Cam in the Classroom
Mrs. Gingerich’s First Class
Grace Christian School
South Market Street, Staunton, VA
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
Hi! Our class is excited to talk with you today.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Hello Mrs. Gingerich's Class! I'm excited to talk to you!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Have you been watching our Critter Cams?
Comment From Lydia, PA ♥ ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ♥
Hello Mrs. Gingerich's Class!
Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
Yes, we love seeing all of the animals.
Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
We don't see the bear cubs. They must be sleeping. Should we go to the black vulture instead?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
You can or you can watch Maggie our education Peregrine Falcon!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
She just celebrated her first hatch-day!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Right now you can see her people watching. She is a very curious falcon.
Cam in the Classroom: Mrs. Gingerich’s First Grade Class
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Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
Happy 1st Hatch-Day Maggie!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
We celebrated with cake and Maggie even got presents!
Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
What kind of cake does a falcon eat?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Well the Wildlife Center of Virginia staff had cake and Maggie got some delicious mice and a couple of
toys.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Here is a video of the celebration. It's a little long, but you can always come back to it later.
Chapin Hardy, WCV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqijQGOrlWQ
Comment From Lydia, PA ♥ ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ♥
Maggie go treats in her binkie kong gift!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
You can even see her unwrapping her present!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Falcons have really long toes with sharp talons. Those talons help them eat their prey!
Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
How much does a falcon eat each day?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
That depends on the type of falcon!
Cam in the Classroom: Mrs. Gingerich’s First Grade Class
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Chapin Hardy, WCV:
At the Wildlife Center we have two education falcons! Maggie ...
Chapin Hardy, WCV
Maggie the Peregrine Falcon
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
and we have Edie the American Kestrel!
Chapin Hardy, WCV
Cam in the Classroom: Mrs. Gingerich’s First Grade Class
Page 3
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Maggie gets 80 grams of mice or chicks each day
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
and Edie, who is much smaller, gets 30 grams of mice
Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
Edie is beautiful! Will we get to see Edie when we visit next week?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Definitely! Edie is one of my favorites!
Chapin Hardy, WCV
Chapin and Edie
Comment From Lydia, PA ♥ ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ♥
Edie is such a little drama queen...Love her too
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
She does have lots of personality!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Edie is especially cool because Kestrels are the smallest species of falcon in the United States!
Cam in the Classroom: Mrs. Gingerich’s First Grade Class
Page 4
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They are small but mighty! They have a special sharp hooked beak to help them kill and eat their prey.
Chapin Hardy, WCV
Edie's tomial tooth
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The red arrow is pointing to what is called the tomial tooth and that helps her cut her food like a fork
and knife!
Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
What are Edie and Maggie's favorite foods?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They love mice and chicks!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Maggie gets especially excited when it is time to eat!
Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
How much can Maggie carry in her talons at one time?
Cam in the Classroom: Mrs. Gingerich’s First Grade Class
Page 5
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Oooh! That is a good question! I'm not entirely sure, but Peregrine Falcons are known to hunt ducks. Let
me see if I can find you a number really quickly!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
I can't find an exact number, but a mallard duck can weigh up to three pounds
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
A Peregrine Falcons often go after pigeons and doves for their food too.
Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
How many miles can Maggie fly before resting?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They can fly for a long time. They will often migrate down to South American during the fall.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
And on average will fly at 25-35 miles per hour.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
When they are chasing prey they can go up to 70 miles per hour.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
And when they do a stoop dive to ambush their prey, they can reach more than 200 miles per hour!!!!
Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
Where do Peregrine Falcons live in the world?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The word Peregrine comes from the Latin word wanderer. These birds are found all over the world
except Antarctica and a few oceanic islands.
Cam in the Classroom: Mrs. Gingerich’s First Grade Class
Page 6
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They are quite the wanderers aren't they?
Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
How big are Maggie's talons?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Her longest toe (middle toe) is two inches long! Let me see if I have a picture for you!
Chapin Hardy, WCV
Falcon feet!
Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
How much does Maggie weigh and old is she?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Maggie weighs 800 grams (1.7 pounds) and she just turned one this past Friday! May 1 was her first
hatch-day!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
She will soon be getting her adult feathers!
Cam in the Classroom: Mrs. Gingerich’s First Grade Class
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Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Just look how much she has changed!
Chapin Hardy, WCV
Her feet are changing color!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
And when she is done molting (losing her old feathers and growing in new ones) she will look like this ...
Cam in the Classroom: Mrs. Gingerich’s First Grade Class
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Chapin Hardy, WCV
Chayton the Peregrine Falcon (2012)
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Chayton sadly passed away in 2013.
Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
How long is Maggie's beak?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Hmmm! It does change. Their beaks continue to grow like our hair and fingernails.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
But Miss Amanda and I think her beak is about 1-1.5 inches. It's hard to tell since her beak is curved.
Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
Wow! This has been so much fun! We have many more questions but we have to go home soon.
Cam in the Classroom: Mrs. Gingerich’s First Grade Class
Page 9
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Well we can always schedule more Cam in the Classroom sessions and we are so looking forward to your
visit!
Comment From Mrs. Gingerichs 1st Grade
We can't wait until next week when we can come to the Wildlife Center and see more animals. We'll
bring our questions too! Thank you!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Excellent and it was my pleasure!
Comment From MAK, PA
Tough questions! Thanks for wanting to learn.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Those were some excellent questions!
Comment From katiesmom
Edie loves when people come to vist with her.
Comment From CarolinaGirl ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ♥
Edie likes company!
Comment From CarolinaGirl ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ♥
Great questions class. Hope you have a great visit next week!
Cam in the Classroom: Mrs. Gingerich’s First Grade Class
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