Fish Creek Provincial Park
WILD LIFE CYCLES
A teacher conducted field study science program
for Grade 3 students.
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
Fishcreek.Education@gov.ab.ca
www.fish-creek.org
49
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
WILD LIFE CYCLES
A teacher conducted field study program for Grade 3.
This curriculum connected field study was developed to
support the Grade 3 Topic E: Animal Life Cycles and the
vision of the Plan For Parks.
Developed by:
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
Fish Creek Provincial Park
13931 Woodpath Road, S. W.
Calgary, Alberta
T2W 5R6
403-297-7827
2011 Revision
Wild Life Cycles
50
6.0
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0
1.3
2.0
Creature Characteristics....................16
Red Squirrel:
March - November...............................17
6.2.1 Background
Information................................17
6.2.2 Exploring the Territory
- Map Reading..........................18
6.2.3 Habitat: “Bedroom”
(blue rope)...................................19
6.2.4 Habitat: “Dining Room”
(yellow rope)..............................20
6.2.5 Habitat: “Kitchen”
(pink rope)...................................21
6.2.6 Animal Observation...............22
6.2.7 Red Squirrel Poem....................23
6.3
Richardson’s Ground Squirrel:
March - June............................................24
6.3.1 Background Information.......24
6.3.2 Habitat: “Shelter”...................25
6.3.3 Habitat: “Food”........................26
6.3.4 Animal Observation...............27
6.3.5 Drama...........................................28
6.4
Woodpecker:
March - November........,,.....................29
6.4.1 Background Information.......29
6.4.2 Habitat: “Shelter”...................30
6.4.3 Habitat: “Food”........................32
6.4.4 Habitat:
“Bark Beetle Tunnels”.............34
6.4.5 Habitat:
“Bird Characteristics”............35
Program Outline.....................................3
Program Objectives and
Curriculum Fit.........................................4
Curriculum Connections.....................5
Environmental Education
Opportunities at Fish Creek
Provincial Park.................................. 6
2.1
2.2
2.3
3.0
6.1
6.2
Introduction....................................... 2
1.1
1.2
The Fish Creek Environmental
Learning Centre.......................................6
Lunch Break Procedures.......................7
Outdoor Lunch Opportunities...........7
Teacher Instructions and Checklist
......................................... 8
3.1
Planning Your Itinerary For
the Field Study Day................................9
4.0
Class Discussion About The
Field Study....................................... 10
5.0
Preparatory Field Study
Activities............................................12
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8
5.9
5.10
Field Study Activity
Descriptions .................................... 16
Vocabulary..............................................12
Riddles......................................................13
Tongue Twisters....................................14
Animal Introduction............................14
Care of Plants and Pets.......................14
Mapping...................................................14
Measuring Distance and Weight......14
Preparing Properly...............................15
Studying Safely......................................15
Student Journals....................................15
7.0
Post Field Study Activities..............36
8.0
Program Assessment Ideas..............38
8.1
8.2
8.3
Eco Crows and Cranes........................38
Wild Life Cycles Quiz..........................38
Wild Life Cycles Quiz Answer
Sheets........................................................44
APPENDIX
Student Learning Journals
1
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Wild Life Cycles, a teacherconducted science program for grade three
students.
This is a curriculum connected full day field
study with multidisciplinary preparatory
and post activity support. The intent is to
offer a natural world experience for students
that reflects the outdoor field study
components of Topic E: Animal Life Cycles
from the Grade 3 Alberta Elementary
Science Curriculum and the priority actions
of Alberta’s Plan For Parks:
•
Involve Albertans
•
Offer modern facilities, policies
& programs
•
Provide recreation opportunities
•
Conserve landscapes
Wild Life Cycles
Fish Creek Provincial Park, Canada’s
largest urban provincial park, has a strong
vision within its Visitor Services Program
plan to support and foster environmental
education. It states:
The Park offers a dynamic Visitor
Services Program where
participants are able to connect
to our rich natural and cultural
heritage through a variety of
services and resources.
This is accomplished through
modern facilities, competent staff,
up to date resources,
environmental education and
public programs, research,
partnerships and being an active
member of the Calgary
community and the Province of
the Alberta.
2
1.1 PROGRAM OUTLINE
Welcome to WILD LIFE CYCLES, a
teacher conducted program for Grade 3
students. Utilizing prior science knowledge
and observation, math and language skills,
students will learn how several different
animals meet their needs for food and
shelter and how the level of parental care is
different among species.
This package contains background
information and on-site activities relating to
three common types of Park animals: red
squirrel, ground squirrel and woodpeckers.
Using lesson plans and time of year as
criteria, we suggest you select two animals
for the students to study.
To conclude the process there are follow-up
activities to be done back at school that are
intended to reflect on and apply what the
students have learned. Included here is a
suggestion for a class discussion reviewing
the similarities and differences in these
animals’ life cycles and habitats.
WILD LIFE CYCLES is a teacher and
parent led sequential program that consists
of three components. First, there are
preparatory activities to be done at school
that are multidisciplinary in nature. We
strongly recommend you have the class
complete at least some of these activities or
some of your own choosing, prior to the
field study.
There are also checklists for helping
arrange and organize your field study
along with some suggested assessment
ideas and a learning journal to facilitate the
experience.
This is followed by a full day field study
done in the natural world that takes the
children through experiential activities
focused on the life cycles of several different
animals living in the Park.
The program was developed by the
Environmental Education staff at Fish
Creek Provincial Park in consultation with
formal and community educators.
3
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
1.2 PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND CURRICULUM FIT
SLE 5.
This field study program, and the school
based preparatory/post activities that
complement it, have been designed to
address four specific learner expectations
from Topic E: Animal Life Cycles (Grade 3)
in the Alberta Elementary Science Program
of Studies:
Demonstrate awareness that parental care is
characteristic of some animals and not of
others, and identify examples of different
forms of parental care.
SLE 6.
SLE 1.
Demonstrate awareness that animals
require different habitats in order to meet
their basic needs of food, water, shelter and
space.
Classify a variety of animals based on
observable characteristics: e.g. limbs,
teeth, body covering, overall shape,
backbone.
SLE 4.
Identify food needs of at least one animal
from each of the following groups:
mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians,
insects and describe changes in how each
animal obtains food through different
stages of its life.
Wild Life Cycles
4
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
1.3 CURRICULUM
CONNECTIONS
This program is primarily a science based
field study, but there are many other
curriculum connections with the Grade 3
program of studies. The following is a list of
other curriculum areas that are touched
during the program activities.
identify and evaluate aspects of a field
study
•
read and interpret map symbols
•
make a simple map
•
participate in small group discussions
and activities
•
use maps, sketches, graphs and charts
•
observe established group or class rules
outdoor pursuits
•
working in groups
•
aerobic activities
MATH
SOCIAL STUDIES
•
•
•
applies arithmetic operations in
creating and solving problems
•
estimates and measures using standard
units
•
graph whole number points
•
collect first hand data, display the
results in more than one way
•
classifies objects according to visible
characteristics
•
counts objects
HEALTH, DRAMA AND ART
LANGUAGE ARTS
•
role playing drama
•
visually records special events such as
field trips
•
use variety of means to record, share
and reflect on personal learning
•
uses direct observation as basis for
drawing
•
experiment with words and sentence
structures in their writing
•
makes drawings from a range of
viewpoints
•
use literary devices to assist them in
their writing
•
awareness of proper outdoor safety and
clothing
•
retell and relate personal experience
•
•
develop questioning strategies
identifies changes in the environment
that affect safety
•
form visual images
•
•
expand vocabulary
identifies, describes individual safety
practices
•
practise writing, reading
•
•
expand listening skills
identifies nutritious foods, food
requirements, plans menu
•
becomes aware of community
recreation facilities
5
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
2.0 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
IN FISH CREEK PROVINCIAL PARK
Fish Creek Provincial Park stretches from
the T'suu Tina First Nation at 37 Street in
the west to the Bow River in the east. The
Park is 20 km long, but only 1-1 1/2 km
wide, as it encompasses mainly the creek
and surrounding valley.
3.
Washrooms and a water fountains are
located in the building. There are no
vending machines or coffee available.
Hot water urns are available upon
request. Please make hot drinks in
cups, not the urn.
The Fish Creek Environmental Learning
Centre, located at the west end of the Park
off 37 Street S.W, offers five indoor
classrooms, an outdoor picnic area and
access to an extensive variety of natural
ecosystems: an old spruce forest, grasslands,
riverine, creek and pond wetlands and
disturbed (urban) areas.
4.
A short orientation (about 15 minutes)
will be provided to the entire group
upon arrival to welcome and introduce
everyone to the Park, its rules, the
program for the day and what the
students may discover outside.
5.
Parent volunteers will have a separate
orientation (about 10 minutes) to the
equipment provided, map of the
activity area (maps provided) and the
general flow of the day.
6.
A washroom and snack break will take
place after the group orientation and
during the parent volunteer orientation.
Please ensure that the students are
supervised during this time.
7.
There are NO indoor activities
available. Please bring your own
activities and/or DVDs when planning
for inclement weather.
2.1 FISH CREEK
ENVIRONMENTAL
LEARNING CENTRE
The Fish Creek Environmental Learning
Centre offers you the following facilities and
services:
1.
Each teacher will be given a classroom
to use as a home base for the day’s
activities.
2.
Some equipment for the day’s activities
will be available at the Park. It is your
responsibility to count all equipment
and return it at the end of the day.
There will be a charge for lost or broken
equipment.
Wild Life Cycles
6
2.2 LUNCH BREAK
PROCEDURES
2.3 OUTDOOR LUNCH
OPPORTUNITIES
Your class may eat inside the facility, within
their assigned rooms. Please ensure they
understand the following:
•
•
•
There are several picnic tables and a large
firepit behind the Fish Creek Environmental
Learning Centre. Reservations are required
to use this outdoor cooking firepit. Call 2977229 to reserve.
Empty pop or juice can/bottles and
drinking boxes go into the special
container labeled “Bottles & Cans”. We
send these to recycling depots. Do the
students know what recycling is, how it
conserves resources and how it helps
the environment?
When using a firepit area be sure to:
Paper and plastic lunch bags, plastic
sandwich bags, food wrap and tin foil
go home to be reused. What must be
done to it before it is stored? Why does
it need to be washed? Why is it
important to reuse items?
All other items go into the garbage bin
and sent to the landfill. What happens
to items at the landfill?
7
•
provide your own firewood and
roasting sticks. DO NOT USE
BRANCHES OR DEADFALL IN THE
PARK.
•
have a bucket of water nearby
BEFORE the fire is lit. Check that the
fire is out before leave.
•
Do NOT feed or disturb wildlife.
•
remind students to clean up the firepit
area of garbage and left over food
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
3.0 TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS AND CHECKLIST FOR
PLANNING YOUR FIELD STUDY DAY IN THE PARK
PREPARE THE ADULTS
• Please follow the recommended
ratios as outlined in your school
board regulations. Divide your class
into working groups led by a parent
volunteer.
• Review the Park rules with the adults
(explained on page 10).
• Emphasize the following
- Hats, sunscreen, insect repellent,
- RUNNERS (not sandals), dress in
layers.
- There are no nearby stores to
purchase coffee or food; come
prepared.
• The adults’ role is to lead the
activities with the same small group
of students all day.
• Photocopy the activity instructions
(make extras) and send them to the
volunteers several days before the
field study so the adults can become
familiar with the activities .
Give every driver – INCLUDING THE
BUS DRIVER - a copy of the route map
Make sure all drivers know you are
coming to the west end of the Park,
near Woodbine!
PREPARE YOURSELF
• Read the teacher package
thoroughly: phone 297-7229 if you
have any questions.
• Modify the activities to fit your
lesson plans, students’ skill levels and
time you are at the Park.
• Check student health forms, looking
for allergies to bee/wasp stings.
PREPARE THE STUDENTS
• Review the Park rules (explained on
page 10).
• Discuss the field trip, using the
points listed on page 11: emphasis
the following
- Hats, sunscreen, insect repellent,
RUNNERS (not sandals).
- Dress in layers: the forest can be
cool in the morning.
- Bring plenty to eat and drink; there
are no vending machines or stores
nearby to purchase food or drinks.
• Complete some preparatory
activities: either the ones in the next
section of this package or some of
your own.
Wild Life Cycles
YOU BRING:
• A cheque made payable to Minister
of Finance for $ 3.00 per student
(no charge for adults)
• the photocopied Student Journals,
pencils, and clipboards
• A few bandaids with each adult and
your first aid kit
8
3.1 PLANNING YOUR ITINERARY FOR THE FIELD STUDY DAY
Please consider travel time from your school
to and from the Park. Select your activities
and timetable for your day accordingly.
This itinerary should be viewed as
approximate times!
TIME ACTIVITY
TIME ACTIVITY
_____
Depart from school.
_____
Arrive at Fish Creek Provincial
Park and settle into classroom.
Participate in a class orientation
meeting and parent volunteer
orientation with Park staff. (30 - 40
minutes)
_____
Teacher and volunteer led morning
program activities. (about 1.5
hours)
_____
Lunchtime! Lunch is held either
outside, weather permitting, or in
your classroom area. (30 minutes)
9
_____
Afternoon program. (about 1.5
hours)
_____
Groups return to the Learning
Centre: washroom break, head
count, inventory and return any
equipment borrowed from the
Park, gather personal belongings.
(this should take place 15 - 20
minutes prior to the scheduled bus
departure)
_____
Bus leaves the Learning Centre.
(usually 2pm)
_____
Arrive back at school.
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
4.0 CLASS DISCUSSION ABOUT THE FIELD STUDY
Alberta’s Parks and Protected Areas
Alberta’s parks and protected areas belong
to all Albertans and contain many different
natural landscapes that are home to
numerous plant and animal species. The
province’s network of parks and protected
areas covers roughly 27,500 square
kilometres and includes more than 500 sites.
This network helps to ensure that Alberta’s
biodiversity is preserved for future
generations.
Alberta’s Plan For Parks vision: Alberta’s
parks inspire people to discover, value, protect
and enjoy the natural world and the benefits
it provides for current and future
generations.
Provincial parks exist to protect provincially
significant natural, historical and cultural
features. They contain a range of outdoor
recreation, interpretive and environmental
education opportunities, facilities and
services so that visitors can explore, learn,
understand and appreciate the natural
world.
Leave only footprints
Take only pictures. Everything in the Park living and non-living - is protected to help
preserve the complex living system that
thrives in Fish Creek Provincial Park.
Students are welcome to share their
discoveries but must remember to leave
everything as they found it. Treat plants,
insects and trees gently to avoid
unnecessary injury or damage.
Pets on a leash
There are no off-leash areas in any of
Alberta’s provincial parks. This protects
Park wildlife as well as domestic pets. Please
do not bring pets on the field study. They
can be distractions for students and pose a
health risk for those allergic to pets. Guide
Dogs and Assisted-Living Dogs are the only
animals permitted in Park buildings.
Alberta’s Parks are protected by the Alberta
Parks Act and it is through this legislation
that these landscapes have specific and
important guidelines to help keep them
healthy and vibrant.
Pitch in
Litter should be placed in the rubbish bins
provided or in a pocket. Human litter is
hazardous to Park plants and wildlife.
The following is a list of rules that reflect the
Park’s mandate to protect and preserve the
natural environment.
Wild Life Cycles
Do not feed or disturb wildlife
Feeding wildlife is not necessary and is
potentially dangerous. The Park’s
ecosystem provides all the food and habitat
wildlife require for their basic needs.
Human food does not meet their nutritional
requirements and can cause some species to
become dependent on handouts. Quietly
observe all wildlife from a comfortable
distance.
10
Fire in its place
Use only designated fire pits. The burning
of Park vegetation is not permitted. Bring
your own firewood.
___ Discuss outdoor safety. Students need
to:
•
stay where an adult can see them
at all times
•
walk, not run.
•
keep feet on the ground: no
climbing.
•
leave dead branches on the
ground: they do not make safe
walking sticks.
Discussion Checklist
Things to discuss at school prior to the field
study day:
___ Discuss how Fish Creek Provincial
Park is a wild environment. It is one
of 500 parks that are protected as a
provincial system of natural
environments. Discuss the difference
between wild and tame animals and
environments (coyotes vs. pet dogs,
Fish Creek Provincial Park vs. school
yard, etc.)
___ Discuss the purpose of provincial
parks and protected areas. Have the
class make a list of behaviours on the
field study that would show respect for
living things and a commitment to
their care. Possibilities include:
• leave ant hills, nests and rotting
logs alone and intact. They are
animal homes.
• walk with care and mindfullness.
When leaving the trails to complete
program activities take care to
minimize your impact.
___ Discuss behavioural expectations.
Explain that the field study will be
another school day, just at a different
place. All the school rules apply.
Remember that other schools will
probably be there trying to also work.
___ Discuss the appropriate clothing
required for the season and the day’s
activities. Dress in layers.
Mornings in the shady forest will be
cool. Trails may be muddy and wet.
Several layers of clothing, including a
water resistant layer and a hat or hood
will provide the most comfort. Boots
provide more protection than sandals
and canvas runners. Warm weather
means sunhats, sunscreen and insect
repellent will also be required.
___ Discuss the Park rules. These rules
reflect the provincial parks goal to
protect and preserve our natural
environment.
11
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
5.0 PREPARATORY FIELD STUDY ACTIVITIES
Preparatory activities are essential to
the success of your trip! Gather together
a series of activities that will introduce the
field study day to your students and will
allow them to practise the skills to be used
during the field study day. If possible, invite
the parent volunteers into the classroom to
also experience these activities.
5.1 VOCABULARY
Language arts
Use the preparatory study activities
described here, or any of your own to
introduce the following vocabulary to your
students.
Feel free to use your own activities or the
ones described in this orientation package.
Within the activities you select and present
to your students be sure to:
energy: Something everything needs to
survive. It comes from the food we eat,
the water we drink and the rest we get.
Energy starts at the sun.
Consider other curriculum areas and
explore how all subject areas can be
connected to your field study day.
reproduce: The ability to have a family,
make more of you.
Discuss the differences between living and
non-living things. Are things that once
lived, but are now dead, such as a tree lying
on the forest floor, living or non-living?
shelter: Something all living things need
to some degree. It protects living things
from the elements (sun, wind, water,
cold).
Review the basic needs of living things:
food, water, air, space and shelter. They also
need to be able to reproduce and live in a
clean environment.
space: The area all living things need to
survive. It varies greatly for different
plants and animals.
!Tip!: Conduct some activities outside to get
students familiar with outdoor classroom
management strategies and thinking of
school in an outdoor setting.
animal: Something that gets it energy by
consuming other things.
plant: Something that is able to produce its
own energy.
ecology: The interaction between living
and non-living things and the
environments in which they live.
Wild Life Cycles
12
5.2 RIDDLES
mammal: Animal with a backbone that
gives birth to live young and nurses
those young.
Language Arts & Art
Write and post a few riddles around the
classroom. The riddles could be written, or
illustrated depending on reading levels, to
reflect the vocabulary required to cover
curriculum objectives of the field study day.
They can also be written as rebus sentences
(sentences that contain pictures to replace
individual words). As the students figure out
the riddles, have those students tell the class.
Challenge them to develop their own
riddles.
rodent: Group of mammals with teeth
especially adapted for gnawing wood.
habitat: Place where a plant or animal
naturally grows and lives.
interaction: Relationship between two or
more organisms and the effects they
have on each other.
adaptation: Physical characteristic or
behaviour which helps a plant or
animal live successfully in its
environment.
Examples:
There is some of me everywhere, you need
me, plants need me, I can change shape
and size, but you can’t see me.
WHO AM I? (space)
I can protect and cover you from wind, sun,
rain and snow, so you are happy.
WHO AM I? (shelter)
13
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
5.6 MAPPING
5.3 TONGUE TWISTERS
Language arts
Social Studies
Write a few tongue twister alliterations that
reflect the vocabulary required to cover
curriculum requirements of the field study
and see if the students can repeat them.
Challenge them to make up their own.
One of the on-site activities requires
students to read a simple map to find their
activity locations. Introduce maps to the
students. Have them learn the four cardinal
points and the importance of reading the
legend. Practise with map reading will
ensure success during this activity at the
Park. A culminating classroom activity prior
to your Park visit might be a “Treasure
Map”. Draw a map of your classroom or
schoolyard, marking several locations with
the traditional X. Include a simple legend.
Divide the class into small groups and
instruct each group to find a particular X.
The treasure (e.g. grapes, crackers, stickers
etc) should be at that location.
Example: Smelly skunks select shelter in
spruces, shaded from the sweltering sun.
5.4 ANIMAL INTRODUCTION
Science
Introduce the 2 animals you have selected
to study to the students through story
reading or library research. Conduct an
internet search, perhaps with older “class
buddies” to bookmark web-sites that
contain stories about the animals you will
study in the Park. The Park on-site activities
are designed to provide direct observation
and experiential learning about the animals.
Therefore, this preparatory activity needs to
be just a brief introduction to each species.
Math
Students will need to be familiar with using
and accurately read a metre tape.
Introduce grams as a unit of measure. Put a
1 gram weight on one side of the scale and
have the students locate other 1 gram
objects to balance the scale. What familiar
objects weigh only 1 gram? Repeat this
procedure for 3 grams and 700 grams, as
these weights are pertinent to activities you
may have selected to complete during your
field study.
5.5 CARE OF PLANTS
AND PETS
Science
Review with the students the proper care of
plants and pets. Compare actions to care for
a pet and actions to protect wildlife. Discuss
the proper care of plants and animals in a
natural setting. Do the Park rules suggest
how people could help take care of nature?
Wild Life Cycles
5.7 MEASURING DISTANCE
AND WEIGHT
14
5.8 PREPARING PROPERLY
Health
boots by the door
Should be lined up against the wall so
people do not trip over them.
Discuss lunches and snacks with the
students. What do they think they will need
to bring? Remind them they will be outside
expending more energy than on a regular
school day. The temperature may be cool.
Will the students need more or less food
than they eat on a regular school day?
Centre floors
Are slippery when students are in
stocking feet. When inside the building,
students should walk; not run.
What should they pack for their lunches
and snacks? Discuss the major food groups.
What will travel well and not need
refrigerating or cooking? Have the students
plan a nutritious lunch and a snack. We ask
everyone to be environmentally aware.
Please encourage the students to plan a
garbage free lunch.
firepit safety
Should be a major discussion if you are
having an outdoor fire. Discuss who
adds wood to the fire, horseplay around
a fire and safe handling of roasting
sticks.
5.10 STUDENT JOURNALS
5.9 STUDYING SAFELY
The Student Journal is the tool students will
use throughout the day to record their
observations and discoveries as they explore
the world of wildlife.
Health
Discuss how the change in location for the
school day will affect the students’ safety.
What new situations may present safety
problems? What safety practices are
required from each student so everyone is
safe? Possibilities( depending on the date of
your field study) include:
Once you have selected the activities you
will do for the day, create a master copy of
the journal by photocopying the
appropriate pages available in this package.
creek ice
Is not always thick enough to support
people. Stay well back from Fish Creek.
icy paths and hills
Can cause a fall with painful results.
Walk carefully, do not run, especially
when there is a fresh snow that may be
concealing ice patches.
15
Introduce the Journal to your students.
Read through it to help them understand
what activities they will be doing during the
field study. Ensure the class understands
your expectations in terms of completed
work. Students can personalize their own
journal by printing their name on the cover
and decorating it.
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
6.0 FIELD STUDY ACTIVITY DESCRIPTIONS
6.1 CREATURE
CHARACTERISTICS
Objective: Students will record
information about all animals, including
insects, seen throughout the day. This
information will be used back at school
to practise classifying a variety of
animals based on observable
characteristics. (SLE 1)
Activity Description:
This activity is to be worked on throughout
the day. Each time the students see a living
creature, have them observe it for several
minutes and then fill in their Creature
Characteristics Chart. Students will have
their own charts in their learning journal.
The one below is an EXAMPLE ONLY of
what the students might see and how to fill
in each section.
Time: throughout the day
Equipment provided by the Centre: none
Equipment provided by the school:
student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: anywhere
CREATURE CHARACTERISTICS CHART
BODY
COVERING
BODY
NUMBER
COLOURING OF LEGS
WHERE
SIGHTED
WHAT
DOING
squirrel
fur
reddish, brown
back, light
stomach
4
in evergreen
tree
eating
cones
bird
feathers
blue back
grey stomach
2
in tree
sitting
spider
looks soft
brown
8
bushes
spinning web
insect
hard looking
shell
shiny black
6
under rock
hiding
don’t know
what it is
soft
pink-red
lots
under dead
leaves
moving a little
piece of leaf
ANIMAL
Wild Life Cycles
16
6.2 RED SQUIRREL:
MARCH - NOVEMBER
USE ORANGE LOOP TRAIL: watch for
trees marked with different coloured ropes
and tags.
•
•
6.2.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DESCRIPTION:
• average length 38 cm. including tail
• bushy tail is about three-quarters the
length of the body
• average weight 190 grams
• back is reddish-brown fur, underparts
are greyish-white in winter
• back is olive brown, under parts are
white in summer
nests are called dreys: ball-shaped,
composed of twigs, leaves, grasses,
mosses
located 2 - 20 metres above ground
against the tree trunks, usually
evergreens
DIET:
• seeds located in evergreen cones,
mushrooms, buds, flowers, seeds,
insects, birds’ eggs
PREDATORS:
• hawks, owls, weasels, coyotes, wolves,
martens, fishers, bobcats, lynxes
• in Fish Creek Provincial Park: hawks,
owls, weasels, coyotes, unleashed dogs
and cats
SPECIAL ADAPTATIONS:
• keen ability to visually distinguish
vertical objects, essential for a tree
dwelling animal
• keen sense of smell to locate buried
food
• sharp, curved claws for digging and
climbing
• hind paws turn outward and partially
back when squirrel is climbing head
first down a tree
• powerful hind limbs enable squirrels to
jump long distances
• long bushy tail is used for balance,
parachutes in case of falls and for
warmth
• front teeth are extremely sharp and
grow continually so squirrel is always
able to gnaw
FAMILY:
• solitary animal: each squirrel has its
own territory
• six week pregnancy, young born in
May-June, usually 4 - 6 babies
• naked, blind and deaf at birth: nurses,
weaned at about 10 weeks
• only the mother squirrel takes care of
the babies
• young leave home at the age of about
18 weeks
SPECIAL NOTES:
• active during the day all year though
may den up during periods of extreme
cold
• excellent swimmers
• extremely noisy animal with wide
variety of calls
HOME:
• forest
• depending upon season and
availability may use tree cavities,
burrows under tree roots or build nests
17
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
6.2.2 EXPLORING THE TERRITORY
- MAP READING
Objective: Students will practise process
skills of reading and interpreting map
symbols, describe locations using
landmarks and interpreting simple maps
as outlined in the social studies
curriculum.
These areas can be explored in any order
but be sure to complete all the activities for
one location before moving onto the next
location. The observation of the red squirrel
and its behaviour can be done any time the
animal is sighted.
Time: 10 minutes introduction outside
orienting map
2 - 3 minutes each time you change
activity locations
Equipment provided by the Centre:
simple map of Orange loop trail - 1 per
group
Equipment provided by the school:
none
Setting: paved area at front of Centre and
Orange loop trail
Assemble your group outside the main
front entrance to the Centre. Holding the
map so all the students can see it, ask them
to read the legend. When they know what
all the symbols represent, have the students
orient the map with the outside terrain and
landmarks. Because it is easiest to read
rightside up, students should be turning
their bodies, not the map, until there is a
match between what they see and what is
on the map.
Activity description:
Have the students locate, on the map, the
marked activity areas. Use the legend to
determine what signs of squirrels are at
each activity area. Ask the students to select
one area to visit first. What direction are the
students facing? What direction must they
walk to reach their selected area?
Continually referring to the map for
directions, proceed to the selected site.
Referring to the map provided by the
Centre, students will explore the red squirrel
habitat to locate the “dining room”,
“kitchen” and “bedroom”.
Wild Life Cycles
18
with hands 45 cm apart. Check the
distance with the metre tape for
accuracy. Ask these students to keep
their hands in that position. The other
students should stand, facing their
partners and hold their own hands
about 11 cm apart within the 45 cm
distance of their partners’ hands. Are
the students surprised at how little
space in the big ball-shaped nest there
is for the squirrel? Why are the walls so
thick? (protection and insulation from
inclement weather).
6.2.3 HABITAT: “BEDROOM”
(BLUE ROPE/TAG)
Objective: Students will investigate how
the red squirrel uses plants in its habitat
to meet its need for shelter. Students will
also learn about baby squirrels and level
of parental care.
Time: 10 - 15 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre:
1 metre tape per group
Equipment provided by the school:
student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: Orange loop trail at a tree marked
with blue rope/tag
4.
Activity description:
1. Once you reach this location, instruct
the students to carefully look around.
Where do they think a red squirrel
might find shelter? Look up: can the
students see the squirrel’s nest up high
against the tree trunk?
Have the students look carefully at the
drey. What building materials did the
red squirrel use? Can the students
locate the side entrance into the drey?
Students should record their ideas and
then, using direct observation, draw a
picture of the drey.
5.
Tell the students the inside of the drey
(or the tree den) must be soft and
warm. Baby red squirrels have no fur
when they are born. Have the students
try to find 3 different things the
mother squirrel might use to line the
nest (leaves, shredded bark, grass,
fluffy seeds, plants).
6.
Ask the students why the mother
squirrel hides her babies in a drey or
tree hole. (Shelter from weather,
predators and other disturbances). The
mother red squirrel chases intruders
away from the area. Not even the
father squirrel is allowed close. If the
mother red squirrel thinks the babies
are not safe, she will move them to a
new home. She carries them in her
mouth one at a time, just like a mother
cat carries her kittens.
2.
3.
Tell the students that sometimes,
instead of using holes in trees or fallen
logs, red squirrels will build a nest,
called a drey. About 30 - 45 cm in
diameter, the ball - shaped drey has an
inside chamber about 11 cm in
diameter. Have each student practise
estimating distance by holding their
hands 30 cm apart. Measure each one
and move the hands, if necessary, so
they are 30 cm apart. Repeat the
procedure with 45 cm. Now the
students realize how large the drey is
on the outside.
Try this procedure for the inner
chamber measurements. Pair the
students up. One student will stand
19
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
6.2.4 HABITAT: “DINING ROOM”
(YELLOW ROPE/TAG)
Objective: Students will investigate how
the red squirrel meets its need for food
and will learn how these food needs
change as the animal grows from baby to
adult.
500 + 500 + 500 = 1500
OR
500 x 3 =1500
The red squirrel will eat about 1500
seeds a day.
Time: 10 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre: none
Equipment provided by the school:
student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: Orange loop trail at a tree marked
with a yellow rope/tag
3.
Activity Description:
1.
2.
Have the students find the “dining
room” - a spot where they think a red
squirrel frequently sits to eat. Why did
the students choose that location? What
clues suggested that a red squirrel had
been eating there? What was the red
squirrel eating? The scales from the
cone are lying on the ground not eaten,
so can the students figure out what part
of the cone the red squirrel eats? (Seeds
inside the spruce cone provide most of
the red squirrels’ diet.)
18 + 18 + 18 + 54 OR 18 x 3 = 54
They would eat 54 sunflower seeds.
Would that be enough food for them
for one whole day? (no)
4.
By completing some simple math,
students will understand the food needs
of the red squirrels. Tell your group that
about 500 spruce seeds weigh 1 gram.
A red squirrel eats about 3 grams of
spruce seeds a day. About how many
seeds will the red squirrel eat in one
day?
Wild Life Cycles
A comparison with something the
students are familiar with will help
them more fully understand the food
needs of a red squirrel. Tell your group
that about 18 sunflower seeds (without
shells) weigh one gram. If they ate 3
grams of sunflower seeds, how many
seeds did they eat?
20
Ask the students if they think human
babies can eat sunflower seeds. (no)
Do they think baby red squirrels can
eat spruce seeds? (no, they have no
teeth). How do the students think baby
squirrels get the food and water they
need? (From the mother red squirrel’s
milk they drink when they nurse.)
5.
Tell the students that red squirrels also
eat insects, buds, seeds and
mushrooms. Can the students find any
of these in the area of the dining room?
6.2.5 HABITAT: “KITCHEN”
(PINK ROPE/TAG)
Objective: Students will continue their
discoveries about how red squirrels meet
their need for food. In this activity,
students will discover that the red
squirrel’s habitat does more than provide
food: it also helps the animal store it.
Time: 10 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre:
1 metre tape per group
Equipment provided by the school:
student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: Orange loop trail at a tree marked
with pink rope/tag
2.
Explain that red squirrels also store
their food. They bury the green
(unripe) cones in cool, damp locations.
This prevents the scales from opening
and dispersing the seeds.
3.
Have the students look around the
“kitchen” area. Can they find the spots
where a red squirrel has dug up a
stored cone? How many holes can the
students find? Are there any cones left
in the hole?
4.
Use the metre tape to measure the
depth of each hole. Record the
measurements. Are all the holes the
same depth?
5.
Ask the students what might happen to
the buried cones the red squirrel never
digs up? (sometimes the seeds sprout
and new trees grow).
Activity description:
1.
Ask the students why we put some
food in our refrigerators. What would
happen to it if we put it in a kitchen
cupboard, like we do with other food
such as tinned vegetables and cereals?
(it would spoil, go “bad”).
21
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
6.2.6 ANIMAL OBSERVATION
3.
Objective: Students will record visible
characteristics that would enable them to
classify this animal and to recognize that
some of these adaptations enable the
animal to meet its basic needs living in
the habitat it does.
movement: Is the red squirrel running
or hopping? How is it using its tail?
Time: 10 - 15 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre: none
Equipment provided by the school:
student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: anywhere a red squirrel is seen
climbing: What parts of the body
seem to be important for climbing?
Does the red squirrel come down the
tree head first or tail first? What would
happen to a person who tried to climb
down a tree the way a red squirrel
does?
Activity description:
Complete the following activities when a
red squirrel is sighted:
1.
2.
eating: What parts of the body does a
red squirrel use to eat? Watch the red
squirrel with a cone. Does it remind the
students of how people eat a certain
vegetable? What vegetable? (corn on
the cob).
Appearance: Have the students
complete the chart in their journals as
they observe each fact about the red
squirrel’s appearance. Students can use
single words, phrases or quick sketches
to fill in each section.
noise: Can the students imitate the
sounds a red squirrel makes? What do
the students think the red squirrel is
trying to say? Does only the throat
move when the red squirrel makes a
noise?
Viewpoints: Ask the students to draw a
quick sketch of what they see when
they look up at a red squirrel on a
branch. Ask the students to draw a
quick sketch of what they imagine the
red squirrel can see when it looks down
from the branch.
other red squirrels: Is the red squirrel
living alone or in a family group? Do
the students think one red squirrel can
build a drey and collect enough food?
(Red squirrels are solitary animals
except at breeding time. They are
territorial and defend their area
vigorously).
To help the students understand
perspective in art, hold an object up
high and then down low. Encourage
the students to observe how the
appearance changes, what part of it is
visible.
Wild Life Cycles
Behaviour: Use some of the following
questions to help the students make
specific observations about the red
squirrel’s behaviour. The students may
not see all behaviours.
22
6.2.7 RED SQUIRREL POEM
Objective: Students will record, reflect
and share on personal learning,
experiment with words and use literary
devices such as alliteration to assist them
in their writing.
2.
Time: 15 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre: none
Equipment provided by the school:
student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: anywhere in the red squirrel’s
habitat
S
Q
U
I
R
R
E
L
M
U
N
N
E
U
A
E
A
I
I
T
D
N
T
A
Activity description:
L
C
Q
E
N
I
P
As the concluding activity of their red
squirrel study, the students will write a brief
poem about the red squirrel. Content of the
poem should include facts and impressions
gathered during the previous activities.
L
K
U
R
I
N
I
E
E
N
G
N
S
G
1.
Bring the red squirrel to life in this 4
line alliterative poem. Each of the first
three lines contains a pair of descriptive
words. Both words in the pair of
adjectives should start with the same
sound. The last line contains a
descriptive word and the subject,
squirrel. Again, both words should start
with the same sound.
EXAMPLE:
Try a vertical poem, with the letters in
the word squirrel determining what
other words are selected.
EXAMPLE:
G
T
I
N
G
chattering, chewing
running, red
furry, friendly
small, squirrel
23
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
6.3 RICHARDSON’S GROUND SQUIRREL:
MARCH - JUNE
USE THE SHORT GRASS AREAS IN
THE PICNIC/DAY USE AREA
PREDATORS:
• hawks, weasels, badgers, foxes,
coyotes, rattlesnakes, bullsnakes
• in Fish Creek Provincial Park: hawks,
weasels, coyotes, unleashed dogs,
people
6.3.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DESCRIPTION:
• average length 28 cm - including tail
• tail is short ( 7cm ), stubby, thin
• average weight approximately 400
grams
• yellowish- beige and grey fur
FAMILY:
• lives in colonies but each has own
territory
• not sociable with others but all benefit
from each other’s alarm calls
• pregnancy is about 27 days: litter of 5
to 11; average is 6 - 7 babies
• young are naked and blind at birth;
nurse
• only the mother takes care of the
babies
• babies remain in underground nest for
4 - 5 weeks: reach full size about
September
SPECIAL ADAPTATIONS:
• keen eyesight to locate predators
• sharp, long curved claws for digging
• fur colour blends well with dry grass
and soil; less likely to be seen by
predators
HOME:
• grasslands: needs short grass like
roadsides, pastures
• maze of tunnels with several entrances
• approximate tunnel size: 8 cm
diameter, 1 - 1 1/2 metres
underground, up to 15 metres long,
hibernation chamber is sealed after
animal enters
• main entrance has a mound of earth
used as a look-out post
SPECIAL NOTES:
• viewed as a pest to agriculture because
damages grain and hay crops and
reduces the ability of pastures to
support livestock
• use of poison to control populations is
hazardous because other animals
beneficial to agriculture (e.g. hawks)
consume the poison in the ground
squirrels and then also die
• critical link in the food chain of the
prairie ecosystem: main food source for
many predators including the
burrowing owl (an ENDANGERED
SPECIES) who also use the vacant
burrows to raise their young.
DIET:
• leaves, seeds of grasses and plants,
dandelion flowers
• grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars
• carrion (dead animals)
Wild Life Cycles
24
6.3.2 HABITAT: “SHELTER”
Objective: Students will be become aware
of how the grasslands habitat and the
soil type found there enables the ground
squirrel to meet its need for shelter and
space. Students will also learn about
baby ground squirrels and level of
parental care.
Time: 15 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre:
1 meter tape per group
Equipment provided by the school:
student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: a large hole in the ground with a
mound of soil beside it
Activity description:
Once you have the students in the short
grass area, have them look around on the
ground for holes 8 cm across or larger.
These are the entrances to the ground
squirrel’s underground system of tunnels
and resting chambers. Try the following
activities:
•
How high is the soil mound? Add 21
cm (the average size of a ground
squirrel) to the height of the mound. Is
the total greater than the height of the
surrounding grass? (The ground
squirrel sits up on the mound to watch
for land predators such as badgers,
weasels, snakes, coyotes, dogs and
people).
2.
Look at the other holes.
•
How many do the students think are
part of the same ground squirrel’s
territory? Can they see a ground
squirrel using more than 1 hole? (On
average, there are 8 entrances).
•
Look carefully through the grass for
small holes with no soil around them.
These more hidden holes are
“emergency plunge holes”.
3.
Discuss the tunnels underground.
1.
Find the main entrance ; it is the hole
with a large mound of soil beside it.
•
•
Feel the soil. Describe it. Why would
the type of soil and ground be
important to the ground squirrel? (It
can only live in areas where it can dig
burrows. It does not live in gravely
areas).
Show the students how long 1 metre
and 1 1/2 metres are by measuring it
out vertically next to the student or
yourself. Explain that is how far
underground the ground squirrel’s
burrow can be.
•
Measure out 15 metres on the ground
to show the students how long the
underground tunnels can be.
25
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
6.3.3 HABITAT: “FOOD”
•
•
•
Ask 1 student to make a circle using
arms. Adjust the size until it is 23 cm
across. That is the average size of the
ground squirrels nesting and
hibernation rooms underground.
Remember, the ground squirrel is about
21 cm long! Nest area is lined with
dried grass.
Baby ground squirrels are naked and
blind when born. They stay in the nest
area until they are about 4 or 5 weeks
old. Only the mother ground squirrel
takes care of them.
Time: 15 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre: none
Equipment provided by the school:
student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: grasslands
Activity Description:
1. Read the following to the students “A
ground squirrel is an OMNIVORE; it
eats both plants and animals. It likes
leaves, flowers and seeds of native
grasses and plants, like dandelions. It
also eats small amounts of insects such
as grasshoppers, caterpillars and
beetles.”.
2. Looking carefully through the grass,
how many different things can the
students find that a ground squirrel
might eat? After the students have
finished looking, gather them together
to discuss their discoveries.
3. In their booklets, have the students
draw or print what they have found for
the ground squirrels to eat.
4. Tell the students baby ground squirrels
are born naked and blind. How do they
feed? (Like all mammals, babies get
their nourishment from their mothers’
milk as they nurse.) When the babies
are about 28 days old they come out of
the burrow and start eating plants. The
mother will nurse the babies for only 1
or 2 more days.
When the babies are 8 to 9 weeks old,
they still use their mother’s tunnels but
they sleep in a different chamber
(room).
Wild Life Cycles
Objective: Students will investigate how
the ground squirrel meets its need for food
and will learn how these food needs
change as the animal grows from baby to
adult.
26
6.3.4 ANIMAL OBSERVATION
Objective: Students will record visible
characteristics that would enable them to
classify this animal and to recognize that
some of these adaptations enable the
animal to meet its basic needs living in
the habitat it does.
Eating - What parts of the body does a
squirrel use to eat? Does it pick up
anything? (Yes, a ground squirrel will
use its front paws to pick up things and
to hold them while the animal eats).
Noise - Can the students imitate the
sound a ground squirrel makes? What
words describe that sound?
Time: 20 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre: none
Equipment provided by the school:
student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: anywhere a ground squirrel is
sighted
Look-out - Watch a ground squirrel
looking for danger. What position is its
body? Where does it hold its front
paws? What body parts are moving:
head, eyes, ears?
Activity Description:
Complete the following activities when the
ground squirrel is sighted:
1.
3.
Appearance
Have the students complete the ground
squirrel chart as they observe each fact
about the ground squirrel’s appearance.
Students can use single words, phrases
or quick sketches to fill in each section.
Dark marks on the body are scars from
wounds inflicted during fights to claim
territory and mates.
2.
Other ground squirrels - do the ground
squirrels live in separate burrows or
together? Watch which holes they go
into. (Except for mother with babies,
each ground squirrel has its own
burrows and tunnels). What would be
helpful about living close together?
(Many eyes and ears alert for danger
from predators, they can warn each
other).
Behaviour
Movement - Is the ground squirrel
hopping or running? Does it crawl?
Did you see it digging?
27
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
6.3.5 DRAMA
Objective: Students will express simple
characterization through movement and
use dramatic movement to enhance
learning in other areas of the curriculum.
3.
Time: 20 - 25 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre: none
Equipment provided by the school: none
Setting: amphitheater by the picnic area&
Barn
Now the students are ready to put it
altogether in a brief skit portraying
several minutes of a ground squirrel’s
life. Students may choose to act
together as a group, in pairs or
individually. Possible scenarios and/or
characters are:
•
individual ground squirrel eating,
moving, watching for danger
Move your group to an area of flat
ground free of holes. You may use the
outdoor theatre stage, located between
the Centre and the Willans Homestead,
if you wish.
•
colony of ground squirrels, with
one acting as look-out, several
young “playing” together
•
ground squirrel and predator
As a warm-up, have the students
imitate the actions and sounds, one at a
time, of a ground squirrel.
•
ground squirrel and Park visitor
Activity Description:
1.
2.
Audience should remember to reward the
performers with applause!
Possibilities include:
•
warning call
•
scampering
•
watching for danger
•
eating
•
running
Wild Life Cycles
28
6.4 WOODPECKER:
MARCH - NOVEMBER
6.4.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DESCRIPTION:
The 5 most common members of the
woodpecker family found in the Park:
• have 4 toes, 2 of which point forward
• are black and white, may have some
red on or near head depending on
species and gender
• range in size from 15 to 37 cm
• are recognizable by location (perched
upright on tree trunk), flight (see
special notes below) or activity (drilling
into tree trunks)
DIET:
• insects, including eggs, larvae and
cocoons, spiders, tree sap, some berries
PREDATORS:
• snakes, squirrels, weasels, hawks, blue
jays, magpies, ravens
• Fish Creek Provincial Park: red
squirrels, weasels, hawks, blue jays,
magpies, ravens
SPECIAL ADAPTATIONS:
• short legs: long, strong toes with curved
nails
• strong, pointed tail feathers (used to
prop bird upright on tree trunk)
• straight, hard pointed bill used like a
chisel
• nostrils covered with bristle-like
feathers to protect from wood dust
• very strong neck muscles
• thick-walled skull and narrow space
between outer membrane and skull
absorb shock
• extra long wormlike tongue with hard
bristly tip and sticky saliva to catch
insects in the wood
HOME:
• holes drilled in branches or trunk; most
often located on the south or east side
• entrance is 3 to 11 cm in diameter and
depth is 20 to 75 cm (depending on
species)
• wood chips line the bottom of the hole
29
FAMILY:
• 3 to 7 eggs laid in spring: both male
and female incubate eggs: usually male
at night
• eggs hatch at about 14 days, young are
naked and blind, totally dependent on
parents
• fed either whole or regurgitated insects
by both parents
• young (depending on species) appear
at nesting hole entrance by about 14
days; ready to fly at 21 - 28 days old
• young follow parents until they are
able to find their own food
SPECIAL NOTES:
• due to competition for food usually are
found alone or in pairs - not flocks
• strong flyer but not fast; often several
wingbeats upwards and then fold
wings and swoop down
• most common types in Fish Creek
Provincial Park are: Northern flicker,
Downy woodpecker, Hairy
woodpecker, Pileated woodpecker,
Yellow-bellied sapsucker
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
• Can the students guess why all that
banging does not hurt the
woodpecker’s head? (strong neck
muscles, very thick skull and very
little space between the brain and
skull all protect the head and brain)
6.4.2 HABITAT: “SHELTER”
Objective: Students will investigate how
woodpeckers use the trees in their habitat
to meet their need for shelter. Students
will also learn about the physical
adaptations woodpeckers have that
enables them to create their own shelter.
At each stop dealing with shelter ask
the students:
• Is it fresh (yellowish white wood at
the edges) or old (grey at the edges)?
Time: 20 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre:
1 trail map, showing specific activity
stops, per group
1 metre tape per group
Equipment provided by the school:
Student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: Forest: trees with red metal
bands and/or red tags
• About how centimetres across is the
hole? (use the tape measure to help
the students with this)
• What shape is the hole: round, oval
or triangular?
Explain to the students that the
woodpeckers drill holes in trees for both
night-time roosting (resting) and for
nesting. The size of the hole depends on the
size of the woodpecker species. Little
woodpeckers, like the downy, make smaller
holes than the big woodpeckers such as the
pileated. The shape of the hole also varies,
depending on the woodpecker species.
Activity description and instructions:
At your first stop dealing with shelter:
Have the students imagine the woodpecker
is on the tree trunk about to start a new
hole.
• Where would the woodpecker’s
body be as it was drilling the hole?
(upright on the tree trunk) What
needs to be special about the
woodpecker’s body to help it perch
on the trunk like that? (short legs,
strong toes, long, curved nails, very
stiff tail feathers used to help prop
the woodpecker upright)
Now, match the hole you are looking at
with one of the following (on the next
page) and share the information with
the students. Continue this with each
new stop that is about shelter.
• What body part does the
woodpecker use to make the hole?
(its bill). What words would describe
a bird’s bill that can drill in wood?
(straight, hard, pointed)
Wild Life Cycles
30
PILEATED WOODPECKER
HAIRY WOODPECKER
•
•
•
•
•
•
entrance hole is usually oval shaped:
about 6.4 cm high and 5.1 cm wide
the cavity is 25 to 30 cm deep
wood chips line the bottom
both male and female excavate the
hole, although the male does most of
the work
average of 4 eggs are incubate by both
parents and take about 12 days to
hatch
•
•
•
•
entrance hole is usually triangular
shaped: about 8.5 cm high and 9 cm
wide at the bottom
average cavity depth is 48 cm
wood chips line the bottom
both male and female excavate the
hole, although the male does most of
the work
average of 4 eggs are incubate by both
parents and take about 18 days to
hatch
DOWNY WOODPECKER AND
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER
•
•
•
•
•
•
new hole dug each year in the same
nest area
entrance hole is usually a perfect circle:
about 3.5 cm
the cavity is 13 to 25 cm deep
wood chips line the bottom
both male and female excavate the
hole, although the male does most of
the work
average of 5 eggs are incubate by both
parents and take about 12 days to
hatch
31
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
Objective: Students will investigate how
woodpeckers meet their need for food and
will learn how these food needs change as
they grow from babies to adults.
• Now they are 38 days old. They must
find food for themselves. Using their
own observation skills and the
magnifying glass, can the students find
insects in the crevices of the tree bark or
moving along the tree trunk? (DO
NOT peel bark off to look for insects
underneath it)
Time: 20 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre:
1 trail map, showing specific activity
stops, per small group
1 metre tape per group
1 magnifying glass per group
Equipment provided by the school:
student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: Forest: trees with red metal bands
and/or red tags
Ask the students to place their ear against
the tree trunk and listen for insects under
the bark. Try this in several different places
on the trunk. Could the students hear the
insects? Could the students feel the
vibrations of insects munching wood?
(probably not!) Explain that studies indicate
the woodpeckers may use either or both
their senses of hearing and touch to locate
the insects under the bark or in the wood.
Activity description and instructions:
Now, match the feeding signs you are
looking at with one of the following (on
the next page) and share the
information with the students.
Continue this with each new stop that
is about food.
6.4.3 HABITAT: “FOOD”
At your first stop dealing with food:
Have the students imagine:
• They are baby woodpeckers just
hatched. They have no feathers, cannot
see and are down inside a tree trunk.
How are they going to get food? (must
wait for parents to bring insects and
feed them to the babies).
• They are baby woodpeckers about 16
days old. They have some feathers, can
see and move to the nest hole but
cannot fly. Now how do they eat? (still
fed by parents but now can call out to
them from the entrance hole).
• The students, as baby woodpeckers, are
now about 28 days old. They are out of
the nest. They follow their parents
around. Why? (still being fed by the
parents as they learn how to find food
themselves)
Wild Life Cycles
32
YELLOW BELLIED SAPSUCKER
PILEATED WOODPECKER
• Small holes (about ½ cm in diameter)
in horizontal lines. The sapsuckers drill
these holes and then leave. They come
back later to lick up the sap that came
out the holes and will also eat any
insects that were attracted to the sap.
• Other birds benefit from this: they also
will come and eat the insects. The redbreasted nuthatch uses the sap to smear
around its nesting hole to prevent
insects from entering the nest.
• Ask the students: “Does the yellowbellied sapsucker stay in the Calgary
area for the winter or does it migrate?
(Hint: is its food available during our
cold weather?)” Answer: these birds
must migrate to areas where sap and
crawling or flying insects are available.
• Irregular, rectangular holes found in
fallen logs or at the base of trees:
pileated woodpeckers drill deep into the
wood searching for insects, including
carpenter ants.
• Carpenter ants are Alberta’s largest
species of ants. They are usually black
but may have reddish tints as well.
They range in size from 12 mm to 20
mm, depending on whether the ant is a
“minor” or “major” worker or a
“queen”. A colony matures about 3 to 6
years after it is started. Then, winged
reproductive ants are produced. They
leave the colony and mate in flight. The
males then die and the females start
new colonies in moist or partially
decayed wood. Following the grain of
the wood, they cut galleries in the soft
wood, leaving the hard wood as walls.
Shredded wood is deposited
outside.The female lays about 20 eggs,
which take about two months to
develop from egg to larva to pupa and
then into workers. The queen feeds this
first generation with fluids from her
body. Following generations are fed by
the workers while the queen continues
to lay eggs. Carpenter ants are
omnivores: they eat both plant and
animal foods.
33
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
Their diet includes: honeydew from
aphids, plant juices, fruit such as berries
and small insects and other small
invertebrates.
• Ask the students: “Do the pileated
woodpeckers stay in the Calgary area
for the winter or do they migrate?
(Hint: is its food available during our
cold weather?)” Answer: these birds stay
because even during cold weather they
can find insects hibernating in the logs
or tree trunks.
•
•
Pieces of bark on the ground: hairy
and downy woodpeckers sometimes
knock the bark off tree trunks as they
search for insects hiding beneath it
One very common insect eaten by
these woodpeckers is the bark beetle.
Ask the students: “Do the hairy and
downy woodpeckers stay in the
Calgary area for the winter or do they
migrate? (Hint: is its food available
during our cold weather?)” Answer:
these birds stay because even during cold
weather they can find insects hibernating
under the bark of tree trunks and
branches.
Wild Life Cycles
Objective: Students will recognize and
then record, using art, that natural forms
can have texture and make patterns.
Time: 15 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre: none
Equipment provided by the school:
student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: fallen log with bark beetle tunnels
Activity description:
Have the students examine the intricate
design of the bark beetle tunnels in the
wood of the fallen log. Encourage the
students to feel the pattern as well as look at
it.
DOWNY AND HAIRY WOODPECKER
•
6.4.4 HABITAT:
“BARK BEETLE TUNNELS”
34
Share the following information with the
students.
• These tunnels were created by bark
beetles, a favourite food of hairy and
downy woodpeckers.
• The female bark beetle bores a hole
through the bark and digs an egg
tunnel in the wood. She deposits her
eggs in little rooms she creates off
the main tunnel.
6.4.5 HABITAT:
“BIRD CHARACTERISTICS”
• When the eggs hatch into larvae (the
wormlike stage of an insect’s life cycle),
they eat their own way through the
wood, with the tunnels becoming wider
as the larvae grow.
• Each larvae creates it own chamber
where it will pupate, emerge as an
adult bark beetle and then bore a hole
through the bark to fly away
• When the bark comes off the tree
because of woodpeckers feeding or
because the tree died, we are able to see
what was happening under the bark.
Woodpeckers take the insects: the students
can take home a copy of nature’s
“artwork”. Have the students, one at a
time, place a piece of paper on top of the
tunnels. Holding the paper firmly in place,
the student should then rub the SIDE of
their pencil lead back and forth across the
paper. The pattern of the tunnels will
appear on the paper.
Objective: Students will make inferences
about the physical characteristics of
woodpeckers. These inferences are
possible based on information the
students learned in the preceding
activities. Reviewing these characteristics
would enable the students to classify this
bird and to recognize that some of these
adaptations enable the woodpecker to
meet its basics needs in the habitat it
does.
Time: 10 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre: none
Equipment provided by the school:
student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: quiet area of forest
Activity description:
1. Have your group sit down and
complete the woodpecker
characteristics sheet in their journals.
Pictured are different feet, bills and
food for birds. The students should
circle each picture that applies to
woodpeckers.
2. If the students work quietly, they may
see or hear a woodpecker. Students
could then use the blank space on the
page to record what they saw or heard.
3. Review the sheet with the students to
ensure everyone has the correct pictures
circled. You could extend the activity
by asking which birds the pictures not
circled describe (e.g. webbed feet water birds, helps them swim: curved
beak - birds of prey, hold and tears
their prey).
35
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
7.0 POST FIELD STUDY ACTIVITIES
1.
Compile a master list of the
information gathered by the groups
during the activity “Creature
Characteristics”.
Have a class discussion about
classifying (grouping) animals who
share common characteristics. How
many different ways to group the
animals can the students suggest?
Possibilities include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
number of legs
habitat
activity
body covering
animal eaters, plant eaters or both
crawlers, hoppers, walkers, fliers,
swimmers
builders or non-builders
Ask the students to select one method
of grouping and illustrate the data
using either a bar graph or a
pictograph.
2.
Each student could complete a brief
report on one of the animals they
learned about during the field study.
The report could be done either in
paragraph form or pictorially under
such headings as food, home,
appearance, family, growing up.
Wild Life Cycles
36
3.
Compile a class list of facts learned
about each of the animals studied
during your Park visit. In what ways
were the animals similar and how were
they different? Be sure the students
include information about physical
characteristics, coping with winter, diet,
habitat, territory and parental care.
4.
Review the Park trail map with the
students. Can they remember where
interesting objects were located? Give
the students large sheets of blank
paper. Have them draw the trails and
mark interesting locations, using
symbols. They should include a legend
and mark directions.
5.
Review the math activities completed at
the Park. Did everyone understand
which mathematical procedures to use?
Could the students solve similar
problems based on their own food
consumption?
6.
Review the field study from a safety
perspective. What behaviours were
good safety practices? Were there any
behaviours that should be changed on
the next field trip to ensure that
everyone is safe and has fun?
7.
Review the food the students brought
to eat. Did everyone have enough?
Were there any items that created
problems and should not be brought
again? Which items traveled well,
tasted yummy even at room
temperature and produced no
garbage?
8.
9.
Have the students use their sketches at
the Park as preliminary work for the
basis of a painting or more finished
drawing.
Possibilities include, for example, when in a
natural area:
The students could copy their poems
and then illustrate them. Hang for
other students to enjoy.
•
•
•
all the behaviours suggested by the
Park rules
ride bicycles on designated, surfaced
trails only
put initials on belongings, not on trees
10. Discuss with the class conditions that
threaten animal survival. One
manageable way to cover this very
broad topic is to start small: select one
habitat and then cover direct actions
targeting the wildlife and indirect
actions, things that affect the wildlife
because the habitat has been altered.
For example:
habitat:
• wetlands
direct actions:
• collection of amphibians for study,
food or pets
indirect actions:
• water pollution
• trampling by cattle using it for a
watering hole
• drainage to claim land for
agriculture, building development,
road construction
• logging, oil and gas exploration
and road construction disrupting
natural water flow into the
wetlands
Depending on time available and students’
skill levels you may wish to continue this
study section by introducing problems that
affect all habitats globally, such as acid rain,
greenhouse effect, ozone thinning and
large-scale forest destruction.
Conclude this unit on a positive note by
discussing with the students actions they
can take to assist habitat preservation.
37
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
8.0 PROGRAM ASSESSMENT IDEAS
As the leader, you make a statement, based
on something they just learned. If the
answer to the statement is true, then the
TRUE side chases the FALSE side away
from the centre line to the safe area, a
distance of about 10 metres. The opposite
happens if the answer is false.
8.1 ECO CROWS AND CRANES
The game is a good informal assessment
tool that students like to play. Once they
understand how the format of the game
works, it can be used all the time and in
most subject areas. It can be played
outside or in a large indoor space.
Those that are caught come over to the
other side.
Ask the students to find a partner. Then ask
them to face their partner along a straight
line. Tell them one side is the TRUE side,
while the other side is the FALSE side.
Then line up again and make another
statement. Alternate through a mixture of
about 10 true and false statements to
informally assess what the students learned.
If everyone runs as they should, you can
infer understanding of the concepts. If
instead, everyone runs in the opposite
direction or simply just stands there, then
you know there is a problem with that
concept.
TEACHER
O
TRUE SIDE
S
A
F
E
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
FALSE SIDE
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
8.2 WILD LIFE CYCLES QUIZ
S
A
F
E
Give a short quiz to assess the learning that
occurred during all 3 components of this
field study: preparatory, on-site and post
activities. Develop your own or use parts of
the following one, depending on which
animals you selected for study.
The first two pages of questions covers some
of the general concepts of this unit. Each of
the subsequent 4 pages test the students’
learning about 1 specific animal in our
program of studies.
Wild Life Cycles
38
WILD LIFE CYCLES
_____________________________
NAME
_________________
DATE
________________
SCORE
1. On the line beside each word print the letter of the description that best explains
the word.
___ mammal
a. place where a plant or animal naturally grows and lives
___ rodent
b. physical characteristic or behaviour which helps a plant or
animal live successfully in its environment
___ habitat
c. animal with teeth especially adapted for gnawing wood
___ interaction
___ adaptation
d. animal with a backbone that gives birth to live young and
nurses those young
e. relationship of one organism to another and the effects that
one organism has on another
2. List the four basic needs of all living things.
_________________
__________________
39
_________________
________________
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
3.
Look at the animals pictured below. Use a red crayon to circle 3 animals that
share a common characteristic. Print their common characteristic, in red, beside
one of them. Pick 3 other animals with a different common characteristic, circle
their pictures with another colour crayon and print their common characteristic
beside one of them. Find 3 more animals and do the same things, using a
different colour crayon.
4.
Pick one of the animals you learned about during your visit to Fish Creek
Provincial Park and answer the following:
Animal (woodpecker, red squirrel, ground squirrel ) __________________________
Where does it live: grasslands, forest? _____________________________________
Name 2 things people might do to that habitat to spoil it so the animals could not live there
anymore.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Explain 1 thing children could do to help take care of that environment.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Wild Life Cycles
40
WOODPECKERS
1.
Circle each picture that shows an adaptation that helps woodpeckers live in the
forest, find food and build their nests.
2.
The following sentences describe how a woodpecker’s food needs change from
birth to adult. Put the sentences in order, starting with birth, by numbering
them.
____ waits for parents to bring food
____ finds its own food
____ calls from the hole entrance for parents to bring food
____ uses yolk inside the egg
____ follows parents, learning from them how to find food
3.
What do woodpeckers eat?
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
4.
Who takes care of the eggs and baby woodpeckers? __________________________
5.
Where do woodpeckers find shelter? _______________________________________
6.
Do woodpeckers live alone or in groups? ____________________________________
Why? ____________________________________________________________________
41
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
RICHARDSON’S GROUND SQUIRREL
1.
Read each sentence carefully. If it is true, put a T on the line in front of it. If it is
false, put an F on the line.
_____ Ground squirrels live in short grass places.
_____ Ground squirrels find shelter underground.
_____ Each ground squirrel digs one hole.
_____ There are many long tunnels underground.
_____ The mound of dirt is used as a lookout to watch for predators.
_____ Baby ground squirrels leave their underground nest to eat grass as soon as
they are born.
_____ Mother, father, older brothers and sisters take care of the babies.
_____ Ground squirrels have sharp claws for catching birds to eat.
_____ Ground squirrels have very good eyesight to watch for predators.
_____ The colour of ground squirrels’ fur helps them hide from predators.
2.
Circle the pictures of things the ground squirrel eats.
3.
Each ground squirrel has its own space (territory). Each ground squirrel finds
its own food and digs its own shelter so how does living close to each other help
ground squirrels survive?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Wild Life Cycles
42
RED SQUIRREL
1.
Add the following parts to the red squirrel’s body. Beside each one explain how
it helps the red squirrel live in the forest.
2.
Within each row there is one word that does not fit with the others. Circle that
word. At the end of each row, on the line, print a word or phrase that explains
what the list is about.
Example: sharp teeth curved claws webbed feet good eyesight
3.
cones
buds
seeds
mice
dreys
lodges
tree cavities
owls
unleashed dogs
mushrooms
burrows
coyotes
adaptations
_______________
_______________
deer
weasels
_______________
Draw a line from the red squirrel named on the left to EVERY sentence on the
right that applies to that red squirrel.
new- born red squirrels
live alone, each has its own shelter and space
build nests
mother red squirrels
meet food needs by drinking mothers’ milk
blind, deaf and naked
father red squirrels
take care of babies
will move babies away from danger
all adult red squirrels
43
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
8.3 WILD LIFE CYCLES QUIZ ANSWER SHEETS
WILD LIFE CYCLES
_____________________________
NAME
1.
_________________
DATE
________________
SCORE
On the line beside each word print the letter of the description that best
explains the word. (5 marks)
_d__ mammal
a. place where a plant or animal naturally grows and lives
_c__ rodent
b. physical characteristic or behaviour which helps a plant or
animal live successfully in its environment
_a__ habitat
c. animal with teeth especially adapted for gnawing wood
_e__ interaction
_b__ adaptation
d. animal with a backbone that gives birth to live young and
nurses those young
e. relationship of one organism to another and the effects that
one organism has on another
2.
List the four basic needs of all living things. (4 marks)
food
Wild Life Cycles
water
shelter
44
space
3.
Look at the animals pictured below. Use a red crayon to circle 3 animals that
share a common characteristic. Print their common characteristic, in red, beside
one of them. Pick 3 other animals with a different common characteristic, circle
their pictures with another colour crayon and print their common characteristic
beside one of them. Find 3 more animals and do the same things, using a
different colour crayon. (12 marks)
varies
4.
Pick one of the animals you learned about during your visit to Fish Creek
Provincial Park and answer the following:
Animal (woodpecker, red squirrel, ground squirrel ) _______________________________
(1 mark)
Where does it live: grasslands or forest ? ________________________________________
(1 mark)
Name 2 things people might do to that habitat to spoil it so the animals could not live there
anymore. (2 marks)
___________________________________varies_____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Explain 1 thing children could do to help take care of that environment. (1 mark)
___________________________________varies_____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
45
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
WOODPECKERS
1.
Circle each picture that shows an adaptation that helps woodpeckers live in the
forest, find food and build their nests. (3 marks)
2.
The following sentences describe how a woodpecker’s food needs change from
birth to adult. Put the sentences in order, starting with birth, by numbering
them. (5 marks)
__2__ waits for parents to bring food
__5__ finds its own food
__3__ calls from the hole entrance for parents to bring food
__1__ uses yolk inside the egg
__4__ follows parents, learning from them how to find food
3.
What do woodpeckers eat? (3 marks)
____insects_________
_____tree sap________
______berries_________
4.
Who takes care of the eggs and baby woodpeckers? _mother and father (2 marks)
5.
Where do woodpeckers find shelter? __tree cavities__________________ (1 mark)
6.
Do woodpeckers live alone or in groups? _alone except for breeding season______
Why? __due to competition for food________________________________ (2 marks)
Wild Life Cycles
46
RICHARDSON’S GROUND SQUIRREL
1.
Read each sentence carefully. If it is true, put a T on the line in front of it. If it is
false, put an F on the line. (10 marks)
__T___
Ground squirrels live in short grass places.
__T___
Ground squirrels find shelter underground.
__F___
Each ground squirrel digs one hole.
__T___
There are many long tunnels underground.
__T___
The mound of dirt is used as a lookout to watch for predators.
__F___
Baby ground squirrels leave their underground nest to eat grass as soon
as they are born.
__F___
Mother, father, older brothers and sisters take care of the babies.
__F___
Ground squirrels have sharp claws for catching birds to eat.
__T___
Ground squirrels have very good eyesight to watch for predators.
__T___
The colour of ground squirrels’ fur helps them hide from predators.
2.
Circle the pictures of things the ground squirrel eats. (3 marks)
3.
Each ground squirrel has its own space (territory). Each ground squirrel finds
its own food and digs its own shelter so how does living close to each other help
ground squirrels survive? (1 mark)
____All benefit from each other’s alarm calls when a predator is near.____________
47
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
RED SQUIRREL
1.
Add the following parts to the red squirrel’s body. Beside each one explain how
it helps the red squirrel live in the forest. (5 marks)
2.
Within each row there is one word that does not fit with the others. Circle that
word. At the end of each row, on the line, print a word or phrase that explains
what the list is about. (6 marks)
Example: sharp teeth curved claws webbed feet
3.
cones
buds
seeds
mice
dreys
lodges
tree cavities
owls
unleashed dogs
coyotes
good eyesight
adaptations
mushrooms
__food________
burrows
__shelter______
deer
weasels
__predators____
Draw a line from the red squirrel named on the left to EVERY sentence on the
right that applies to that red squirrel. (8 marks)
new- born red squirrels
live alone, each has its own shelter and space
build nests
mother red squirrels
meet food needs by drinking mothers’ milk
blind, deaf and naked
father red squirrels
take care of babies
will move babies away from danger
all adult red squirrels
Wild Life Cycles
48
WILD LIFE CYCLES
IN
FISH CREEK PROVINCIAL PARK
NAME: _______________________
1
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
CREATURE CHARACTERISTICS
ANIMAL
Wild Life Cycle
BODY
BODY
COVERING COLOUR
2
NUMBER
OF LEGS
WHERE
SIGHTED
WHAT
DOING
RED SQUIRREL
DREY (nest)
Draw the squirrel’s drey.
It was made of:
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
3 things I found that the mother squirrel might use
to make the nest inside soft and warm.
Dining Room
1.
About 500 spruce seed weigh 1 gram. A red squirrel eats about 3 grams of seeds each day. How
many seeds will the squirrel eat in 1 day?
The red squirrel will eat ___________________ seeds.
2.
Red squirrels also eat insects, buds, seeds and mushrooms. Sketch the objects you found in the
dining room area that the red squirrel might eat.
3
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
RED SQUIRREL
KITCHEN
1.
How many holes did you find? __________________________________________________
2.
Were there any cones in the holes? _______________________________________________
3.
How deep are the holes? __________ cm
__________ cm
__________ cm
ANIMAL OBSERVATION
Circle the words that best describe the red squirrel. Add a drawing.
TAIL
PAWS
fur or skin
long or short
bushy or skinny
like cat/dog paws
or monkey paws
(Hint: can the squirrel pick
up objects?)
BODY
EYES
EARS
long or short
skinny or chunky
fur covered or skin
round or oval
black or blue
big or small
on the side of the head or
in the front
rounded or pointed
big or small
fur covered or skin
standing up or flopped over
BODY COLOUR
back: reddish brown
white
brown
tummy: brown or white
Wild Life Cycle
4
RED SQUIRREL
VIEW POINTS
Draw what a red squirrel sees when it looks
down at you.
Draw what you see when you look up at a red
squirrel.
BEHAVIOUR
Climbing: down the tree head first or tail first?
Movement: running or hopping
How is it using its tail?
Eating
How does the squirrel
use its paws?
Other Squirrels
Does the squirrel live alone?
Noise
What part of the red
squirrel’s body moves?
5
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
RED SQUIRREL POEM
Wild Life Cycle
6
RICHARDSON’S GROUND SQUIRREL
SHELTER
Soil feels _____________________________________________.
Mound was __________cm high.
There were ____________________ other holes.
FOOD
I observed Ground squirrels eating:
Ground squirrels might eat:
7
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
RICHARDSON’S GROUND SQUIRREL
ANIMAL OBSERVATION
Circle the words that best describe the ground squirrel. Add a drawing.
BODY COLOUR
TAIL
PAWS
light brown
dark brown
white
fur or skin
long or short
bushy or skinny
like cat/dog paws
or monkey paws
(Hint: can the squirrel pick
up objects?)
BODY
EYES
EARS
long or short
skinny or chunky
fur covered or skin
round or oval
black or blue
big or small
on the side of the head or
in the front
rounded or pointed
big or small
fur covered or skin
standing up or flopped over
BEHAVIOUR
Look-out
Movement:
stand up or crouched down
running or hopping
crawling or digging
Eating:
What body parts did
the ground squirrel use?
What did it pick up?
Noise
describe the sound
loud or quiet
long or short
Wild Life Cycle
Other Ground Squirrels
chasing or hiding
fighting or playing
8
WOODPECKER
SHELTER
HAIRY
DOWNY/
SAPSUCKER
PILEATED
_____ cm across
_____ cm across
_____ cm across
fresh or old
fresh or old
fresh or old
SAPSUCKER
PILEATED
FOOD
HAIRY/DOWNY
Insects you found:
9
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
WOODPECKER
BIRD CHARACTERISTICS - Circle the foot, food, and beak
of a woodpecker.
Wild Life Cycle
10
WOODPECKER
Pencil rubbing of bark beetle tunnels.
11
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre