Ecology Owl Pellet Experiment

Funded Apr 19, 2016

Dear Donors,

Thank you so much for your generosity on this project. My students were so very eager to get a chance to utilize the new lab space and you made that happen for them.

The students at Northeast High School used the Owl Pellets you provided to experience how the food pyramid works first hand. They were each given the chance to dissect their own Owl Pellet and rebuild the skeleton of the animal that had been eaten by the owl. This gave them a chance to not only use the new lab and the tools that came with it but to also practice their skills at analyzing data (in this case bones) from an experiment and drawing conclusions. They were able to identify the different types of animals that owls consume just from looking at the rodent or bird remains.

If you could have been in the lab with us I think you would have found it difficult not to laugh as the students saw the Owl Pellets for the first time. The overall feeling when they walked in to the lab was excitement and enthusiasm. Then they learned that they would be pulling apart something from the inside of an owl's gizzard! There were mixed reactions to say the least. If you can picture your typical "tough guy" think about how funny that person might look refusing to tough an owl pellet about the size of a car key. It was pretty entertaining, and even though some of the students were hesitant at the beginning, many of them warmed up to the idea and really enjoyed the chance to experiment like real scientists.

After completing the exploration students continued to refer to the owl pellets as a reference for a few more weeks as we finished or discussion on ecology and energy transfer through the food pyramid. Some students even took their skeletons home with them when we were done. I cannot express to you enough the impact that you made on my class this year. On behalf of my students, myself, and my school, I Thank you!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Stratton