Bald Eagle Migration Update: May 4, 2005

Today's Report Includes:

• Today's Map and Data
• Field Notes from Peter Nye
• Eagles: A Shared Resource
• Canadian Geography Lesson
• Shoulders, Wrists and Elbows
• Eagles are Big Babies: Challenge Question #19

Mature Eagles	Juvenile Bald Eagles (Fledglings)
Golden Eagle #A20 Bald Eagle #V98 Bald Eagle #P04	Bald Eagle #Y89 Bald Eagle #Y90 Bald Eagle #Y94 Bald Eagle #Y96

Cooler than normal temperatures last week! How might this affect the eagles and their survival?

Not sure what is happening up on the Labrador-northern Quebec border, but it looks like V98 and P04 are secure in their locations now, hopefully attending to their nests. It would certainly be great to be able to get up there and visit these nest sites, but transportation to that area and my time attending to our own New York nesting eagles does not allow such.

credit Laura Erickson

These and other nesting locations we have identified over the years are fertile ground for some other researchers to follow up on, perhaps by satellite tagging young produced at these nests and/or to capture the alternate (untagged) adult, in an effort to determine if there are any familial relationships to migratory pathways and over-wintering areas; interesting stuff. Perhaps one of you in a few years!

Our fledglings are holding true to course from last week, with two of them wandering up in Canada in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and two here in their home state, but only one of which is near its fledging site. Y90 appears to be hanging out right at its 2004 nest site. It will be interesting to see how long each of them "stay put" in the general areas they are in now. But of even greater interest, will be to see what (if any) patterns develop in their movements as they age, like for instance next winter.....will they return to the wintering areas they visited during the first winter of their life? And what about in future years?

I am hopeful that these solar-powered satellite radios will work for 4-5 years, so I can see where these youngsters will chose to set up their own nesting sites (something we all know very little about – nest site establishment in relation to sex and origin). Of course, you'll have to "stay-tuned" with me for a few more years to find all that out!

Chiao. Eagleye

New York State Dept. Environmental Conservation
Delmar, NY

• Eagles: A Shared Resource

Study the maps and list the political boundaries crossed by P04 and V98 in 2005:

• Within the USA
• Inside of Canada

Close-up migration map

credit Listings Canada

like:

• Do eagle families share migratory pathways and over-wintering areas?
• Why not locate the nests? What might stand in the way?

Eagleye knows the eagle biologists in Labrador and Quebec, so we asked him. No work like this is being done, he said, and transportation is also a big issue for them.

Let’s learn a bit about Canadian geography. Study the close-up migration map to see where the birds might be nesting. Print the map. Use your atlas to identify the Canadian Provinces.
Locate and label the following provinces:

• Quebec
• Labrador and Newfoundland
• Quebec
• New Brunswick

Now look a little closer at the interesting province of Labrador and Newfoundland:

Locate the approximate region in Labrador where the eagles were sighted this spring. How many roads do you see in this region? Do you see how transportation to the nest sites might be difficult? Can you imagine and describe the habitat where the eagles will be nesting?

eaglet - 24 days old

At this point, you can see how the eaglet's wing bones correspond to your arm bones. Can you find the shoulders, wrists and elbows? (Hold your arms in the same position to your body, to help you visualize.) Once the feathers grow in, it's much more difficult to see the structure of the wing bones, as you can tell by comparing the young eagle to its parent. The adult’s wing bones are identical, but are buried under flight feathers.

Big Foot
Look at this baby's big, strong feet (click to see larger image). The feet on eaglets must grow strong and sturdy very quickly after hatching, because it's critical that the baby be able to hang on tight in powerful winds, and when the baby goes to the edge of the nest to poop.

• Take a closer look at eaglets: Journey North “Eyeing Eaglets” for Kids

Challenge Question #19:
“A baby robin fledges when it's only 13 days old, and a hummingbird at 21 days. If an eagle fledges when its 10-12 weeks old, how many days is that? Why do you suppose young eagles take so long to grow up compared to hummingbirds and robins?”

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

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 #19.
3. In the body of EACH message, answer ONE of the questions above.