Winter Field Trips

Reprinted from The Wild Times Teacher Connection v3n2, Winter 1998.

This is the first in a series of articles that appeared in The Teacher Connection on ideas, tips, and techniques for planning and carrying out field trips to related topics in The Wild Times.

Part I: Wetland Field Trips
Part II: Winter Field Trips
Part III: Nocturnal Field Trips

Field trips in temperate areas do not have to be limited to Spring, Summer and Fall. Winter is actually a great time to observe many mammals and bird species that are winter residents of your area.

Not all birds fly South for the Winter. The birds that do migrate to warmer climates for the Winter do so because their food sources are not available during our colder Winter months. For example, Robins that eat earthworms and caterpillars, and hummingbirds whose main food source is nectar from flowers would surely not survive our Winters.

The birds that do stay are generally seed eaters such as the finches, Cardinals and Bluejays, the woodpeckers that are able to locate insects over-wintering under the bark of trees, and the raptors, such as hawks and owls, that eat other birds and small mammals. You also might be fortunate enough to have bird species who over-winter in your area, but spend the rest of the year in more Northern latitudes.

As you walk around your school grounds or local nature trail, have students look for and try to identify natural birdfoods such as berries and seeds that are still hanging on trees and bushes. Many of these will be really obvious because of bright colors and the fact that all the deciduous trees have lost all of their leaves. DonÕt forget to point out seed heads on grasses and other herbaceous plants, especially if you are trekking through fields or meadows. Of course, the easiest way to observe birds in the Winter is to put up feeders outside the classroom windows with various types of seed, fruits and suet to attract the greatest variety of birds. Students can then keep a tally of the different species of birds that are observed coming to the feeders as well as the type of food they were observed eating. It is possible that students might use the resulting data to draw a correlation between the beak types and the types of food eaten. If the ground is snow-covered, it presents a perfect opportunity to discover and learn about animal tracks. Not only can students attempt to identify the tracks, (there are many field guides available that include animal tracks) but they can hypothesize on what the animal was doing. For example, was the animal walking, running, or standing? Was the animal drinking or eating, and if eating, what was the food? Was the animal pursuing or being pursued?

If you live in an area that has little or no snow, it is still possible to put a light sprinkling of wheat powder along a nature path or known animal path. Of course, you can always focus on areas around water-holes or along the edge of swamps or bogs. The wheat powder and mud both provide a canvas for the paw and hoof prints of the resident animals.

If the ground is soft and muddy and an animal was walked through it, you can make a plaster cast of the track to take back to the classroom. For this, you need to mix approximately equal amounts of plaster-of-paris and water. Mix well and pour into the track. Let it set for about ten minutes. Conditions like air temperature and moisture content can affect your Òset-upÓ time. When the mixture has set, just lift the plaster cast out of the track.

For the truly adventurous and earthy types, there are field guides for identifying various types of ÒscatÓ (animal droppings). This identification is based on scat size, shape, consistency, and, in some cases, content. Students can even determine what the diet of the animal has been. This exercise is NOT for the faint of heart!

Materials

The minimum recommended equipment for a Winter field trip is:

Binoculars for spotting birds and mammals.
Field guides to birds, mammals, tracks, scat, trees & bushes.
Small plastic bottle containing water.
ÒZip LockÓ bag of plaster-of-paris.
One (1) pound coffee can to mix the water and plaster-of-paris.
Old tablespoon for mixing.

Proper dress is also important. In Northern areas, students should wear waterproof footwear and warm socks. If possible, they should always dress in layers including thermal underwear tops and bottoms, shirt, pants, sweater and wind-proof jacket. DonÕt forget the hats and gloves since 50% of the bodyÕs heat loss occurs through the uncovered head. Lastly, the students should not wear their outerwear during an automobile or bus trip to the field.

When you have your students all bundled up, and you are embarking on the Winter field trip with clouds of frosty breath and rosy cheeks, remember to enjoy yourself. The outdoors in Winter has a stark beauty all of its own. Take the time to teach the students to absorb the muted colors, smells and sounds of Nature during this season and you will have given them a gift to last a lifetime.

Pat is a member of The Wild Ones Advisory Council and teaches science at Indian Mills Memorial School, Shamong, NJ.

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