Moving out My Comfort Zone!

First day back at school and we got our "Learning more about Animals and Plants" topic off to a great start! The Birds of prey man was in school to scare away the seagulls - yes honestly! Apparently there was a dreadful seagull problem 3 years ago when the school opened. There were huge flocks of them nesting on the buildings. Seemingly they were terrifying the children by swooping down at playtime and snatching snacks out of their hands! Birds of prey were called in to scare them off and it seems to have worked.

Today the man had brought in a Harris Hawk and he kindly took the time to show it to the children. We marveled as he held it on his arm and it flew off, circled round and perched on the roof looking down at us. The owner explained that it was the lure of food that brought it back again. He tucked a bit of feather clad chicken in between his fingers, called it down while holding out his arm and down in came for it's snack.
Wasn't expecting him to ask if we wanted a turn and I found myself volunteering! It was surprising easy and an awesome experience to be staring into the eyes of a bird of prey which was perched on my arm 18 inches away!

So the new term has got off to a flying start!