Stunning birds of prey gripped the attention of the students who attended the second of our Animal Encounters sessions after school.
Gary and Keith from The Cumberland Birds of Prey Centre brought along an eagle owl, a barn owl, a Harris hawk and a morepork owl (also known as the boobook owl – New Zealand’s only native species of owl).
As well as having a thrilling opportunity to hold the birds and watch the barn owl’s and Harris hawk’s flying skills, the students learnt an array of feathery facts… We all know that birds that are active at night are ‘nocturnal’, but did you know that animals active during daylight hours are referred to as ‘diurnal’? And those that appear during the twilight hours are ‘crepuscular’?
Year 8 students Abigail and Phoebe said, “It’s been fascinating and really cool to learn some more about wildlife.”
Thank you to our Open Spaces Lead, Mrs Booker for organising the event. The next Animal Encounter will be a pony grooming experience, where students will have a chance to groom a Shetland pony and learn how to look after one.
