A heart shaped face is the trademark of the Barn owl, a bird so different from other owls that it has it’s own family. The disc of feathers on the face collects sounds like a reader dish. Barn owls make a hunting sound.

By Sharon.

The bird that we call a peacock is really a male indian peafowl. The female is called peahen. The male peafowl is often kept in parks and gardens, because it is so beautiful. The peacock has a head crest and an amazing train, with beautifully coloured feathers and marks called eyespots. He uses this train to attract females.

By Maedhbh.

The song thrush lays greenish-blue eggs. The song-thrush breeds early in the year. It lays 4 to 6 eggs. It eats worms, insects, larave, and snails, they also eat fruit and berries. The song-thrush is very common in Ireland. The female is slightly smaller and planer in colour than the male.

This fierce, powerful bird can be found in North and Centra America. Like all hawks, it is a good hunter, and its diet is mostly made up of rodents and rabbit. It swoops down on the unsuspecting animals from a great height.

BY SHARON

Ponies are really small horses of special breeds. Shetland ponies, the most popular, are about 40 inches high. They may be black, brown, or spotted,

and they have two coats, a summer coat that is short and glossy, and in winter they have a shaggy coat that comes off in the spring.

Sheland ponies are fine pets. Just big enough for a child to ride.

Dolphins

About 30 species of dolphins are to be found in the oceans and rivers such as the Ganges, Indus and Amazon. Many different dolphins live in the North Atlantic and can be seen in Irish waters, or washed up on Irish shores. Dolphin’s are playful, intelligent and social animals. They will help other wounded dolphins, and there are many cases known of them helping human swimmers and divers , who got into trouble.

By Katie H.

Although whales look like fish, they are in fact large animals. They have lungs instead of gills and so most come to surface regularly to breath. each whale has a blowhole on it’s head through which it breathes. There are many different kinds of whales. The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived measuring over 30 meter’s in length. The killer whale is so called because it feeds on other animals, often hunting in packs with other killer whales. Most whales however feed on tiny fish and sea plants and are quite harmless creatures.

By Louise H.

Some dogs are very cross. Sheepdogs are among the best known of working dogs. They are used to drive sheep and sometimes to protect them.

The farmer directs the sheepdogs by means of whistles and special calls.

The dog obeys these orders carefully and drives the sheep where they are

meant to go.

Because of their strong sense of smell dog are often used by police to help them in their work. Sometimes the dogs are used to find people who were buried alive.

Police also use dogs to find drugs or bombs. Both alsatians and Labradors are used by the Garda.

Plants are living. They need food to give them energy. Plants make their own food by taking in water from the soil through their roots. The water travels up the stem to the leaves. The leaves contain a green colouring called chlorophyll. With sunlight chlorophyll helps change the water into food.

Spring is here.

Spring is coming to new life. Animals are coming back from hibernating.

Two hares are boxing and lambs are jumping in the meadows. The baby fox is looking out of his den. Badgers live in underground homes called sets they dig their sets using powerful front leg and strong claws. Many animals live under the soil because it is safe and warm rabbits live in underground homes called warrens. Moles dig tunnels using their huge front paws.

By Shane R.

The sun is a star.

The Sun is the closest star to us in the universe. Like all stars, the sun is a ball of hot, glowing gases. Jets of gas, called prominences, often erupt from the sun’s surface. Dark patches, called sunspots, are very common.

Sun sports are much cooler that the rest of the sun’s hot surface. The hottest part of the sun is its core. The surface is called the photosphere.

Dinosaurs were all different shapes and sizes. Some were huge. Others were the size of a turkey. Some plodded on all fours, while others walked and ran on their back legs.

Whales look like fish, but they are actually mammals. They would drown if they spent too much time outside the water. The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived .It is bigger than the biggest dinosaur! Some blue whales are as long as eight elephants placed end to end. In summer blue whales stay in the cold waters near the north and south poles. In winter they move to warmer parts of the ocean. Here they mate and give birth to their young. For many years, blue whales have been hunted for their blubber. Blubber is a thick layer of fat that lie’s just under the skin. Blubber can be used to make oil. Blue whales have also been hunted for their meat. It is now against the law to hunt whales. But many people think that it is impossible to stop people hunting whales. They think that blue whales may soon be extinct.

In the times of ancient Rome, the beech tree was common in the forest of Europe, from an altitude of 2,000 metres to the sea level. It’s coloured the summer with its red and green leaves, offering cool shade from its height of 4o metres, its strong trunk and thick foliage. Woodland beeches, like other trees, have been felled in great numbers since the Middle Ages.

By James Dooley.

You can buy a puppy from a friend whose dog has a litter from advertisemnts in the newspapper from a dog’s home or from a pet shop. But do not buy a puppy on impulse. First of all decide the kind of dog you want. A golden cocker spaniel puppy with some comnom types of collars and leads.