Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

Raptor Camp 2015

Lesson Plan: Day 2- June 23

Age Group:

  • Grades 5-8 (ages 11-14)

Lesson Topics:

  • What is a hawk?
  • What is an accipiter?
  • What is a buteo?
  • What is a harrier?
  • How can we use a silhouette to identify a hawk?
  • What is “kettling” and how is it used by buteos such as Broad-wingedHawks?
  • Meet a raptor scientist
  • What is a falcon?
  • How can we use a silhouette to identify a falcon?
  • What are the stages of growth and development for hawks, falcons, and other diurnal raptors?
  • Why do scientists use banding on raptors?
  • What is habitat loss?
  • Meet a craftsman to build a kestrel nest box.

Lesson Objectives:

  1. Students will understand the following description of hawks: diurnal, small to medium sized birds of prey with broad rounded wings and a long tail. This will be done through the viewing of photos on Raptorpedia “Raptors at Hawk Mountain” on HMS website, the observation of a live Red-tailed Hawk, and a journal sketch entry.
  1. Students will comprehend the differences between accipiters, buteos, and harriers: wing size and shape, tail type, and flight characteristics. This will be accomplished through the observation of: Raptorpedia “How to Identify Hawks” on HMS website, photos of each type of hawk, an accipiter mount, a buteo mount, and a harrier mount, hawk wings and tails, video of each type of hawk flying, and a “flight- flapping activity” which allows students to act out flight patterns.
  1. Accipiter flight-
  2. Buteo flight-
  3. Harrier flight-
  1. Students will discover which category of hawks the following examples fall into:
  2. Buteos- Red-tailed Hawk, Broad-wingedHawk, Red-shouldered Hawk
  3. Accipiters- Cooper’s Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern goshawk
  4. Harriers- Northern harrier

This will be done through an identification activitywhich usesVelcro pictures of Hawks flying (from Raptorpedia “Raptors of Hawk Mountain”) and categories in which to place them.

  1. Students will know how to identify a Hawk from its silhouette.Hawk silhouettes on posts will be visual aids used with binoculars.
  1. Students will understand kettling and the advantages it gives to Broad-winged Hawks such as conserving energy.This will be done through a kettling mobile craft and a You Tube video found at .
  1. Students will meet a scientist working with Broad-winged Hawks nesting in the area and will understand the importance of scientists’ research in conservation.A scientist will do a presentation about her work. It will include showing and explaining a satellite telemetry unit and the maps that are generated from the data. Broad-winged Project can be found at HMS website at
  1. Students will learn the characteristics of a falcon: long, pointed wings withlong tailsand a distinct powered flight. This will be accomplished through the viewing of Raptorpedia “How to Identify Hawks” on the HMS website, photos, peregrine falcon flight videos, the observation of a live American kestrel falcon, falcon wings and tails, falcon mounts, and a journal sketch entry.
  2. Falcon dive-
  3. Falcon flight- (merlin)
  1. Students will be familiar with the following species of falcons: Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, and American Kestrel.Photos fromRaptorpedia “Hawk Species at Hawk Mountain” on HMS websiteand taxidermy mounts of peregrine, merlin, andkestrelwill be used for this purpose.
  1. Students will know how to identify a falcon from its silhouette.A falcon silhouette on a post will be a visual aid used with binoculars.
  1. Students will be familiar with the different stages of growth and development that raptors undergo including: egg incubation, hatching, feeding, growth, plumage development, and fledging.This will be done by viewing video clips from HMS’s Kestrel Webcam; American Kestrel replica egg.
  1. Students will learn about bird banding, its importance in conservation, and why scientists use banding on raptors to study raptor populations.This will be accomplished through a kestrel webcam clip and the journaling essay question: “Why do you think that scientists use bird banding?” Allow students to brainstorm ideas. Show the following link from HMS website:
  1. Students will meet with a craftsman to build kestrel nest boxes in order to help a declining population. Students will learn that habitat loss is one reason for declining numbers.A HMS Operations craftsmen will help the students to build kestrel nest boxes.

Time Required:

  • 9 am-12pm for Hawk topics and activities at the education building
  • 12pm-12:30/1:00pm for lunch
  • 12:30/1:00pm-3pm for falcon topics and activities at the education building

Materials Required:

  1. Hawk Mountain Sanctuary website:
  2. Smart Board
  3. Pictures of hawks (accipiters and buteos), harriers, and falcons from website (Raptorpedia)
  4. Live hawk
  5. Live falcon
  6. Falcon and hawk wings and tails
  7. Falcon and hawk replica eggs
  8. Falcon and hawk silhouettes with posts and buckets
  9. Accipiter, buteo, harrier, and falcon taxidermy mounts
  10. Kettling mobile craft materials and example (attached)
  11. Telemetry unit or picture
  12. Map of Broad-wingedHawk flight patterns from HMS website
  13. You Tube videos of hawk flight patterns (3)
  14. You Tube video of peregrine falcon dive
  15. You Tube video of falcon flight pattern
  16. Hawk Mountain’s kestrel webcam video clips
  17. Bird bands
  18. Pictures of banded birds from website
  19. Identification game
  20. Concentration game
  21. Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania
  22. Raptors of Hawk Mountain coloring book (Spanish version)
  23. Binoculars
  24. Journals, colored pencils, pencils
  25. Wood, screws/nails, screwdriver/hammer, hinges, plans (for building kestrel nest box)

Procedures:

  1. What is a hawk?

Materials: Live hawk, Smart Board, pictures of hawks from website- Raptors at Hawk Mountain, silhouettes from website- How to Identify hawks, flight videos, accipiter and buteo taxidermy mounts, hawk feathers and wings and tails, replica skull, identification game, journals, colored pencils, pencils, Atlas of Breeding Birds in America

  1. What is a Hawk?
  2. Hawks are one type of raptor (review characteristics of a raptor)
  3. Diurnal
  4. Small to medium sized birds of prey with broad rounded wings and a long tail
  5. What is an accipiter?
  6. Lives in a forest habitat
  7. Short, rounded wings
  8. Long, rudder-like tail
  9. Flight pattern is several flaps, then a glide
  10. Hunts while flying, able to dart around trees
  11. Activity: “flight- flapping activity” which allows students to act out flight patterns
  12. What is a buteo?
  13. Lives in open habitat(Red-shouldered Hawk is the exception, forest dwelling: discuss how even though it is a Buteo is has proportionally longer wings and tail for the same reason accipiters do: maneuvering in and amongst trees)
  14. Long, broad wings
  15. Wide, short, fanned tail
  16. Soar on air currents for long periods of time without flapping their wings
  17. When hunting, they either circle overhead or perch to wait for prey
  18. Activity: “flight- flapping activity” which allows students to act out flight patterns
  19. What is a harrier?
  20. Lives around marshes, meadows, open fields
  21. Wings are a “V” shape
  22. Long, narrow tail
  23. Flaps and glides, rather than soars; sometimes a dihedral like turkey vulture
  24. White rump patch and facial disc
  25. Male and female have different colors above; male = gray, female = brown
  26. Activity: “flight- flapping activity” which allows students to act out flight patterns
  27. Activity: Students will sketch the live hawk and label their drawing.
  28. Activity: Students will play an identification game to place species in the correct groups or categories.
  1. How can we use a silhouette to identify a hawk?

Materials: hawk silhouettes on posts, buckets, binoculars, concentration game

  1. How can a silhouette be used to identify a hawk?
  2. Shape and position of wings, tail, body in flight
  3. Activity:Students will view silhouettes with binoculars outside
  4. Activity: Students will play the concentration game from day one in small groups by matching silhouette cards.
  1. What is kettling and how is it used by Broad-winged Hawks?

Materials: Smart Board, kettling mobile example, craft materials, video of kettling Broad-winged Hawks

  1. Kettling is when raptors flock together and soar upward in a thermal during migration.
  2. It is used by Broad-winged Hawks to conserve energy when flying/migrating.
  3. Activity:Students will create a “kettling mobile” that will illustrate kettling in Broad-winged Hawks.
  4. Activity: Students will “kettle” like Broad-winged Hawks
  1. Meet a raptor scientist.

Materials: telemetry unit, Map of tagged Broad-winged Hawk flight patterns from HMS website, Smart Board, journals, colored pencils, pencils

  1. Students will meet with a raptor research scientist studying Broad-winged Hawks, who will give a presentation. Presentation may cover:
  2. Basic information on Broadwings, such as: habitat, food, migration
  3. Kettling and its advantages
  4. Broad-winged Hawk migration
  5. Telemetry
  6. Activity: Students will journal about two prompts- “What does this scientist do?” and “Why is this work important?”
  1. What is a falcon?

Materials: Hawk Mountain Sanctuary website for Raptorpedia links, falcon flight video, live falcon, falcon wing and tail, replica skull, peregrine and merlin taxidermy mounts, Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania, journals, colored pencils, pencils

  1. What is a falcon?
  2. Long, pointed wings
  3. Long tails
  4. Fastest raptor type
  5. Flap wings continually during flight
  6. Typically hunt while flying
  7. Activity:“flight- flapping activity” for falcon flight
  8. Activity:Students will sketch the live falcon and label their sketches.
  1. How can we use a silhouette to identify a falcon?

Materials: falcon silhouette on post and bucket, binoculars, concentration game

  1. How can we use a silhouette to identify a falcon?
  2. Shape and position of wings and tail
  3. Shape and size of body
  4. Activity:Students will view silhouettes with binoculars outside
  5. Activity:Students will play a concentration game in small groups by matching silhouette cards.
  1. What are the stages of growth and development for kestrels and other raptors?

Materials: Smart Board, access to Hawk Mountain’s kestrel webcam video clips, journal, colored pencils, pencils, replica egg

  1. What are the stages of growth and development for kestrels and other raptors?
  2. Incubation, hatching, feeding, growth, plumage development,fledging
  3. Activity: Students will watch video clips from HMS’s Kestrel Webcam and write down or sketch selected observations in their journals.
  1. Why do scientists use banding on raptors?

Materials: Kestrel Webcam clips, journals, color pencils, pencils, bird bands

  1. Why do scientists use banding on raptors?
  2. Bird banding is when scientists put colored or numbered bands onto birds so that the birds can be identified in the future.
  3. It allows scientists to study how may birds are in a given population, where they migrate to, and where their habitat is
  4. Scientists use bird banding because it is an inexpensive and easy way to track raptor populations and raptor movements.(Compare and contrast banding and discuss pros and cons, i.e. cost, reliability,type of data gathered etc.)
  5. Activity: Students will watch a video of kestrels being banded on the Kestrel Webcam.
  6. Activity: Students will answer ajournaling question: “Why do you think that scientists use banding when they could use a satellite telemetry unit instead?”
  1. What is habitat loss?

Materials: Wood, nails/screws, hinges, hammer/screwdriver, nest box plans

  1. Students will learn how nest boxes help some raptor populations by giving raptors safe places to raise their young.
  2. Activity: Students will meet with a craftsman to build an American kestrel nest box.

Reflections:

Students will journal throughout the day. They will write responses to the essential question of the day. An example of an essential question for this day might be “Compare and contrast buteos, accipiters, and harriers in a chart in your journal.” They will sketch at their leisure and in response to prompts. For example, they would be asked to sketch the liveHawk and falcon. This combination of essential questions and sketching will help students learn the similarities and differences between Hawks and falcons.