PHOTO BY BILL FAVW
HIACK SKIMMERS have specialized bills to enable them to feed while flying just above the water.
Bills Made For Feeding
BY BILL KAVKR
Jusl as wc can identify ihc food large animals are
likely to eat by the shape of their mouths and teeth, wc
can speculate on the diet of birds
by the shapes and sizes of their
bills. Birds have bills shaped for
cracking seed, for probing mud,
for digging insccts from tree
trunks, for catching fish, for suck
ing nectar from flowers, for tcar
. ing flesh, or for scooping food
J from water.
Along our coast, many of the
shorchirds depend upon the ability
FAVKR lo probc the sand and mud be
tween the tides in search of small worms, crustacea,
snails, and insects. Their bills arc long and slender and
the holes left in the sand attest to the uses to which
they arc put. Some of our birds with this type bill are
the sandpipers, willcts, whimbrcls, knots, and dunlins.
Other watcrbirds have bills designed for catching
fish. The ibis, herons, egrets, and anhinga use their
long necks and bills in sulking and overtaking frogs,
crabs, and minnows for their nourishment.
The hawks, owls, osprcy, kites, and similar birds of
prey have heavy, short, curved bills which arc sharp
and capablc of tearing at the fish or micc or insects
they usually catch with their Uilons.
Some of the seed caters have large, heavy bills with
which they can crack the outer shells of seed to get the
food inside. Cardinals, bluejays, and grosbeaks arc ex
amples of these seed caters.
Woodpeckers and nuthatches use their thin, pointed
bills to dig into the bark and trucks of trees for insects.
The bills of hummingbirds arc straight and slender for
probing deep into flowers for nectar. Most sparrows,
warblers, kinglets, and similar small species use their
short bills for eating small seed, berries, and insecLs.
Birds using their bills for scooping fish from water
arc the pelicans and spoonbills. Pelicans have hooked
upper mandibles and distensible throat pouches and
can grip large fish and bring them into the "baskets" or
pouches. Spoonbills place their wide spoon-like bills
underneath the water and move them from side to side
like a windshield wiper as they walk along and
"spoon-up" small fish and other marine life. One of
our most interesting birds, the black skimmer, uses its
strange-looking bill to catch fish, too. Skimmers lly
just above the surface of water with the longer, lower
mandible of its bill underwater. When a small fish is
touched the upper mandible closes to sccurc the catch.
Sometimes this bird will fly along making a line where
its bill touchcs the water. It turns and retraces the line
to pick up the small fish coming to investigate!
Bills of birds give us clues about what they do for
food. We can infer a great deal about a bird's diet by
examining its bill, for the bill has been formed to han
dle the food the bird eats.
College Trustees Adopt Resolution
To Proceed With Math-Science Center
BY SlISAN USHKR
Brunswick Community College
Trustees have joined the Brunswick
County Board of Education in
adopting a joint resolution to ap
point an organizing committee for a
math and science education center
for the county.
Meeting last Wednesday night,
me cigni trustees present voted
unanimously for the resolution.
"We're not talking about a build
ing," BCC President W. Michael
Reaves told the board last Wed
nesday night. "We're going to focus
money on enhancing teacher skills,
not building a building. We're going
to help the teachers help the stu
dents."
Rather, the project is a joint effort
to improve science and math educa
tion programs for teachers and stu
dents alike, with both the public
school system and BCC benefiting.
Said Chairman Dave Kelly, "This
would help improve two areas of
concern ? math and science. We rec
ognize this is something the school
board is graded on and an area
where we can help reduce the need
for remediation. The strongei they
arc when they come to us the better
off we arc."
Reaves and his counterpart at the
school system. Superintendent RR.
Hankins, arc to each appoint two
members of the committee. Those
four members will name the remain
ing three individuals, who are to rep
resent local business and industry.
Reaves said Tuesday afternoon a
would be later this week before he
announces his appointments to the
seven-member committee. Hankins
did not return calls Irom the Beacon.
The seven-member committee is
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v. i ? hi u niui UVIUH. VM111, ai i
of organizing the center, including
recommendations regarding its legal
and structural framework, stalling
and operation.
Initial efforts to establish a local
center arc based primarily on a cen
ter established in Aiken, S C., as a
joint effort of industry, the school
system and a lixal university cam
pus.
The organizing committee is to
report back to both parent boards be
fore April 1 with its initial recom
mendations, according to the joint
resolution.
Other Business
In other business, trustees:
?Looked at cost estimates for reno
vating individual classrooms at the
Southport campus, with an eye to
inviting local businesses to "adopt"
a classroom. Carolina Power &
Light Co. may complete a"modcl"
for subsequent renovators to use as
guides.
?Approved the hiring of part-ume
instructor Jerry Sloop as a full-time
instructor in the industrial mainte
nance class at Du Pont's Cape Fear
Site near Leland. A former employ
ee of Pfizer Inc., he has a bachelor
of science degree in mechanical en
gineering and a background in in
dustrial maintenance.
? Met behind closed doors for 30
minutes to discuss an undisclosed
"personnel" matter. No action was
taken in open session.
? Heard updates on efforts to estab
lish new curriculum programs on
campus this fall. A survey of
Brunswick County high school stu
dents showed "really excellent" in
terest in acquaculturc, health ser
vices and recreational grounds man
agement programs at BCC, Vice
President for Instruction Johnnie
Simpson indicated.
?Accepted a low bid of S4.X50 from
Norm Construction of New
Hanover County to demolish a
building and a conccssion stand at
the Southport campus. The buildings
were to have been burned in a train
ing cxcrcisc, but the necessary per
mits had not been obtained. In-coun
ty bids were all several thousand
dollars higher.
?Approved owner-requested change
orders totaling S5.726 for construc
tion of the Odell Williamson Audit
orium. A new construction schedule
calls for no change in completion
date.
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MEDICAL MALL
2245 S. 1 7th St., Wilmington
Mon.-Fri. 9:30-6:00, Sat. 10-5
next to hospital ? 91 9-762-9898
Sale ends Saturday.
February 29. 1992
UNIVERSITY COMMONS
351 S. College Rd., Wilmington
Mon.-Sat. 10-7, Sunday 1-5
next to T.J. Maxx ? 919-452-9779
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(?}
f ilial Housing I imlfT
?1992 I nittti ( +\x ?hru Hank
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