At 5:45 in the morning, Shaver’s Creek’s raptor center is a very different place than it is during daylight hours. Owls, as we so often say, are nocturnal. The owls at Shaver’s Creek are no exception, so when raptor center intern Emily Hurley and I entered the owl enclosures in preparation for an early morning…
The Naturalist Notebook
Welcome to the Shaver’s Creek blog! The entries here are posted by staff, interns, and volunteers, and aim to keep you informed about the programs, updates, and natural history happenings here at the Creek. Enjoy!
This post was written the week of November 13th. As the fall season continues to approach winter’s frigid arrival, moves are being made in the Raptor Center to adapt to the seasonal transition. Though our birds are winter-hardy, there are many things we can do to provide a more comfortable abode for the winter weather…
If you haven’t joined us for Kid’s Corner yet, you still have the chance to join the fun! Kids Corner is a free two-hour program for toddlers and pre-K children with accompanying adults. This season we are learning all about patterns. There are all kinds of patterns in nature. So far we’ve learned about texture,…
On Saturday, November 8, Hawk Mountain hosted Golden Eagle Day. Shaver’s Creek staff has participated in this program for several years and invited current interns to attend for professional development. Jason Beale, program director of live animal care, and Jon Kauffman, raptor center assistant, facilitated three shows that focused on bird of prey adaptations and…
The fall season has so much to offer. Whether it is the beauty of the changing leaves or just the crisp air, there is something interesting for everyone. The plethora of leaf litter and dead flowers brings dreadful anticipation of winter to some, but to others, this is one of the best times of the…
“We’ll sing you in, we’ll sing you out, we’ll even raise a mighty shout—HOORAY! Hail, hail, the gang’s all here, welcome to Outdoor School … HOO-AH!” These are the first few words every student hears as they put down the windows on the bus before they hop off and begin their week-long adventure at Outdoor…
We are all seeing the telltale signs of fall: colored leaves, brisk evenings, shaved cornfields, and pumpkin flavored everything. At Shaver’s Creek, the signs of the impending Fall Harvest Festival are appearing like the leaves in your yard. As the large orange pumpkin signs at the end of Charter Oak Road and other spots around…
The fall season at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center is building momentum. The fall season out here starts at about 500 MPH and continues so until the beginning of November, when the waves of programs and events begin to slow down. On Monday, September 15th the summer 2014 season review took place, marking the official close…
“Can you imagine being the age you are today and to never have been in the woods?” Campers are stunned as their counselor Acorn (Kayla Czekaj) poses this unbelievable question to them after a reading of Dr. Suess’ The Lorax. As they sit in Fox’s Den, surrounded by trees and the chirping birds, they are…
Almost every Friday night during the summer, around 8:30 pm, a large group of families and summer camp staff gather in Grasshopper Glen, behind the raptor center, as the launching place for night hikes. Once everyone has arrived, the camp director introduces the night hikes—speaking of the beauty of the night, the sounds that emerge…