Lifescience is a "Hoot"

Biologist Kellen Watson from Klamath Outdoor Science School visited yesterday.  She presented a lesson on owl adaptations that was amazing!  The kids and I were lucky enough to get some hands-on time learning about:*
* different species of owls
* how owls can hear so well (ears that are placed in two different places and can move independently; a face cupped like a satellite dish to catch all sounds)
*how an owl's talon works
*how owls can fly so silently (it's due to the flutes on their wings which help break up air)
*what an owl likes to eat and how the crop/gizzard works
*how far an owl can turn its head (300 degrees!)
* why an owl has to turn its head so far--its eyes are fixed and can't move like ours

Then we got really "hands on" and dug (literally) into some owl pellets from local owls to discover what they had eaten.  Kids practiced identifying and sorting bones, and worked to identify the type of animal found by its skull.  Then, they glued their bones onto black paper by type.  Come by and see them in the hall when you have a chance.  What a fabulous experience!   Thank you Kellen!