A GROUP of Moruya preschoolers had a bird’s-eye view of the circle of life, thanks to a flying enrollment this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Northside Early Learning Centre director Jo Grimmond said the children had successfully incubated, hatched and hand-raised two chickens, Flower and Anaissy.
They were the subject of much curiosity and attention from young humans, but things were to get even more exciting.
“A staff member came running in to say there was an eagle in our preschool room,” Ms Grimmond said.
A disbelieving Ms Grimmond hurried in and discovered what she took to be a hawk sitting on the windowsill, apparently unable to resist the smell of a baby chicken.
She said, luckily, the room did not have any children in it, as the bird of prey stood “about 50 cm tall” and had a wingspan of about a metre.
“I took a quick photo, but as I got closer, it started to fly around,” she said.
“It knocked into the window, but luckily stunned itself, so I was able to cover it with a blanket.
“I carried it outside and made sure it was OK, and then it flew off.”
That’s when the lessons really began for the children, who had craned around the doorway to get a better look.
“They were fascinated,” Ms Grimmond said.
“I grabbed the iPad and started to research with the children what kind of bird it was.
“It was gorgeous, with very distinct yellow eyes, yellow legs and claws.
“My picture does not do it justice.
“We think it might have been a juvenile brown gos hawk.
“We read about it and they are known to come into houses.
“It would have had to walk in through our door, as its wingspan was too big to fly through.
“It would have smelt the chicken and walked through.
“I would have loved to have seen that.”
Ms Grimmond said the children learnt a timely lesson in predator-prey relationships.
“Every living thing is prey to something else,” she said.
“It turned into a big discussion about what different birds eat and their defence mechanisms.
“I am never likely to see that again.
“I have seen hawks hovering around, but I never thought one would come so close to a built-up area.”
Flower and Anaissy now only free-range in the yard under strict supervision.
