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Marjorie Lune is a Wave Hill School Programs Intern this spring. She is a student in the Bank Street Graduate School of Education’s Museum Education Program.
On my third day interning at Wave Hill, I went birdwatching for the first time with Dan Trudeau, a Wave Hill Environmental Educator, in preparation for an upcoming school program. We went over bird identification tools, and he shared a game that we play with the kids to introduce them to the different bird calls. And then we headed out with binoculars.
It was a cold, clear day, just right for birdwatching. Of course, some birds migrate so we knew we wouldn’t see as many different species as we will later on this spring. On the other hand, most of the trees are bare so the birds are easier to spot.
Immediately, Dan spotted a few European starlings up in the top of a tall tree. I could see them, but they were just small, dark figures. I tried to see them through the binoculars, but had a hard time switching between noticing the figure and placing them in my binoculars. I tried several times, but I struggled to focus on the same location.
I lowered my binoculars and looked around hoping to see something that would be easier to focus on. As I turned I saw a big bird flying high up in the sky behind the house. I said, “Look, there’s a bird, what’s that?” Dan turned to look where I was pointing and said, “That’s an American bald eagle!” I put the binoculars up again—and this time I immediately focused on the right place. I guess a bald eagle is more of a motivation than a starling. The eagle was just drifting and turning, floating on the currents of air. We watched him until he was out of our sight; he never flapped a wing. It was incredible. I’ve never seen a bald eagle in the wild before. It was so beautiful. I could clearly see the white head and tail feathers, and the way it turned on the wind.
When we could not see the eagle any longer, we moved on to see what other kinds of birds we could find. We heard some bluejays, and saw a robin, a couple of fat mockingbirds sitting in a bush and a little brown house sparrow hopping on the ground. As I was watching the sparrow, Dan suddenly said, “Oh wow!” I turned around just in time to see the eagle swooping low over the tops of some trees near Glyndor House. Dan ran up the stairs to the upper terrace of Wave Hill House to try to get a better look. I followed, just in time to see it glide up and back over toward the river. It was so exciting. One of Wave Hill’s gardeners told us that three of them had been seen that morning. It made us wonder whether we saw two different eagles or the same one twice.
This was my first official birdwatching expedition. I can’t believe that I was lucky enough to see an American bald eagle. I guess you could call it beginner’s luck.
Daniel Trudeau is a Wave Hill Environmental Educator.
During a recent trip to P.S. 340 in the Bronx, the Education staff at Wave Hill brought out an impressive natural artifact, much to the surprise and—in some cases—delight of the school’s 3rd grade classes.
In mid-November, Assistant Director of Horticulture Brian McGowan spotted a large hornets’ nest in one of the magnolia trees on the Wave Hill grounds, and was kind enough to extract it and pass it along to the Education Department. The nest, a papery, basketball-sized globe marked with colorful bands and textured swirls, was likely built by a colony of bald-faced hornets (also known as white-faced hornets).
The students at P.S. 340 were intrigued by the magnolia buds popping out of the sides of the nest—exposed tips of the branches that the hornets use as a load-bearing framework. And while some students were initially leery, nearly all were excited to touch and observe the structure up close. Bald-faced hornets can have a bad reputation because of their resemblance to more aggressive yellow jackets. But, unlike the ground-dwelling yellow jackets, bald-faced hornets nest in trees and are unlikely to harass people for food or to sting unless provoked.
Wasps and hornets build the intricate combs and delicates sheaths of their nests out of a paste made from wood fibers and saliva. In cold-weather climates, colonies last for just one year, as only fertilized females (queens) survive the winter to lay eggs and build anew. As a result, the nest that Brian pulled from the magnolia was likely humming with activity a few months ago, but has gone silent with the onset of chillier temperatures.
The colony’s troops of workers and drones have died off. But somewhere on the Wave Hill grounds, next year’s potential queens are hibernating before taking on the sizable job of rebuilding the nest and repopulating the colony come spring.
Source: West Virginia University Extension Service http://www.wvu.edu/~exten/infores/pubs/pest/hpm7002.pdf
Daniel Trudeau is a Wave Hill Environmental Educator.
We’re awash in warblers here at Wave Hill. Numerous sightings of Yellow-Rumped Warblers have been among the highlights of our recent bird-watching walks with elementary school students.
These frantic little guys have been going crazy over the plentiful seeds and berries here at Wave Hill for the past week. They typically pass through New York State in huge numbers on their annual migration.
We first noticed the brown and yellow birds thrashing noisily in the bayberry shrubs outside Wave Hill House, and we’ve been seeing them all around the grounds ever since.
The Yellow-Rumped Warbler’s telltale field marking is – not surprisingly – a yellow splash of color on the tail that seems to flash at you as the bird flies away, earning them the nickname, “butter-butt.” Yellow markings on the chest near the wing and on top of the head are also key identifying features.
This fine images comes courtesy of Alan D. Wilson at www.naturepicsonline.com.
When these warblers pass through again next spring, they’ll be sporting different plumage – a classier gray, black and white outfit. But like many migratory species, they don’t stay in one place for long at this time of year. Come out and see them before it’s too late!
Anne Hunter, Wave Hill’s Forest Project Manager, provided this post. The Forest Project Summer Collaborative is a paid ecological-restoration internship for teens.
This week, the fabulous arborists from Riverdale Tree Service who maintain our magnificent tree collection—Gerry and Sal—rescued five, two-month-old baby squirrels. The youngsters had been living in the spectacular, but hollow, Linden tree (Tilia americana) outside Wave Hill House. This stunning, approximately 110-year-old tree had become hazardous, and sadly had to be removed from the grounds. Gerry and Sal discovered the squirrels after the babies had taken a traumatizing ride to the ground when the main trunk was felled. With no mama in sight, they carefully placed the youngsters in a box lined with woodchips and leaves.
Wave Hill Education and Visitor Services staff jumped into action to care for the homeless young squirrels, sheltering them until a wildlife veterinarian could be contacted. By the end of the day, the squirrels were safely transported for care. They will be weaned, and then placed in an outdoor nest for a “soft release.”
Wave Hill School Programs Manager Armina Del Toro offers safe transit
Do not attempt to raise or keep wildlife. Seemingly abandoned young birds and mammals may be retrieved by parents—give them a chance to do so while keeping dogs and cats away. Wild animals should only be confined as long as they need assistance, and then properly released. If you do find an injured or orphaned animal, it is important to contact a legal wildlife specialist as soon as possible.
Seeing young squirrels up close was an amazing, unforgettable educational experience!
This post was contributed by Armina Del Toro, Wave Hill’s School Programs Educator.
They say that “all who wander aren’t lost.” In fact, at Wave Hill’s education department, we encourage wandering by finding innovative ways to work it into our curriculum. With wandering comes wonderment, and with wonderment comes an understanding of how all things are woven into the pattern of life. All the greatest inventions and movements have been sparked by an observation or experience. We give students the opportunity to have these moments because who knows where children’s experiences will lead them in their lives.
If you can find time to wander in wonderment, whether in life situations or because of classroom requirements, you are guaranteed to make clear decisions and create unforgettable, knowledge-filled connections with anything that may confront you. So go ahead…..we suggest you GET LOST and TAKE A HIKE (no pun intended), because perhaps you or your child could be the next Einstein, Mozart, da Vinci or Mark Twain of our century!
This post was contributed by Armina Del Toro, Wave Hill’s School Programs Educator, and Judith Hutton, School Partnerships Manager.
Too often, inner city children have limited access to green spaces in and around their schools. Wave Hill’s School Partnership Program aims to teach children to see and appreciate nature nearby. It is our hope that in exploring nature through science and art, we can create future advocates for the environment as well as the well-being of all who inhabit it. We also hope to encourage families to see Wave Hill as a place where they can come together to connect to nature and to each other.
Family retreats are a culminating celebration of the student’s work and experiences during a partnership. Recently, the School Partnerships Program hosted its last Family Retreat for the school year. During the event, students and families are invited to spend the day at Wave Hill, where they work on science-based art projects and explore exotic plant collections as they tour Wave Hill. We also display the students’ writings and photographs and even provide an interactive PowerPoint presentation of students’ work.
Students develop a strong relationship with Wave Hill and they eagerly share nature expertise and accomplishments. This is a time for the students to become the teachers. They have the chance to spend quality time with their families while appreciating the scenery at the garden. Parents also get to see what students are doing in the classroom and how it applies to real world experiences, raising awareness about nature both at Wave Hill and in all communities throughout the Bronx and beyond.
An enthusiastic class!
Oh say, what can you see?
The desert, the temperate and tropical forests−oh, my! As we work through the second-grade curriculum, students in our School Partnerships Program get to explore the characteristics of three distinct biomes. Hands-on experience, like dissecting cacti and succulent plants, allows students to build a deeper understanding of the sometimes difficult concepts we cover. And this year we’ve added an innovation that has been surprisingly effective: We begin the session by presenting the class with a postcard written by a fictional scientist we have named Dr. Poppletop. On each postcard Dr. P. presents a challenge − usually the mission is to discover how a plant can survive in a particular biome − for students to solve before the end of the two-hour session. We have gone a step further, though: Because we have discovered that our students have preconceived notions about the type of people who work in the science arena; what these scientists look like and where they are apt to live, we decided to bring Dr. P. to life. One of our Education Department interns, Diana Tavares, has taken on the Dr. Poppletop alter-ego. Diana was a Forest Project Summer Collaborative crew member and crew leader for several years. (The FPSC is a paid, summer internship at Wave Hill.)
Diana makes a very impressive Dr. P: she has been accepted into the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens’ Certificate in Horticulture Program, and has dedicated much of her time and efforts to the Forest Project at Wave Hill. Teachers tell us afterwards that the students are amazed to learn that Dr. Poppletop is a woman. Apparently, many of the female students cheer when they meet Dr. P, and are heard to exclaim: “I can be a scientist too!” Dr. P means a great deal to me because I want students to see that there is great value in diversity−not just plant diversity, but cultural diversity that creates strong foundations in all arenas, from business and science to the arts and academia. As a Latina female educator, I have worked hard to show students that there are no limitations when you are passionate about what you do.
This entry was authored by Armina Del Toro, an Environmental Educator at Wave Hill.
I encountered Wave Hill while working as a special education teacher for a first grade class at P.S. 28 in the Bronx. My class participated in the Wave Hill School Partnerships Program, and the staff was so sweet to me and the children. I remember thinking “I want to work there,” because the educators seemed to be having the time of their lives. I liked their approach to working with children: Being calm, never shouting, and always smiling. I thought I would fit in. And when I tried on the dandelion costume in front of the class with all the children laughing and cheering me on, I knew that becoming a Wave Hill educator was my destiny.
So I applied and got the position. Hooray!
It’s a real privilege to work in such a beautiful setting and encounter so many different children from so many schools. It is an eye opening experience. One of the highlights is taking students for little hikes in the woodlands. Simple encounters with nature that I had taken for granted, such as crossing a puddle by balancing on a log, are thrilling and potentially life-changing moments for these children. They scream out in sheer joy at the prospect of being surrounded by pine trees. This is new to them. Oftentimes, students ask me whether there are bears in the woodlands. Although they are not home to bears, our woodlands do provide ample opportunities to spot birds and squirrels—an experience that the students find thrilling. In these ways, my position at Wave Hill helps me stay cognizant of the extraordinary beauty of nature and transmit my enthusiasm to a new generation.
Mirele Davis is a part-time Wave Hill Educator.
