A Lesson in Evolution

Perhaps the least appreciated "end" of a Great egret

I just had occasion to be in my six-year-olds' kindergarten class for a morning of volunteering. Among other things in a bustling classroom never short on activity, they are in the midst of an extended session learning about birds. The day's specific topic was migration, but as we left, it was clear that birds were on the brain.

In the truck, I asked if they knew where birds came from. (This was not intended to be a precursor to "Where do babies come from?" but I realized as soon as I had asked the question that the conversation could get interesting.)

The brief silence after my question gave me enough time to sneak a peak in the rear view. From what I could tell, the twins were comparing notes with their glances before they offered a response. Soon enough though, one of them piped up, "Lizards, right? Or dinosaurs or something." Even though the topic hadn't been covered with me in the room, their teachers had connected some dots.

When we got home, I showed them the photo above, just recently taken at the marsh. Pretty hard to deny the link. Makes you want to go invest in some better binoculars, doesn't it?