Book Adventures

Our Resident Raptors

What are raptors and how can we be good neighbors to them?
Raptors live all around us in the East Bay.

Raptors have three characteristics that set them apart from all other birds:
• Excellent eyesight
• Strong grasping feet with sharp talons (claws) used to seize prey
• A hooked beak used to kill and rip apart prey (they eat only meat)
Several species of bird are considered raptors. Eagles, hawks, kites, falcons and owls are all considered raptors. Vultures and condors are often considered raptors as well, though they eat carrion (dead animals).         

Raptors are beautiful, strong, and wild.
Find out more with books, videos and a special event, all from Berkeley Public Library!

Falcons in Berkeley!

On Saturday, May 22, the caretakers of the UC Berkeley falcon webcam, Sean Peterson and Lynn Schofield joined Berkeley Public Library for a free Zoom event about the raptors all around us. We heard about falcons, hawks, owls, eagles, and other neighborhood raptors. Recommended for age 3 and up. Click here to watch a recording of this event.

Our Resident Raptors Book Adventures Resources

Find a booklist here.

Find books, movies, eaudiobooks, and more here.

Raptor webcams in our area--see who else is nesting nearby!

Remember, these webcams show nests that are occupied for only a short time each year.

• Peregrine falcons at UC Berkeley's Campanile tower ----Where is the Campanile tower?
• Ospreys in Richmond (this one is sometimes off line so try back)---Where is Point Potrero in Richmond, CA?
• Barn owls in Stockton---Where is Stockton, CA?
• Bald eagles in Redding---Where is Redding, CA?
• California condors in Big Sur---Where is Big Sur, CA?

Videos about Raptors

• The Story of Annie and Grinnell: Watch these Peregrine Falcons Become Fierce Parents
• Osprey Outmanuevers a Peregrine Falcon
• Burrowing Owl Returns to Caesar Chavez Park, Berkeley
• Cool Critters: Turkey Vultures - KQED QUEST

Print a coloring page

• Falcon and chicks coloring page
• Peregrine falcon, world's fastest animal

Simple Science Activities

• Why can raptors fly?
• How well can raptors see?

Who are the Compost Heroes?

Do you know a Compost Hero? 
What would life be like without these important community helpers?
Find the answers to these questions and more with books, videos and a special event, all from Berkeley Public Library.

On Saturday, March 20, 2:30-3:15 pm, Berkeley Public Library hosted a free interactive zoom meeting about compost heroes.

We pretended to be wiggly earthworms, munching microbes, mysterious molds and helpful humans that do this important work of composting. We learned about them too! For age 3 and up.

You might be surprised by the things that are happening right beneath your feet!
You might be a Compost Hero too!

Compost Heroes Book Adventures Resources

• Take a look at our list of books and ebooks.
• Watch these interesting videos about compost and some of our COMPOST HEROES:
  • Fruit and Vegetable Decomposition, Time-lapse
  • Making a homemade composter! (Full-Time Kid)
  • In Our Garden: Worm Composting (Recipe Gardens & Seed to Plate Nutrition Education)
  • Around the Worm Bin in 80 Days-Worm Composting Time-lapse
  • Slime Mold! (BBC One)
  • Visit the Bacteria Garden (San Francisco Exploratorium)
  • ...And How to Build Your Own Bacteria Garden
  • Compost Critters & Compost Helpers (Mumbai Balcony Gardener)
  • Compost Ecosystem Creatures (Every Tray Counts)
  • Kids Can Reduce Plastic Use-animation (Zero Waste)
  • Teaching Children about Zero Waste Living-Zero Waste Preshool (The Straits Time)
  • Zero Waste Research Center at UC Berkeley!
• Download a coloring page:
  • Compost Heroes-Earthworms
  • Compost Heroes-Insects and Friends
  • Compost Heroes-Microbes and Mold
  • Compost Heroes-Community Helpers

Tools Rule! 

What are tools for and what can we do with them? How do tools make our lives easier?  What tools do you use every day?

Meet the Tool Lending Library

What is a tool? What do we use them for?

Watch a recording of Tools Rule: Meet the Tool Lending Library! This live event was held on Saturday, January 23 from 2:30 to 3:30. Tool Lending Specialist, Robert Young shows off tools, answers questions and demonstrates how to build a planter box using tools from the Berkeley Public Library's Tool Lending Library. Get a fun, behind-the-scene’s peek with an expert from this local treasure!

More videos with Mr. Young, Tool Lending Specialist from the Berkeley Public Library:

• Meet the Tools
• Tool Safety
• Building a Planter Box

Recommended for age 3 and up. 

Tools Rule Book Adventure Resources

• Our list of books and ebooks is packed with stories, project ideas, history, and giggles. Check them out them today!
• Watch these fascinating videos about tools:
  • Learn Tools for Kids | Toolbox Song (Mooseclumps)
  • Samantha wants to be a construction worker (Can you imagine that?)
  • How to build a Rube Goldberg Machine (Joseph Herscher)
  • Learn how to whittle safely (Evergreen Adventure Camp)
  • Let's have fun with simple machines (Planet Nutshell)
  • Anne carves a spoon (Anne of All Trades)
  • Time lapse-Building a home (Golden Eagle Log and Timber Homes)
• Download an activity page:
  • What would you like to build? coloring page.
  • Tool Treasuse Hunt.
  • Tools! Tools! word search.
  • It's Saw aMazeing! maze.

Ohlone Tools

The Ohlone people's skills enabled them to live well off the land's natural bounty. We will look at hunting and cooking tools used by the East Bay area's original inhabitants and that are still being used and revitalized by current day Ohlone people.

On Saturday, December 12,  2:30-3:15 pm, we met special guest, naturalist Dino Labiste of Coyote Hills Regional Park of the East Bay Regional Parks in  a live virtual event. Naturalist Labiste talked about hunting and cooking tools of the Ohlone people and how they are made.

Watch the recorded presentation here. Recommended for ages 4 and up.If you liked Naturalist Labiste's presentation about tools of the Ohlone people, find out more with these videos!

• Café Ohlone, Berkeley
• Ohlone Basket Weaver - Linda Yamane
• Ohlone Youth Summit, Tule Boat Voyages-Building a tule boat!
• Native American Cordage (Dino showed how cord can be made from Dogbane fibers)
• Coyote Hills Regional Park
• Carrizo Plain National Monument

SPIDERAMA! Spiders in Your Neighborhood

How do spiders help us? How do they help our community? Our world?