LESSON INFO

Author: Robert Stephens

Grade Level: High School

Subject Area: Observation of Organisms and Science Skills

Curriculum Standard: HS Biology ILO's, Classification

Materials Needed:

Bus
Each student should have binoculars

Time Needed: Most of a school day

Best season for this lesson: Spring

Background information: Bob does a unit each year about classification, and as he is a raptor enthusiast, he goes into a lot of detail. The following is his itinerary for a field trip to Antelope Island to view birds, with a particular focus on raptors and land management at the State Park. This experience requires some advance planning: reservation of transportation, informing parents of the trip, gaining permission (though permission slips), arranging for students to take a day off from other classes to participate in the field trip, and arranging for guest speakers/chaperones, arranging for lunches, collecting money from students (if necessary). HawkWatch International education staff are available to speak or help lead these activities for TALONS teachers.

Field Trip Itinerary

7:30 departure from Alta High in school bus.  Expect to reach the guard shack at the causeway around 8:45.

8:45  Meet HawkWatch at the entrance to causeway.  Along the road prior to causeway we will be looking for raptors and raptor protection devices along the power lines.  I plan on have the kids get out of the bus at that time also to look for various birds around there.  Id Raptors and shorebirds all along the causeway.

9:15  Meet Jolin (a State Wildlife Biologist) at the Marina.  We will then proceed to the visitor center to see if we can see the nesting Burrowing owls.  She will talk to us about the management of different raptors on the Island.  We then plan to drive around the island identifying different birds along the way to the Peregrine tower.  We will set up the spotting scopes and see if we can observe them nesting.  We are also planning to take the kids on a small walk were we can have a good vantage point.  Finally we will head down to the ranch to see the nesting Great horned owls.

11:45  We need to leave the island so that the kids can get lunch and we can return to Alta High School at 2:00pm