Time of corona virus pandemic and lockdown –time to discover new interests.
Time of isolation can be overwhelming experience,
especially for children.
To ease their isolation feelings we encourage our students
to change this into time of picking up new interests.
The first hint was bird watching.
Students were asked what birds they could see through their windows.
The question made them think intensively what species of birds
they have ever seen through their home windows.
They were able to identify most all of them.
During one of online lessons I could see and hear
a common jay sitting on the walnut tree.
I decided to share the picture with my students
and to search for knowledge about this bird.
The bird has become a hero of the next lesson.
JAY
*A Jay is of the crow family.
* It is the most colourful crow.
* What does its Latin name GARRULUS GLANDARIOUS mean?
Its Latinate name Garrulus Glandarius means noisy and chattering and acorn eater.
*Jays can make a variety of sounds : chattering and gurgling sounds, squawks, screeches,
whistlings and even loud jeer .
* Why do people call Jay a forest guard ?
A Jay is called the forest guard. Whenever it sees a predator it alarms with chattering.
* What does Jay look like?
Its plumage is mostly pinkish-brown.
The wings are mostly black with some white patches and a striking blue-black striped patterns.
Its rump is white a tail is black and legs are brown-pink.
A Jay has a chunky beak/ bill.
A Jay has white throat and black moustache.
Students` task for homework was to colour an outline of the Jay.
* What does Jay eat ?
A Jay eats acorns, peanuts , nuts, fruit, insects, eggs, bird hatchlings, amphibians and even small mammals.
*How does Jay help regrow forests?
They hide acorns and nuts under the leaves to have them in winter time.
In the result some of them sprout and grow into trees.
* What skills does Jay have?
A Jay can mimic quite closely the sound of other birds,
animals, mechanic sounds or car alarm going off.
* What emotions can Jay express?
The bird can also express a range of emotions such as:
anger, playfulness and affection.
A Blue Jay mimic a cat:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eVh58ChYlk
Jays are considered to be incredibly intelligent birds,
they have been compared to primates.
The Ancient Greeks kept jays at home like we do nowadays with parrots.
