May 17

Red tailed hawks

If you’ve seen a bird flying in the sky over Rose Canyon, it might be a Red Tailed Hawk. Red Tail Hawks are amazing birds that have a red tail and sore super fast through the air! These high flying birds can spot their prey from really high and swoop down at amazing speeds.

A hawk's eye

A hawk’s eye

Red tailed hawks hunt from the air. As they circle and soar, they can spot their prey from 165 feet (or 30 meters) up in the air.  That’s about ten stories high. They can swoop down at speeds up to 120 miles per hours. When they dive they grab the prey from their claws and bring it up to it teeth and eat it. When they fly straight they go about 20 to 40 miles per hour.

Red tailed hawk are about the most common hawk in America. These hawks are sometimes the seen as Red Shoulder Hawks. If it has a red tail it’s a red tailed hawk.

There are many other cool facts about a red tailed hawk. The oldest red tailed hawk is 28 years and  10 month old. Red tailed hawks eat mice and owls.They can eat them in two gulps.The real name of the red tailed hawk is  Buteo jamaicensis. The wing span of a red tailed hawk is 0.6 meters.

The for Reading.If you want to learn more go to these links: http://worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar248760&st=hawks# and this is another one http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/red-tailed-hawk/.


Photo Credit: Jack Wolf via Compfight

Category: Edublogs Challenge, Student Posts | 2 Comments on Red tailed hawks
May 17

Amazing gopher snakes

The San Diego Gopher Snake’s habitat includes Rose Canyon in San Diego.

People think of all snakes as a rattlesnakes, a venomous snake but did you know there is a non venomous kind of snake that lives here in San Diego too? This snake eats pesky rodents, is not dangerous, and helps people by killing rodents. It’s a San Diego Gopher Snake! Gopher snakes are also called bull snakes. Does it eat gophers? How does it catch its prey? What does it look like? What’s the difference between a gopher snake and a rattlesnake? Keep reading and find out!

What does a gopher snake look like? A gopher snake is long and sometimes up to 9 feet but 4 feet is more common. It is  long and skinny and it has no rattle. Its colors are dark brown, red, and yellow. Gopher snakes have bright, shiny scales

What does a gopher snakes eat? A gopher snake eat mice and rodents and gophers. A gopher snake sneaks up on its prey wrap around its prey and squeezes its prey to death. When the animal is dead, it swallows the prey whole. Gopher snakes are helpful to humans because they eat eat mice and  rodents.

People kill gopher snakes because they think they are rattlesnakes. So, how do you know if a snake is a gopher snake or a rattle snake? A rattlesnake has a fat body, a gopher snake has a thin body. A rattle snake has a rattle and  a gopher snake does not have a rattle. Rattlesnakes have poison and gopher snakes do not have poison. Rattlesnakes have a triangular face gopher snakes have a thin face.Rattlesnakes have cat eyes gopher snakes do not have cat eyes. Next time you see a snake be careful because maybe it’s not a rattlesnake but a gopher snake.

I think gopher snakes are amazing animals and they help people. There are all kinds of gopher snakes that live along the west coast of the United States. Lets not think they are all rattlesnakes and let’s not kill them! Remember if you see a snake it may not be a rattlesnake but a gopher snake!

Category: Student Posts, Uncategorized | 1 Comment on Amazing gopher snakes
May 17

Ravens in the sky

A raven flying.

Have you ever seen a black bird with a knife like beak or heard them too around school or in Rose Canyon? These birds are very loud. If you have you probably saw a raven. Ravens look like tall, black, and pretty overweight for a bird. Now follow me into an adventure into the sky.

When Ravens get hungry they go hunting for example. bird eggs, rodents, grains, seabirds, worms, insects or dead bodies of other animals berries, fruit, cereal grain, food waste. So now you know what ravens eat its kind of disturbing but its what they eat. They like it so yeah that’s what they eat. Ravens eat anything easy to catch.

Ravens live in many different places like the northern hemisphere is one place. Another is the Mediterranean, forests, and rocky coast. They live in other places like the tundra, grasslands. And strangely the artic.

Ravens look like crows but they are bigger and longer tails. They have knife like beaks. And come in many different size and shapes. They could be blue and shiny or normally really black.When ravens are babies they look chubby and fluffy. When they are grownups the look tall and skinny, and look like they have small legs. They have a wingspan of 46 inches.

Ravens are very smart, sometimes, they even take our lunches! They are very interesting animals. If you want to read more about Ravens try national geographic.com or common ravens.com. Those are some of the web sites you can try.

Category: Edublogs Challenge, Student Posts | 1 Comment on Ravens in the sky
May 17

Tricky Trapdoor Spiders

She's a Mother!

She’s a mother!

I am going to tell you about the California Trapdoor Spider at Rose Canyon. They are amazing creatures that are actually different than a normal spider. They don’t build a web the actually live under ground! If you would like to learn more keep reading.

What does a Trapdoor Spider look like? A Trapdoor Spider looks like a tarantula but smaller and less hairy. It is brown and it has thick short legs. It is about the size of a 9 year’s old hand. This TrapDoor Spider has big jaws that are good for hunting insects.

 Where does a Trapdoor Spider live? Instead of a web a Trapdoor Spider lives in a burrow built in a hill made out of cool moist soil. It makes a door for of spider silk. When a Trapdoor builds its burrow it makes tunnels, 1 to go to the other two tunnels, 2 to get to the place where the eggs are laid and, 3 the place where they sleep.

What do they eat? A Trapdoor Spider eats insects like grasshoppers, bees, ants,  flies, moths, butterflies, and other small spiders. Do you wonder how they hunt? Because I can tell you. First the Trapdoor Spider will wait by the door, then when he hears an insect crawling by he will jump out and kill it with its venom.

 Well now you know all things about the California TrapDoor Spider, what it eats, how it eats, where it lives and what it looks like!

 Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Stavros Markopoulos via Compfight Canyon

Category: Edublogs Challenge, Student Posts | 5 Comments on Tricky Trapdoor Spiders
May 17

Awesome Owls

I think owls are awesome animals. They have thick bodies and strong hooked beaks to eat little animals. They grab animals with their sharp claws or talons. Most of the owls species have feathers on their legs and toes. The owl has feathers covering the beak.

Owls have feathers sticking up on their head that look like ears, but these are not ears! Their ears are on the side of their head.  The feathers sticking up on their head are like satellites and the noise reflects off the feathers and into their ears.

Owls come in different sizes.  For example, the elf owl is only 6 inches long! The largest owl is the great gray owl which is up to 30 inches long and its wingspan is around 5 feet wide!!

Owls eat mice,rats,moles,squirrels and skunks.They also eat insects.They kill the animal with their  talons then they rip it to

Funny - A Hoot

Funny! A Hoot Owl

shreds. Owls communicate with each other by making “whooo” noises. They tell each other if there is danger, also they ask each other for help in capturing animals that are too big for one owl to pick up!

Category: Edublogs Challenge, Student Posts | 4 Comments on Awesome Owls
May 17

Native Plants

The White Sage plant is native and grows in Rose Canyon.

What are some Native Plants in Rose Canyon, you ask? Well Rose Canyon has lots of different native plants that are native to the county of San Diego, California. Rose Canyon has lots of native plants like White Sage, Black Sage, and Poison Oak.

There are lots of sages like White Sage and Black Sage. White Sage, Salvia Apiana, bee sage, or sacred sage in English is a very strong scented plant, that is native to the southern coastal side of California and the eastern coastal side of California, mostly found in the coastal sage scrub habitat of Southern California and Baja California.

White sage has a white appearance in the light and in the dark. White sage can also be called Salvia Apiana, another name for white sage is Bee sage.This plant is native because,  the Native people used this sage at the bottom of their bowl to keep the bugs away, and keep their precious acorns good, with the plants strong scent.White Sage blooms lots of flowers in the fall, There flowers are a white daisy-ish like flower.

Another native Sagebrush is called Black Sage, is also called Salvia Mellifera. Salvia Mellifera is a small plant that has a very strong scent. Black Sage is native to California. It is most common in the coastal side of Southern California and northern Baja California.

Black sage has a dark appearance, especially during a drought. Black Sage just like white stage, this plant is native because, the Native people used this sage at the bottom of their bowl to keep the bugs away, and keep their precious acorns fresh, with the plants strong scent. Also just like White Sage,Black Sage blooms lots of pretty flowers but these flowers are different, these flowers color is not a black flower, it is actually a dark purple-is color flower.

Did you know that poison oak is a native plant? Well, it is. This three leafed plant, toxicodendron  diversilobum also called Poison oak can be poisonous but a great medicine. The Native people from long ago would scrap of the poisonous oils and mush up the plant up and use it for medicine but, safety is first and NEVER touch poison oak, it can cause a major rash.

There are lots of native plants in rose canyon like, White and black sage, and poison oak. Some can be dangerous and some can attract lots of buzzing bees. So…..always  remember always safety first!

 

Category: Edublogs Challenge, Student Posts | 2 Comments on Native Plants
May 17

Barn Owls

Everyone is Fond of Owls

Everyone is fond of owls.

You have probably been to Rose Canyon before, and if you have you probably have seen or heard about a Barn Owl. Barn owls are very interesting animals and I am going to tell you about what they look like, when they do not need their parents, what they eat, and where they live. But what is a Barn Owl you might ask? A barn owl is a type of owl that lives in canyons, such as Rose Canyon.

There are a lot of barn owls that live in Rose Canyon.  They live in very big nests so the whole family can nest including the young. They like to nest in very tall trees, such as an Oak Tree. The tall trees protect them from predators.

Have you ever wondered when owls don’t need their parents? Well, until the first born is 2 weeks old the female must constantly look over her chicks. The female can leave her chicks at home when they are all at least 2 weeks old to go hunting. The chicks can go hunting alone for their own food when they are 17 days old.

Most barn owls eat meat. Some of the meats they hunt and eat are mice, rats, moles, and other small animals. The male will hunt at night. Then he will bring the food back to his family.

Barn owls actually aren’t the only owls that live in Rose Canyon. There is also a type of owl called a Great Horned owl. So when ever you go to Rose Canyon make sure to look out for those owls!

Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Brandon Warren via Compfight

Category: Edublogs Challenge, Student Posts | 4 Comments on Barn Owls
May 17

Red-tailed bird of prey

Red-tailed Hawk flying high.

Red-tail Hawks are awesome birds that have a red tail and sore super high in the air. These high flying birds can spot a mouse from over 100 feet away and they swoop down twenty miles an hour to grab their prey. Surprise!

Red-tailed hawks are beautiful birds. Red tailed hawks can have a wingspan up to four feet long. They fly 70 to 100 feet high. You can tell the difference between them and other hawks because they have red tails. Their tails aren’t completely red its mostly rust colored.

Red-tail hawks have an interesting diet.  They eat frogs, lizards, salamanders, toads, crayfish, centipedes, spiders, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, earthworms, and fish. They eat all kinds of birds like bobwhites, crows, woodpeckers, and small owls. The hawk swoops down at amazing speed, like 120 miles an hour, and snatches the prey with its talons, and squeezes the prey until its talons sink into its body.

Red-tail hawks have an interesting family life. When they mate they do a little dance in the air. They do a dive bomb then spiral around each other. Red-tail hawks lay their eggs in nests in trees. When the adults take off for food the babies hop on the ground looking for small food such as spiders, insects, and lizards.

Red-tail hawks are very large and beautiful creatures that sore super high in the air. I think they are very interesting creatures.If you see something flying very high chances are it’s a hawk, and maybe even a Red-tailed hawk.

Photo-credit: By Bear golden retriever from auburn,ny, usa (04.27.09  Uploaded by berichard) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Category: Edublogs Challenge, Student Posts | 1 Comment on Red-tailed bird of prey
May 17

Cooper’s Hawk, a bird of prey

A Cooper’s Hawk is a bird of prey and is often found in the canyons of San Diego, like Rose Canyon. I’m going to tell you about Cooper’s Hawks–where they live, what they eat, and what they look like. I chose this animal because I think they are interesting and amazing birds.

Cooper’s Hawks can be found anywhere between Southern Canada and Northern Mexico. Some Cooper’s Hawks spend the winter in Panama. The Cooper’s Hawk used to not live in cities. Now they live in cities, in the woodlands, and mountain forests.

Cooper’s Hawks vary in size depending on the region they are in. The ones from Western North America are smaller than the ones from the East. A Cooper’s Hawk is a medium sized hawk. The male is smaller than the female. Males weighs between 7 to 14 ounces which is less than one pound.  Females are between 1-2 pounds.  Males are 14-18 inches tall.  Females are 17-20 inches tall.  These hawks have short wings and long tails.  They have sharp talons (sharp claws) and hooked beaks for catching and eating prey. They have brown spots on a white tummy. Adults have red eyes and juveniles have yellow eyes with a brown cap or head. In the hawk family they are medium sized compared to other hawks.

Cooper’s Hawks can eat lots of different kinds of small animals like rats, mice, and other rodents. They also eat small animals like rabbits and squirrels. They mostly eat small to medium sized birds like a house wren. When a hawk sees an animal that is flying, it swoops down, grabs, and brings the prey back to the nest. After catching an animal, it squeezes the prey with its sharp talons until the animal dies then the hawk eats it.

The Cooper’s Hawk is a very interesting bird that can be found right in your backyard. They can be helpful by eating your rats. They are fun to watch. If you are very lucky, you might see one swoop down and catch a bird in mid-air.

Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Vicki DeLoach via Compfight Cooper’s Hawks

Category: Edublogs Challenge, Student Posts | 1 Comment on Cooper’s Hawk, a bird of prey
May 17

About Rattlesnakes

Have you ever wondered what kind of creature is a rattlesnake? A rattlesnake is very sleek and quiet when they are little because they only have one rattle so it doesn’t make a sound. How cool is that! Ready to learn more, then keep on reading!

Diamondback Rattlesnake

 A rattlesnake is a very dangerous kind of snake because of its very poisonous venom. The venom destroys your body tissue. It comes up through the rattlesnake’s body starting from its venom pouch inside it. The baby rattlesnake is the most dangerous. It is the most dangerous because it can’t control how much venom so it just puts all of its venom in you when you get bit.

 A rattlesnake looks like a regular snake with a rattle. Of course it has scales, it has a rattle, and some have unusual patterns like the western diamondback looks like it has diamonds on its back. A rattlesnake has a pair of very large folding back fangs that venom shoots out of, and finally tiny in the back of its mouth, the tiny teeth are like front teeth in the place where your molar teeth are.

A rattlesnake is called a rattlesnake because of the rattle. Its rattle is called a rattle because it makes a (very annoying) rattling sound. This sound sounds like a very loud SHHH. That sound warns people nearby to go away otherwise the rattlesnake is going to start striking. The rattlesnake always rattles before striking. Sometimes when the rattlesnake moves the rattle on its tail rattles because of the movement. They make the rattling sound when the rattles clank together.

Now that you know about rattlesnakes you will have to remember to always get away when you hear a rattlesnake’s rattle rattling!

Category: Student Posts | 1 Comment on About Rattlesnakes
May 17

Itchy, Scratchy, Poison Oak

This poison oak is flowering.

Do you know the saying, “Leaves of three, let them be.”?  Did you know it is about poison oak? Poison oak is called poison oak for a reason, it’s poisonous. Poison oak is a plant that can be either a vine or sometimes a bush. There are different kinds of poison oak. West Poison Oak grows in the canyons around San Diego. Rose Canyon is full of poison oak. . It grows all along the west coast from Baja California, to California, to British Columbia in Canada.

Poison oak looks very different at different times of the year. In the fall the leaves get red and orange. In winter, the three leaves separate and fall off and we touch them thinking they are normal leaves. In spring poison oak has new leaves of three so let them be. Lastly, in summer they are still like spring and they grow berries and flowers that are poisonous. One very poisonous part of poison oak is the berries. They have greenish flowers and poisonous waxy white berries. The berries on poison oak are as poisonous as the leaf. If you ever come up to poison oak or berries and flowers The poison oil, on the leaves react to our skin when we touch the leaves surface. When we touch the leaf its oils itches our skin. Its oils react to our oils on our skin and the rash is a red blistering rash. Which causes a rash that if you don’t cure right away it will get worse because its oils will spread onto our oils.

Some animals don’t react to poison oak. Deer actually eat poison oak and they don’t get a reaction at all! Birds hide themselves in it so they stay unreachable from predators that react to poison oak. The birds aren’t bothered by the poison oak.

When you go to a canyon make sure you don’t touch any plants with three leaves. A way to remember it is “ Leaves of three let them be”. Remember it’s Toxicodendron Diversilobum (poison oaks real name).

 By Eeekster (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Category: Edublogs Challenge, Health, Student Posts | 2 Comments on Itchy, Scratchy, Poison Oak