Bald Eagle Migration Update: March 2, 2005 Today's Report Includes: Field Notes from Peter Nye Today’s Map and Data Ask the Expert Now Open! A Loud Bang, A Cloud of Smoke and a Trapped Eagle: Read All About It Teacher Tip Male and Female Eagles: How Can You Tell? Challenge Question #7 Stay Tuned: Nestling Study Possible Eagle Habitat: Aberdeen Proving Grounds Eagle Glossary Field Notes from Peter Nye Hello Kids, Peter Eagleye Nye Just returned from a fabulous week out in Utah skiing and snowboarding; lots of snow and sun! Wonderful. Not much happened with our eagles while I was gone, except I can now say that golden eagle A20's radio appears to indeed have now died (last signal 5 Feb), so we are currently tracking only the adult, female bald eagle V98, who still resides down in Maryland, on/near the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, which can be a dangerous place for eagles. You might want to do some searching and find out why. Several of our eagles have wintering a time in or very near Aberdeen, as do many resident Chesapeake Bay bald eagles. As a matter of fact, three of four fledglings we outfitted with satellite radios from New York last summer are currently residing in the Chesapeake Area; can you speculate why this area is attractive to eagles? Kathy Michell and I will be gearing up for one last capture effort, starting the week of 7 March, while some wintering birds are still here; hopefully we will be able to deploy another Ptt or two. Our resident eagles are actively working on their nests now, and several pairs are on eggs already. Our wintering visitors will begin moving north any day now, and throughout March. Talk to you next week. Eagleye New York State Dept. Environmental Conservation Delmar, NY Today’s Map and Data Zoom in to the map this week to see the individual sighting locations for Bald Eagle V98. She continues to habit the NW shore of a large body of water. Can you name this geographic feature? Golden Eagle #A20 Bald Eagle #V98   Ask the Expert Now Open! Journey North studies always spark students' curiosity and questions. Sharpen your pencils because during the next two weeks your class is invited to pose questions to our Bald eagle expert, Peter (Eagleye) Nye. Nye will read your questions and then volunteer his time to share firsthand knowledge about the eagles he knows so well. Submit your questions from now until March 4, 2005. Ask the Eagle Expert Information We'll post your questions along with Pete Nye’s answers on March 18. A Loud Bang, A Cloud of Smoke and a Trapped Eagle: Read All About It! Rocket net equipment set up for action! ”Our truck rolled to a stop up against the chain-link fence on the far side of the dam, windshield facing toward the massive reservoir to our right, and steep valley below the dam to our left. I looked at my watch: 6:05am…” This is how the day begins as the team from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation sets out to capture an eagle for migration study. Read this fascinating story; a typical, highly-coordinated and carefully laid plan that takes you right to the scene of the capture. The Capture of #E63 Teacher Tip Read the capture story carefully and link to questions added to the text as you go. Use the printer-friendly version of the story to copy for a reading and writing lesson. Male and Female Eagles: How Can You Tell? Beak depth and hallux (toe claw) length are measured for the formula to determine gender. In many bird species, it's easy to tell males from females because the plumage is different. Not so with eagles! However, we can use size measurements from different parts of the eagle's body to determine the sex of the eagles that are captured. Learn how scientists use the eagle beak and toe claw measurements to determine the gender of the birds. Then try it yourself! How Can You Tell Male and Female Eagles Apart? Challenge Question #7: “Female eagles found in NY generally are within the 4.0-7.0 kg range. Males are in the 3.4-5.0 kg range. What kinds of things in your classroom weigh about the same as these birds? (hint: Convert these numbers to pounds if that will be easier to imagine.) Brainstorm a list and then weigh on the scale in the nurses' office.” (To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) Stay Tuned: Nestling Study Possible Pete Nye has been tracking those 4 nestlings he outfitted with satellite radios last summer. Three of the 4 birds are currently residing in the Chesapeake Bay area near many other bald eagles who locate there during the winter and early spring. Journey North hopes to catch the view from their back and see if/when/how/where they move their first spring, and whether they will head back to natal area. Stay tuned for more about this exciting possibility! Eagle Habitat: Aberdeen Proving Grounds Eagleye Nye called the shores of the Chesapeake Bay where V98 resides “a dangerous place for eagles.” Many eagles congregate in this habitat each winter. Do you remember what kind of habitat is necessary for eagle survival? Why would eagles hang out here? What factors make it so popular to the birds? Do some research and find out why the Aberdeen Proving Grounds could be dangerous for the eagles. Eagle Glossary Build your vocabulary with terms used in our reports as we study eagles this season. Find the following terms from this weeks report and define them in your eagle journals or portfolios: carcass, rocket net, hallux length. Bookmark the Journey North Bald Eagle Glossary How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions: IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message. 1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-eagle@learner.org 2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #7. 3. In the body of EACH message, answer ONE of the questions above. The Next Bald Eagle Migration Update Will Be Posted on March 9, 2005. Copyright 1997- 2005 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form.