More Project Work - Owl Pellets

One of the many things we've learned through our research about raptors, is how owls eat rodents and birds whole, and then hack up the fur, feather, and bones they cannot digest. You can learn a lot about an owl by looking at what is in these pellets. Information about their habitats, eating habits, and their place in the food chain can all be gleaned from carefully picking apart a pellet, and identifying each little bone. Our little scientists worked very hard, and identified a lot of animals, including mice, shrews, voles, and birds.

Look! A hand! The first one I've ever seen in a pellet.

Using tools like picks and tweezer help a lot - but our fingers were really the best tools.

Hard at work - we spent about an hour doing this activity.

One child's meticulously curated bone collection.

One little scientist was reluctant to leave his work area, even for snack and recess.