MacDougal School

Chewonki Foundation The Chewonki Foundation, based in Wiscassett, is an educational institution organized in 1962.  Chewonki's Traveling Natural History Lessons are dedicated to helping people of all ages foster an understanding and appreciation of the plants and animals in the natural world around them.    Chewonki brings a live animal into our classrooms to present it to our children.  This is an exciting opportunity for our students to be exposed to animal groups, learn about their habitats, and discover how animals adapt to their environments.

Owls of Maine Did you know... Owls are nocturnal birds of prey. There are two families: the typical owls and the barn owls. Owls must turn their entire heads to look sideways - their neck can rotate 270 degrees! Owls have extremely good hearing for detecting prey. All lay pure white eggs. Owls feed entirely on living animals from insects to mammals as large as rabbits. Indigestible portions of their food, such as bones, hair, and feathers, are compressed and regurgitated as compact pellets. Only the great horned owl is found in the Americas.

Birds of Prey Did you know... Hawks, eagles, and falcons, are active during the daytime. Birds of prey have hooked beaks, strong talons or claws on their feet, and keen eyesight and hearing. Hawks, eagles, and falcons prey on small mammals, such as rodents.  Additionally, eagles eat fish as well. Birds of prey are monogamous and mate for life. Bald Eagles build enormous platform nests weighing as much as 2 metric tons. Hawks have extremely sharp claws, called talons, which they use to catch and hold their prey, and their name comes from the Middle English word hafoc, which means "to grasp or seize." Female hawks are almost always larger than males.