Students at Oswego County BOCES’ Fourth Street School and Stepping Stones Day Program welcomed three special guests to their school recently.
Pigwidgeon, an eastern screech owl, is nearly inaudible as he flaps his wings during a visit with Oswego County BOCES students. Zoo To You Education Coordinator Ashlea Vallejos talked to students at OCB about the shape and design of an owl’s feathers and how this helps the animal fly very stealth-like when tracking prey.
The guests were a ball python, an eastern box turtle and an eastern screech owl and are part of the Zoo To You traveling wildlife education program coordinated through the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse.
Accompanying the three guests for the visit was Education Coordinator Ashlea Vallejos and Program Volunteer Jennifer Marquez who talked to students about each animal’s unique characteristics, natural habitat, eating habits, and natural predators as well as their environment at the zoo.
In addition each student was given an opportunity to interact with the zoo professionals and animals, learning first-hand what a snake’s skin and a turtle’s shell feels like and how quiet an owl is in flight.
Oswego County BOCES student Jonathon Dickquist gets an up close look and feel of a ball python during a Zoo To You program at his school. Coordinated through the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, the traveling wildlife program and zoo education coordinator Ashlea Vallejos, pictured, gave students at OCB an opportunity to learn about the unique characteristics, natural habitat, and eating habits of three animals that call the zoo their home.
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