KIDS' GUIDE TO MDI

Hey guys, do you want to learn about peregrine falcons, herring gulls and bald eagles? We’ll tell you all about them.

Have you ever heard of a peregrine falcon? Well, MDI has peregrine falcons. Acadia National Park shuts down trails that are close to the peregrine falcon’s nest so that the falcons pay more attention to their chicks. The peregrine falcon can dive through the air at amazing speed- over 100 mph. Usually it flies at about 60 mph. Have you ever seen a crow? The peregrine falcon is about that size. It has a long skinny tail, and long pointed wings. That’s why I think it is cool.

If you see a big bird with a white head it might be a bald eagle. Young bald eagle chicks are black all over when they are born. A bald eagle’s wingspan is from 6 to 7 and a half feet. The bald eagle is the national bird symbol of the United States. I saw a bald eagle at Otter Cove on a field trip I had. It was awesome!

Did you know you can find herring gulls (a.k.a. sea gulls) all over MDI? (Don’t read this if you don’t like gross stuff.) Herring gulls have a red dot on the bottom of their beak, when the baby gull pecks at it, the bird regurgitates the food and the chick eats it. I saw herring gulls at Great Head, Bar Island and Otter Cove. Also, at Otter Cove I saw a herring gull fly up with a blue mussel in its beak, then it dropped the mussel, which smashed on the ground and the gull ate it. Yum, for him!

-James, Kaleb and Carter

Source

*Grierson, Ruth; Wildlife Watcher’s Guide: Acadia National Park