Turtle Back Zoo Urges Kids To 'Be Out There'

Turtle Back Zoo Director Dr. Jeremy Goodman stopped by to talk about the "Be Out There" campaign and brought some friends -- an American kestrel, a screech owl and a pine snake.

Today's children are spending less time outdoors and more hours in front of computers, televisions and video games - and it's taking a serious toll on their physical and mental health. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is encouraging kids to get outdoors and "take a walk on the wild side" for its "Be Out There" campaign during National Wildlife Week from March 15 through March 21 -- and there's no place wilder in New Jersey than the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo.

According to the NWF, studies show that the modern child spends only four to seven minutes outside each day and more than six hours per day in front of electronics - leading to increases in health problems like obesity, depression and ADHD. Spending more time outdoors has been found to improve a child's physical, mental and emotional health and can even help boost classroom performance and the child's interest in conservation.

Turtle Back Zoo offers kids the chance to connect with nature and "go wild" outdoors with more than 20 acres of land and exhibits featuring animals from all around the world - like timber wolves, American alligators, African penguins, Gibbons, snakes, birds and so much more. With hundreds of animals to discover and other fun outdoor activities, like a carousel and playground, kids can realize the beauty of nature and experience the benefits and joy of spending time in the natural world.

American Kestrel: Also called the sparrow hawk because they eat other small birds. The smallest and most common falcon in North America, They watches for prey from tall perches, such as trees and telephone poles then hover and drop on prey. American kestrels can see in the ultraviolet light range. Although humans see a wide range of colors, there are many colors we can’t see. Because American kestrels can see what we call “ultraviolet” light, the world looks bluer to them. Wildlife biologists believe the main reason is to help them hunt for rodents. Like all animals, rodents leave urine marks, often near the burrows where they live this special vision allows them to see these markings. Kestrels bob their head when prey is spotted in order to better determine the distance to the prey (depth perception). They also bob their tail to keep balance.

Screech owl: The only small owl with ear tuffs, to make them look larger and more vertical to blend in with the lines of a tree trunk. Eyes so large that they have no eye muscles for eye movement, that is why they move their head 120 degrees to see prey. 12 to 9 or 12 to 3. Eyes in front for depth perception and have more rods in eyes to see better in the dark. 3 eyelids. They also have facial discs that bring in light and sound on their faces. Come in 2 color phases, gray and reddish. Feathers- edges are fuzzy or cut and softer to make their flight silent!

Pine snake: Threatened in New Jersey. This species of snake has a small pointed head with a tipped snout and thick neck, which are helpful when it moves soil around or burrows. It also has a special scale at the front of its snout that shields its nose and protects it as it tunnels underground. In fact, much of its time is spent hidden underground. They have keeled scales that make them feel rough to the touch. To scare off predators, northern pine snakes make a loud hissing sound and 'rattle' their tails.