Our third visit to the Marine Nature Study Center was split between an indoor activity, which introduced students to a compound light microscope; and an outdoor walk of the property to look for the early migrants that have arrived.
Students received a general overview of a compound light microscope, and created their own unique slide. Additionally, they worked with ten prepared slides of various plants, insects and/or animal tissue. Finally, they illustrated and wrote about their personal observations in this introductory lab.
Even on a cold and blustery day, the Nature Center offered an opportunity to immerse oneself in a remarkable natural setting. Friday was the first day an osprey sighting was possible, though several of us were fooled by a crow that had landed in the nest atop the pole where these majestic creatures live. Conservation Biologist Michael Farina pointed out several birds along our trek. He also shared with us that the late-winter snowstorm, coupled with the unseasonably warm weather weeks earlier, caused masses of the birds to break from their migration pattern, in some cases with dire consequences. Migration can be triggered by a combination of changes in day length, variations in temperatures, changes in food supplies, and genetic predisposition.