American Robin Morning Surprises

This morning we were surprised with a backyard full of birds.

It was not just a flock of Grackles or Starlings, though we had a few of those visit us today too.  It was mainly about twenty plus Robins.

American Robins are in our yard year round.  They have made homes here in our bushes that surround our property.  Usually we see about two to four of these birds in our yard year round, never this many at one time.  It was the most unusual and special thing we have seen this year in our backyard bird watching.

We had had a lot of rain the previous night so water was standing in our yard making perfect puddles for them from which to drink, play, or bathe.  They were also flying back and forth from our holly bushes, packed full of red berries, to the puddles.  Eating the red berries then taking a break for a little drink..... we loved every minute!

 At one point we had to chuckle because an hour would go by after our first discovery of them and they were still there by the puddles.  Then another hour.... they were still there.  Almost like people hanging around the water cooler.  The Robins were "hanging around" the water puddles.  They would take turns taking a bath and splashing in the water.  I once again took way too many photos to ensure I snapped a few good ones.  Having to take photos from our dining room window was a challenge.  I wished I had had a zoom lens I could attach to my camera.  I did the best I could.  The birds moved pretty quickly and it was harder to photograph them than I thought.


Just when we would try to sit down and start a subject of academics, I would notice something else, or Joseph would notice something else and we were captivated once again.  It was one of those mornings where you take advantage of the "moment" because you can and it's special.  You slow down and enjoy life's little gifts.


Some Robins were just outside our dining room window, usually two to four at a time exploring the standing water between our house and our neighbors' fence.  I usually don't like standing water in our yard, but I was happy that it was there today, because the robins enjoyed themselves so much.

 What an interesting morning.


What a special morning.  


Who would have thought we would have woken up to such a family of birds?  By 3:00pm after finishing our other academics for the day, the Robins were all gone.  I don't know if they will be back again in this number or if we'll see what we saw this morning again.

So beautiful...

What was so great and enriching about today was that we had already read about the American Robin in The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess.  This children's book was written in 1919 and is the tale of Peter Rabbit in the old orchard and his interactions with the variety of birds that frequent there.  Children learn so much about birds just through the conversations between Peter and the various birds.  I read this to Joseph when he was in first grade and now Philip and I are reading it together.  It is what Charlotte Mason would call a "living book".  A book that shows real life through telling a story. It is easier to remember a story you read than a list of facts, which is why we use living books in our home schooling.

Right after we had learned about the American Robin in the Burgess book, Philip and I went to our field guides to find more interesting facts.  These are the field guides we enjoy using the most for bird watching in North Carolina.  Joseph and I had already studied about the Robin years earlier, so it was nice to have him share facts he already knew with his little brother.


Every single bird we have found in our backyard has been found in this little field guide, and the others listed below.


All About North Carolina Birds   By Fred J Alsop III   Look for it at your local library.  


National Audubon Society North America Bird Feeder Guide   By Robert Burton and Stephen W. Kress
Published by DK Publishing.  It has beautiful photos and is full of information on how to attract birds to your very own backyard.


Bird Songs 250 North American Birds in Song  By Les Beletsky
It is a beautiful book of illustrations with bird songs for each bird in this volume.  We use it frequently when wanting to know the various bird songs of birds we see or are curious about.  I originally bought this book as a bargain book.  Since its publication, another book has come out that is probably more appropriate for back yard bird watching in North Carolina:


Backyard Birdsong Guide of Eastern and Central North America  By Donald Kroodsma


Our favorite website for ornithology is Cornell's website, "All About Birds".  
It has EVERYTHING!  
Bird songs, photos, facts, video and more.  

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1478&ac=ac

 

Learn about the American Robin on the Cornell website here.


We were certainly wowed today and enjoyed some family time pondering a favorite back yard bird.


I'll close with a photos of our nature study bird project for this year for second grade.  Joseph did the same thing as a first and second grader.  Philip is making his own back yard bird book.  Guess what the last bird recorded in it was two weeks ago?


 The American Robin!


I smile and I say, "Thanks Lord, for caring about all of those details in our home schooling."  I certainly didn't plan this bird encounter today.  God never ceases to amaze me how he weaves our learning in books with real life learning through his creation.  Little things like this happen all of the time.  I am forever grateful!  WE didn't know we'd see a "Robin party" as Joseph called it, in our back yard this morning, like we had never seen before, but God allowed us to see it and be there in those moments!  What a nice little gift!

Update!  This morning they are back in numbers of over 40!  All having breakfast in our holly bushes and hanging out in our two Willow Oak Trees.  The puddles are gone this morning.  The ground has soaked in that rain water, but it is really cool to see this number of American Robins in our yard.

Nature Study Discoveries September 9

Ocean discoveries this weekend on the South Carolina coastline....

My husband loves the ocean.  He has instilled that love in our sons who are 10 and 7.  I cannot get this man out of the water when we are at the ocean.  Swimming in the ocean is something he loves to do.  He also enjoys diving for sea creatures while chest deep in the water.  He will search for sand dollars, shells and other things.  On Friday he found a starfish.  Our youngest calls it  a " sea star".  I like that name.  My husband was so happy to have found this live one. We kept him in a bucket with salt water for a little while and then took him back out to sea.  The boys liked its little "suction cups" and how it attached itself to their hands.

A very cool find....

Not long after my husband made this discovery, he came back with something else.  A Channeled Whelk shell.  No live animal in it this time, just the shell, but it is not very often we find a whelk fully in tact.  These are typical whelks found in South Carolina.

There was an abundance of dried grasses and reeds on the beach this year, almost creating a little barrier to the tide when it comes in.  Since this part of the beach is actually one side of a barrier island, there are copious amounts of grasses growing on the inter coastal waterway on the opposite side.  I'm wondering if these grasses have washed up on shore due to the turbulent weather activity this year.  I'm not sure, but I did notice grasses washing up while we were there.  It's another good teachable moment about weather, hurricanes and how they affect sea life and our beaches.

My last discovery for the beach.....  It's not really "nature study" so to speak, but it is related to the reeds which are a part of the beach right now.   At one point this particular afternoon, I looked out towards the water and saw this.....  Is that what I think it is?  Did the tide just do that?  Did the Lord just do that for me?  Is that a cross I see made out of the those reeds?  Really??  I'm not trying to make something out of nothing here.  Truly I'm not.  It was there in plain view.  Thank you, Lord.  I'm grateful.  Another of those, "I love you too." moments.  No sooner had I walked up to take a picture of it and the tide washed the crossbar away.  It was just for that brief moment I saw the cross in the sand.

I love when little things like this happen. I love these little reminders from God who shows me He is so much bigger than me, is in control and has created so much beauty for our eyes to behold.

Whether it be the image of my husband with a secure hold on our youngest son in the thick of those unpredictable waves telling me, "I've got a grip on you too, do not worry so much about the turbulance of life."....

.... to a sea star, a simple sea shell or the grassy reeds.

So much to appreciate right before our very eyes.

This has been a great 3 days.

Nature Study Discoveries September 5

This month I am going to post the different nature study discoveries we come upon as a family.  We are not specializing in anything specific this month.  I just want to share what interesting things we find in hopes of inspiring other families to look for treasures in their own back yard.

There is always something to observe, no matter where you are.

(Disclaimer:  This is another spider observation.  I know some of you are not highly fond of spiders, so continue only if you wish. I hope you will though. )

Today's discovery is not so much a new species as it is being able to see the life cycle of this backyard little friend.  Yes, I'm calling this spider a backyard friend.  He is the Yellow and Black Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) I've posted about before.  They are harmless to humans and are actually wonderful assets to your garden because they keep the pesky bugs at bay.  We have found at least 3 of these spiders around our house this past month.  Yes, they are rather BIG when it comes to backyard spiders.  I keep a healthy distance.

I didn't even see this one, until my youngest son shouted as I was coming out of the door onto our deck,  "Mommy look ABOVE your head!"  Oh my!  Yes, directly above my head is Mama spider and her egg sac.  A very LARGE egg sac from other sacs I've seen.  Wow..... it makes me recall the story of Charlotte's Web right away.  I did move out from under the door fairly quickly.  This is amazing though.  I promise I am not obsessed with spiders.  It is just what we seem to keep finding the past few weeks and both of my sons are enthralled with them.  They even checked on the green Lynx spider which we found yesterday on one of our Zinnias.  It's still there this morning.

After our discovery this morning, my youngest is drawing in his nature study journal.

In order to draw details of this particular spider I printed out an informational page from the internet for my son to go by.  Normally when keeping a nature study journal you are to draw while you are outside.  Drawing a live specimen is very difficult to do when you are drawing insects or spiders.  I like to take photos of what we observe and print those for us to draw.  We still observe them, but by looking at our photos, field guide pictures or internet photos, our drawings are much better.  I am not an expert at the nature study journal.  We keep things simple.  The key is to document what we see and observe details, so we have a history of some of the interesting things we have found.   

Enjoy your backyards or where ever you might be!  The world awaits!

Nature Study Discoveries

 

Our nature study find today...... a Green Lynx Spider on one of our Zinnia's.  Our youngest noticed it.  I love his bright green spring like color and his black speckled golden legs.  I don't like that he's a fierce predator of butterflies, skippers and bumble bees.  We love the butterflies!  Keeping an eyeful watch to see what may happen.

Update on the spider on September 5, 2011:

We observed that the spider was still on the same Zinnia flower this morning.  Patience has paid off and it has found its lunch..... We are not happy!  It's a Skipper!  We like our butterflies and skippers.  Sigh..... such is the way of life though, when it comes to predators and prey.  I did mention the Green Lynx is a fierce predator.

 

OCTOBER 9, 2011 update on the spider:

This is the same spider we saw in early September.  On the SAME Zinnia if you can believe that!  The flower has dried out and has changed colors.  The green lynx spider has changed colors too.  It has used camouflage to hide itself in the flower.  No longer are its legs solely golden yellow, they now have streaks of burgundy in them as well.  It's body is now a reddish burgundy color, no longer the spring green as before.

Truly AMAZING to watch this type of defense mechanism in a predator so small.  

You have to look hard for the spider's body.  It is a brownish light burgundy like the petals of the flower.  The big tan ball in the center of the flower is its egg sac.  The spider is staying very close by to protect the egg sac.  Once again, a very interesting sight to see.  We just can't believe that the flower has not totally shriveled up and lost all color.  Nature around us is full of tiny stories in the most inconspicuous of places.....

We'll keep our eye on the spider.  I don't think it will live past the first freeze of autumn.  That won't occur for another few weeks.

OCTOBER 30th UPDATE:

First frost of the season..... no sign of the spider, nor the egg sac.  Both have disappeared. 

Toad and Frog

Toad...

...and Frog.

Two creatures we seem to have come upon this summer in our backyard, others' backyards and yes, even at the pool.  

One of those living creature finds that are so neat to observe for the moment.  We have found so many Fowlers Toads this summer.  Yet we only found this one Bullfrog.  When I asked which ones the boys liked best, they said, "BOTH".  The oldest said he never sees too many frogs, so finding one was kind of special.

What also makes these little creatures special, is that they have brought two story book characters to life.  Frog and Toad created by Arnold Lobel.  My youngest is reading all of the Frog and Toad books right now.  He loves them!  

I love them too.  There is so much we can learn from Frog and Toad.  If more of us had friendships like these two, the world I think would be a better place to live.

The lessons of "Frog and Toad":

True friends are hard to come by, so treat yours well.
Spending quality time with someone you love can make all the difference.
Life is a gift, make each moment count.
Do acts of kindness in secret.
A friend loves at all times, even when he is grumpy.
Sacrifice is worth it.
A good friend listens and hears you.
It's ok to laugh at yourself.
Being thoughtful can make someone's day.
Being optimistic can be contagious.
Have faith.
Tell people you care about how you feel about them.
 
There are so many other little and BIG lessons to be learned in between the pages of these simple books.  I find myself laughing at all of their antics and feeling my heart warmed by their friendship.  


I like Frog and Toad.
So do my boys.....
 

My Personal Narration of "The Letter" 

By Arnold Lobel

Toad was on his front porch looking sad.  Frog came by and asked him what was the matter. Toad replied it was the "sad" time of day because this was the time the mail arrived at his house.  He never receives any mail.  Sigh.... so depressing.

Frog the true optimist replies, "Never?"  

"No, never." Toad says, "I have never received a letter before."

They both sit on the front porch at Toad's house in silence, both feeling kind of sad.

Frog jumps up and excuses himself and says there is something he must do. 

He leaves his friend, Toad,  moping on his front porch.  Frog returns home and writes a letter to Toad.  He wants to bring a little bit of  joy to his friend.  He puts it into a proper envelope and entrusts it to "Snail" to be hand delivered to Toad's mailbox.  

(You can imagine this might take awhile with "snail mail".)

Frog then returns to Toad's house.  Toad is in bed asleep when Frog arrives.

"Wake up Toad!", Frog cries.  "It's time to go back outside and wait some more for the mail to come!  You never know who might send you a letter!"  

Pessimistic Toad replies full of doubt,  that he's never going to get any mail.  He's tired of waiting for what will not come.  Frog begins to look out the window in expectation.  He knows what is coming.  Toad does not.  Frog does not see "Snail" coming with his letter yet, but he is completely optimistic and has faith the letter IS coming.

Toad asks Frog, "Frog, why are you looking out the window like that?"  

Frog replies,  "I'm waiting for the mail to come."  

Toad says, "But there won't be any...."  (I love how they  banter back and forth with each other.)  

"Oh yes there will!" Frog proclaims.

Frog then reveals what he has done.  "I have written you a letter!"  

"You have?  What did you write?" asks Toad.

"Dear Toad, I am glad you are my best friend. "

Your best friend,

Frog

(Then my favorite line of the story.)

"Oh, that makes for a very good letter," says Toad.

Yes it does....

They sit happily on Toad's front porch, enjoying the moment.  Toad is happy with anticipation that he will receive a letter from Frog and  content Frog considers him his best friend.   Frog is simply happy that he wrote the letter.  And happier still I'd imagine, to just be sitting with his best buddy on that front porch, waiting in expectation for the look on Toad's face when the letter arrives.  It brings Frog joy to see his friend smiling again. 

Four days later "Snail" arrived with Frog's letter.  "Toad was very pleased to have it."

THE END 

Thank you Lord for teaching us truths in the pages of story books.  For letting us find little joys come to life from those pages as well. 

It makes for a memorable story and we remember the truths taught even more.

And remember to treat your friends special!
 

Here's to you, Jumper!

and you too, Swimmer!

Our little Toad and Frog....

Little Creatures Great and Small

Just this week I wrote about and shared  some simple backyard treasures of nature.  Today we found 2 more.

Two Garden Spiders.  Don't cringe yet.... If you like spiders, continue reading.... I have come to appreciate one of the most fascinating creatures we've studied in our home school science lessons.   

Argiope aurantia.... commonly known as the Black and Yellow Garden Spider, the Writer Spider or the Corn Spider.  This spider is completely harmless to humans.  It is an orb weaver.  Females weave a web up to 2 feet in diameter.  In the middle of the web, you will see a zigzag of silk woven in.  This is called the stabilimentum.   Some say the spider uses this for camouflage to hide behind in its web.  Others say it attracts insects to the web, or warns birds that a web is nearby.  Only a spider active during the daylight hours builds a stabilimentum in its web.

Today, the stabilimentum had done its job.  This Argiope Spider had found lunch..... a bumble bee.  I felt bad for the bumble bee.  We were able to see the spider with its prey.  It wasn't very pretty.  I'm sure the spider was thrilled though.

My 10 year old son was on one side of the web and I handed him my camera.  These were some interesting pictures he took.

"Images through the spider's web....."

Favorite Garden Photos

Come take a walk through our garden..... I love to take photos of our flowers.  Here is just a peek at some of the plants that blessed us this year.

Colored sunflower mix, Black eyed Susans in the background

Colored sunflower mix

Mammoth sunflower leaves and Philip's hand

Husky Cherry Reds and Better Boys

Sweet Mint

Mammoth sunflower

Philip's Zinnia

Joseph and his Mammoth sunflower

Petunias

Black Eyed Susan bulb

Purple coneflower

Mammoth sunflower shoots

Joseph's Mammoth sunflowers about 2 weeks old

Coreopsis

Our wildflower mini meadow of June

Coreopsis Tinctoria

Shasta Daisies

Cosmos

Mammoth sunflower

To God be the glory!