BIRDS – Beaks, Feet & Nests - 9th December 2017
How do birds feed? How do they catch the insects, sip the nectar and dig for huhu grubs? How do birds walk, or sit in trees, or swim? How on earth do birds build an intricately woven nest with only a beak and feet?! We spent the afternoon really looking at the parts of our NZ native birds that make them suited to their habitat – by looking closely at their different beaks, feet and nests.
BEAKS: We pretended to be different kinds of native NZ birds by using tongs, chopsticks, a paint brush and pliers and experimenting on how birds feed in different types of habitats. We had a river bed, the forest floor, a pond, a rotting tree log, kowhai flowers and tussock lands, and we were amazed at the adaptations that birds have – they are pretty clever as to how they have evolved and adapted!
FEET: We guessed whose feet were whose – there was really good answering – I was impressed! We counted claws and toes, noticed if they were webbed or not and looked at how big their claws were!
NESTS: We headed to the pond and collected the types of materials that we thought birds would use to build a nest and then we spent time building a nest. We then looked at actual nests – and we immediately had a new found appreciation for how skilful birds are at weaving those nests that are very intricate. We also pondered over different types of nests, and how they are not all the same! What wondrous adaptations birds have made in different environments.
Big thanks to Chris and Brian at the Southland Community Nursery. We have held a number of Kiwi Conservation Club events at the nursery during 2017. It is an awesome venue, offering us an inside sheltered building (when needed!) surrounded by nature’s taonga.
Happy Holidays to all you KCC members and enjoy being out there in nature exploring.
Bronwyn, KCC Coordinator Southland
Posted: 17 December 2017