The Haunted Shipyard Mystery
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What Is This Video?
Brad and Oliver are sent by Plum to investigate mysterious sounds in a shipyard. Does a ghost live there? A vampire? Vampires on parade? Hop in the bubble and find out!
Conversation Starters
Ask:
Why does the peregrine falcon try to scare off the boys? (To keep them from gobbling up the local food supply [rats] or harming its chicks.)
What are some reasons that cities make great places for falcons to live? (Plenty of food to eat, street lights aid hunting at night, updrafts between tall buildings make flying easier, high ledges provide safe places to nest.)
How do city people benefit from birds of prey (hunters)? (The birds keep animal pests from overpopulating. They also draw tourists!)
Explore Some More
Fancy Nesting
Birds weave nests out of twigs, grass, and other simple materials. Yet they’re strong and just the right size and shape for their eggs. Tour the city and look for nests on high ledges, in trees, and under roofs and overpasses (with binoculars if you have a pair). Take photos and note the nest’s location, shape, and the materials used to make it.
If you like, report your data to NestWatch, where you can also learn to build a nest box.
What makes great nesting materials? To find out, stuff a gauze, net, or cheesecloth bag with some of the following: Yarn, string, thread, fabric scraps, cotton balls, hair, cat or dog fur, dried grass, strips of aluminum foil or other shiny objects, etc. Pull part of the materials through the holes so that they stick out. Hang your station from a tree and watch which materials birds take to build their nests.
Curriculum Topics
ecosystems, animal survival
Activity Type
indoor and outdoor
Standards