The Northern Harrier

Large Raptor Birds
Part 5

The Northern Harrier

 

The northern harrier forms a low V shaped flight hunting pattern as they search like other harriers for small mammals to eat.  Northern harriers rarely live to be 8 years old due to other predators.

 

 

Northern harriers are more likely to be seen and remain in heavy forested areas.  The nests are preferred to be constructed of sticks filled with 4-8 whitish eggs then hatch in approximately 31 days.  This is the only hawk that practices polygamy.

The Northern Harrier is also called the marsh hawk. It migrates to the southern parts of America. The marsh hawk is 41-52cm (16-20in) long.

 

Here is our Web Cam Page for Links to view this bird.
Raptor Cams

The Sugar Pine Tree

The Sugar Pine Tree

"King of the Conifers"

The most massive pine tree with the longest pine cones amongst the conifers.  ( A Coulter Pine Tree a has more massive cone.)

 

The average height of a Sugar Pine Tree is 130- 200 feet tall.

 

The Cones are approximately 10-20 inches long.

 

These trees can be found in the Western United States.  California, Oregon and even in the Baja of California and Northwestern Mexico on can spot these gigantic conifers.

 

These pine trees are massive and are used for boat building. Sugar pine seeds can be cooked.  The sugar pine is not only known for it's lumber, but also its pitch and resin.

Tree of Study Links:
Pines
White Pine
Red Pine
Jack Pine
Ponderosa Pine
Sugar Pine
Hemlock
Blue Spruce

Bald Eagle

Large Raptor Birds
Part 4



The Bald Eagle!

 

 

The bald eagle is the USA national bird.  Therefore, it is illegal to hunt them.  With their beauty who would want to?  This breath taking bird is our families favorite bird!  For years it has represented freedom, agility, and profound character.  This national symbol has earned its value to the people of USA's past and present.  

 

 

 

The bald eagle will eat: fish, rabbits, mice, and voles.  

As you can see it has an all white head and tail.

 

The bald eagles wing span is approximately 7-8. 

the most similar species is the golden-eagle.

 

Its habitat is coasts, rivers, and large lakes.

 its ranges is Alaska, Canada and U.S.A.

 

Beautiful bald eagles soar the sky in many parts of the world.  If you see one in your neck of the woods you'll now know more about this spectacular creature. 

Here is our Web Cam Page for Links to view this bird.
Raptor Cams


Other Birds
Peregrine Falcon
Red Tailed Hawk
Broad- Winged Hawk
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sparrow Hawk
Swainson's Hawk

Ponderosa Pine Tree

PINE TREES

PART 4

Ponderosa Pine Tree

 

This photo was used with permission from Richard Webb, Self-employed horticulturist click here for a link.

In other areas of the country the ponderosa pine is also known as bull pine, blackjack pine, or a yellow western pine.


The ponderosa pine reaches its 60 to100 feet high.


The ponderosa pine can be found in rocky, dry and alkaline soil.


 

Broad-Winged Hawk

Large Raptor Birds

Part 3

 Broad-Winged Hawk

The broad-winged hawks wing span is 74-100cm.  

 

 

They eat chipmunks, voles, shrews, even road kill.  These carnivores will eat just about anything making them a more adaptable raptor.

there voice sounds somewhere like pweeeeepweeeee.

 

 

 Broad-winged hawks can be spotted in all different regions of North America at different times of the year as well.  They love marshy areas, desolation and high cliffs for nesting grounds. 

 it is similar to the red-shouldered hawk.

Here is our Web Cam Page for Links to view this bird.
Raptor Cams

Other Birds
Peregrine Falcon
Red Tailed Hawk
Broad- Winged Hawk
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sparrow Hawk
Swainson's Hawk

Jack Pine Tree

 

PINE TREES

PART 3

Jack Pine Tree

 

 

The height of a jack pine tree is 30-50 feet tall. Its needles are very sharp.                    

  The jack pine is not the straightest pine tree.  It is often knotty

and only grows shrub like if there are poor conditions like in the southern us.

 Its pine cones are curved, pointed out and tightly closed except during periods of extreme heat.  (Then they will reseed.)

 

The jack pine is another species in the pine tree family.  It is used similar to other pines.  One endangered bird, Kirtland's warbler looks for a jack pine tree during mating season. 

The jack pine tree is a beautiful species of pine that creates acidic soil for plenteous blueberries, which I love!  Thanks jack pine trees.
 

Tree of Study Links:
Pines
White Pine
Red Pine
Jack Pine
Ponderosa Pine
Sugar Pine
Hemlock
Blue Spruce

Red Tailed Hawk

Large Raptor Birds

Part 2

The Red Tailed Hawk

 

The most common hawk in North America is the red tailed hawk.  Throughout all the seasons you can see this hawk from anywhere in North America.  The red tailed hawk can be found on telephone poles, tops of trees, large cliff tops, along marshy areas and on the edge of open fields. 

 

The red tailed hawk will eat: rabbits, mice, voles, and any other food source they may find. (Like road kill.)

Being monogamous (having the same mate for life), the red tailed hawk will lay 1-5 eggs per year and often in the same nest used the year prior if safe.
 

The red tailed hawk has a large and beautiful wing span as you can see below.

 

 

 Click HERE to hear the different sounds of a red tailed hawk.

Buteo (red tailed hawk) is one neat raptor buzzard!

And that's what I learned about the red tailed hawk.

 

 

 

Here is our Web Cam Page for Links to view this bird.
Raptor Cams

Other Birds
Peregrine Falcon
Red Tailed Hawk
Broad- Winged Hawk
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sparrow Hawk
Swainson's Hawk

Red Pine Tree

PINE TREES

PART 2

Red Pine Tree

 

The red pine tree is another species of pine found in the northern half of the USA.  It is also known as the Norway Pine Tree.

 

 Red pine trees reach 80-85 feet.  With a diameter of 1 1/2-3 feet.

The bark of a red pine tree is reddish- brown.

 

More scaly as it ages...

 

The needles of a red pine are 5 inches. 

 The red pine has long needles, but only two sharp needles in a bunch.  (Unlike the white pine containing five.)

 

Cones of red pines are 2-3 inches long.

 

There are many uses for the red pine.

Three of these are railroad ties, telephone poles, and mining  timbers.

Diseases or harmful things of red pines are not only critters, but...

as with all conifers armillaria rot or "wet root rot" is a possibility.  However, red pines with well drained soil are less likely to suffer from this disease.


Animals that thrive in pines are squirrels...

 

 all different kinds of birds...

bugs, snakes, and any other animal seeking shelter from brutal winters, extreme heat or safety coverage.

I enjoy finding squirrels in the red pines.

 

Tree of Study Links:
Pines
White Pine
Red Pine
Jack Pine
Ponderosa Pine
Sugar Pine
Hemlock
Blue Spruce

Peregrine Falcon

Larger Raptor Birds

Part 1

The Peregrine Falcon

"The duck hawk"

 

 The peregrine falcon is the fastest bird in the world.  They fly up to( 200mph when stooping.  There normal flight speed is 389km/h(242mph).

Peregrine falcon actually means wandering falcon.

 

This is a crow-sized falcon  

They will eat any medium sized prey.  For example: they like seagulls, other birds, rabbits, even mice and voles if they are hungry.  This falcon has a distinct face and mustache to help identify him/her.  When young they are more brown with heavy streaks.

There wingspan is 74-120cm long.

 

They cry is "we'chew we'chew" or "kek kek kek kek".

 

The peregrine falcon loves the open country and skies.  The can be found along forests or even cities.  Peregrine falcons can be found on every continent but Antarctica.  In North America however, this once endangered species has made a recovery due to better research on contaminated prey caused from pesticides and chemicals in fields during the 1940-50's.  There are currently about 2,000-3,000 nesting pairs in North America. 

 

 Peregrine Falcons work together to take care of their young...

 

They build their nests in the trees...

 

the rocks...

 

cliff tops...

and cliff ledges.

 

 

And sometimes even in little holes in the cliffs.

They lay on average two eggs a year. (Note* 1-4)

 

A peregrine falcon will scrape an indentation with its talons in the earth for each egg. Nests can be found cliff walls, caves and in northern Alaska make a nest on the ground with sticks and other bedding earth material.  This truly has been an amazing bird to study and is my favorite bird on the planet.

 

 

 

***Mom Notes***

HERE is a free printable coloring page or there is also THIS one of the Peregine Falcon.

Here is our Web Cam Page for Links to view this bird.
Raptor Cams

Other Birds

Peregrine Falcon

Red Tailed Hawk

Broad- Winged Hawk

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Sparrow Hawk

Swainson's Hawk

 

White Pine Tree

 

PINE TREES

PART 1

White Pine Tree

 

 

The white pine tree is the tallest pine tree in the USA.  The height of a white pine in full maturity has been known to reach 230 feet tall.  That makes the Eastern White Pine the tallest in the northeast.  The tallest tree in Michigan is known to be 157 feet.  Making it the tallest tree in the 8 state radius.

 

The white pine is also called the Weymouth pine.

The white pine is used for many things.  The most common use for the white pine is its lumber.  It is trucked to sawmills and made into wooden slabs.  The lumber is a white color. 

 

 

White pine bark is smooth and silvery when young.  In the picture above you can notice a more mature tree bark.  The trunk has a dark or "blackish" look to it.  Like all pine trees the inner bark is used in Native American medicine.

 

The average width (diameter) of a White Pine is 3-5 feet.

 

 

 

 

So to see if you can spot a white pine you need to find a coniferous tree with a set of 5 needles.  The needles are 2-5in long.

 

 The white pine is beautiful species of tree, it is my favorite.  So many animals benefit from white pines.  We also tend to see large raptor birds and eagles perched on their large branches.  

 

Raptor Nests...

(Cooper's Hawk nest)

Eagles nest and perch...

 

Hawk's nest and scan the area for prey...

 

 

  The pine cones are 6-8 inches long.  From a distance in a group of pine trees the white pine tree looks darker than the rest.   

 

There are two things that I know of that can kill a white pine. And those two things are a pine weevil and blister rust.

 

On your next drive or hike, see if you can spot this magnificent pine tree.

 

 

 

***Mom Notes***

 

The White Pine happens to be Maine's State Tree so HERE is a free coloring page of the white pine.  Look at a few of our projects here of the white pine.

 

 



 

Tree of Study Links:
Pines
White Pine
Red Pine
Jack Pine
Ponderosa Pine
Sugar Pine
Hemlock
Blue Spruce

Pine Trees

Pine trees have a beautiful aroma. 

The smell of fresh pine reminds me of the holiday season approaching with a tree to decorate.  Do you know all the different kinds of pine trees? 

How many different kinds are there? 

What is the largest pine tree? 

Can you find 3 different kinds of pine trees in your climate zone? 

What is your favorite and why?


These are some of the questions I hope you can answer after doing a study on Pine trees.  You are welcome to join us. Collect bark pieces, needles, take pictures, pine cone or "seeds", or wild craft some homemade salve or pitch for splinters as you go through with us.  We'll post as time allows and join us on our first unit this month "Pines".  This is a weekly go by as we go unit, for them finding a "pine" species they want to study.  We are also do a raptor a week with this unit until further notice.  Enjoy!

A help for identifying species of trees/ shrubs- no problem check out this great find HERE.
Here is a great ornithology website packed full of resources: Ornithology

RESPONSE

There are 115+ different kinds of pine trees.  Over 200+ if you count the family species (fir, spruce, hemlock, etc.)

The tallest pine tree is a White Pine Tree.

The largest (diameter) pine tree is the Sugar Pine.

The largest pine cone comes from the Sugar Pine Tree as well.

The heaviest pine cone is from the Coulter Pine tree.  Females cones weigh in around 5 lbs.

The largest needles (or conifer leaves) can be found on the long leaf pine tree.  (Also known as the Yellow pine, Georgia pine,  or Pitch pine.)

The Eastern White Pine is my favorite.  This is the number one tree for lumber in the northern part of the USA.  It is also a beautiful soft white wood.  Beside the lumber the tree has a lot of value.  This tree makes a beautiful home for squirrels, everyday birds and raptors, raccoons, moles, voles, snakes, rabbits, mice and so many more animals that seek shelter in the brutal winters.  The white pine is not only used for lumber and pulp, but also for Native American medicine.  The needles, inner bark, nuts and pitch can be used in crafting, culinary, medicinal and woodworking.  In camping, the needles are a great fire starter, the tree works as a shelter in rain, sleet and snow.  Branches are bendable for crafting snares and survival tools.  These are a few reasons I love the white pine. 

Tree of Study Links:
Pines
White Pine
Red Pine
Jack Pine
Ponderosa Pine
Sugar Pine
Hemlock
Blue Spruce