the ziploc bags.

Luke is dissecting a daffodil....

I think daffodils and tulips are the best flower for success in finding all the parts of a flower.

Luke--Triple AAA Ball

Baseball and softball will keep us very busy for the next couple months....

We have 4 kids on 3 different teams. 

Grace--HCA softball

Mark-HCA softball  

Kimberly-girls minor league softball....yes, the temperature for this game was 31 degrees at the start, end at a sultry 38 degrees....Spring sports in Central New York is often closely related to winter sports. 

Danny helped us start a pole bean tee pee.

He got the poles tied together.

Kim and Luke got the ground ready for the seeds.

We also have been working on a lapbook about all things "India"

I will have a full post about the resources I used for this India lapbook within the next week....hopefully.

I keep thinking we are about finished and then one of the kids will send us down another rabbit trail,  At that point I just add another folder to the lapbook and continue. 

Right now we have 4 file folders glued together....and we have just begun the subject of Indian elephants.

I hope everyone has a great week. 

A Walk out Back

An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly sipping from a brown knapweed.
"out back"

I call this "lady bug on queen-anne's lace"

Great Southern White butterfly on brown knapweed

A bee and a lady bug in a white morning glory

An amazing view of a field thistle....a photo looking down into the top of the flower

a macro view of the top view of a field thistle

I never really notice how intricate the flowers of a common pink wild clover are.

Jewelweed......it's amazing to call this a weed!

purple flowering raspberry

the fruit of the purple flowering raspberry....very yummy but very seedy

One of the very abundant wild blackberries growing along the edge of the woods.

One of the most beautiful sights of our walk.