By BARBARA BARBIERI
Friends of Ouabache’s Lunch and Learn gathering Thursday noon was exciting for several reasons as not only were the young participants in the Teen and Junior Indiana Master Naturalists camp on hand but the park was celebrating the arrival of a new baby bison on June 6.
As part of the camping experience the campers prepared a “Friendship Chili” for all attending to enjoy. The chili could be had with meat or vegetarian style.
For the “learning” part of the event, Curt Burnette, naturalist with the Limberlost Historic site in Geneva, presented a program on bird identification.
Most adults present were surprised to hear that birds are related to dinosaurs (some dinosaurs had feathers) and that alligators also are relatives (because they lay eggs like birds). Burnette had skulls of several types of bird relatives on display and pointed out how some birds can spear their fish prey with their beaks.
He shared sizes of eggs from the tiny hummingbird’s to the largest ostrich. He also had examples of nests, including orioles, hummingbirds, and a downy woodpecker inside a tree limb.
Next he told about wings and how owls are able to fly silently at night to secure their prey. Owls, he explained, can’t move their eye balls, hence they are able to move their heads 270 degrees in order to see. He also showed how large their eyes must be in relationship to a human’s by donning a huge pair of sun glasses.
Burnette was eager to display his collection of skulls, feathers and nests with the young naturalists and they had lots of questions for him, including what was his favorite bird. (He decided a kookaburra, an Australian bird, was the favorite.)
The next Lunch and Learn event will be at noon Thursday, July 14, when the program will be a “Christmas in July” celebration” presented by Kathy Schwartz. Those planning to attend are asked to make a reservations to friendsofouabache@gmail.com or call(260)341-1971. Regular park admission is charged, but the lunch event is free.
barb@news-banner.com
