2011 - Kinderchicklets / What kind of stones are in the nestboxes?

[Kinderchick]

The Kinderchicklets were very interested to hear your reply on this question, Tracy. They were very glad to hear that Dennis helps you carry the bags of gravel up to the nestboxes because they have done some math activities about heavy & light loads of gravel from our playground and they do know how heavy gravel can be!

As an aside, during one of our discussions about why you clean and/or change the gravel in the nestboxes each year, before the birds migrate back to Winnipeg in the Spring, one of my 'chicklets remarked, "Kind of like changing a baby's diaper, isn't it?" LOL!  Once again, out of the mouths of babes!

[The Peregrine Chick]

Morning Kinderchicklets,

So you want to know about the pebbles in the nestbox do you?  Well the pebbles are what is called pea gravel but a particular size of pea gravel that the peregrines seem to like best.  Hard to describe the size of it but about the diameter (there's a new word  ) of a dime.  And no, I didn't come raid your playground for gravel, but rather I bought if from a place that sells sand and gravel to people who need it to fix up their backyards and gardens.  Dennis our photographer comes with me and helps me because the gravel is very very heavy and even though the bags are smallish, they are still very heavy.  The nestbox at the Radisson used one and one-half bags of gravel when we first installed it.  The tuppernest a few years ago only used half of a bag and the West Winnipeg nestbox only used one bag because it is smaller than the Radisson nestbox.  The Brandon nestbox is about the same size as the West Winnipeg nestbox so when we replace it later this year, we will make sure we have a bag of new gravel for Hurricane and Brooklyn to use next year!

Have a great weekend Kinderchicklets!
Tracy / The Peregrine Chick

[Kinderchick]

The Kinderchicklets could not access the FalconCams from school yesterday, Tracy, but were able to see both nestboxes all morning today! They were especially excited when the chicks in the Radisson nestbox were left alone for awhile, seeming to hug and snuggle with each other to keep warm. They could even hear the chicks peeping a wee bit and especially could hear either Princess or Ivy making lots of noise, just outside the nestbox. (I did tell them that mama or papa were never far away! )

Interesting questions, now, that a few of the 'chicklets have for you... What kinds of stones/pebbles are in both of the nestboxes and where did you get them? As you may have seen on the CBC news item, we have built a little nestbox in our classroom, for our toy peregrine falcon and we collected our pebbles from the playground in the backyard of our school. A few of the 'chicklets asked me: "Did Tracy come to our school late one night to get the stones from our playground?" LOL!  

I never cease to be amazed at some of the things my Kinderchicklets have thought of asking you these past few years.