Inter-Lakes, Sandwich students learn about birds in the field

MEREDITH — With binoculars in hand and eyes to the sky, curious elementary students transformed the Sandwich fairgrounds into a living science lab during an exhilarating Hawk Watch and data collection adventure.

This Hawk Experience is part of the Inter-Lakes Elementary School and Sandwich Central School curriculum for the upper multiage and fourth grade classrooms. Teachers Shannon McCarty Drapcho and Steve Watson from SCS and Scott McCann, Laurie Damon and Abby Jutton from ILES worked on the less to give students a new appreciation for bird migration.

The experience began with an exciting visit from the Squam Lakes Science Center, where students met a live broad-winged hawk and discovered how these remarkable raptors ride wind currents on a lengthy fall migration from New Hampshire to South America.

At the Sandwich fairgrounds, students spotted birds flying in large circles (called kettles) from miles away over Black Snout Mountain and Mount Israel. Students identified 135 Hawks plus 22 additional birds of prey using flight patterns, and wing and tail markings.

At ILES, students observed over a thousand migrating birds in Meredith. The timing was ideal, offering perfect conditions to witness these birds of prey. These observations will be submitted to the Squam Lakes Science Center to be included in their data collection process. 

“We had two beautiful mornings to spot hawks flying over the Sandwich Fairgrounds and many students could spot birds with the naked eye that most adults could not,” said Drapcho. 

For more information, visit interlakes.org.