Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

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Bald Eagle Migration Update: February 2, 2005

Today's Report Includes:

Welcome Back to Bald Eagle Biologist Peter Nye
Peter Nye with E63
We’re proud to welcome the return of "Eagle Eye" Nye who's back for the 11th season! His agency, the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, has been studying eagles in New York for about 30 years (oddly enough, the same amount of time Nye has been working there!). Nye is one of the top eagle biologists in North America, and we're grateful for the chance to look over his shoulder each year as he conducts his important work.
Take a minute to meet Eagle Eye Nye and to learn about his research.
Field Notes from Eagleye Nye

Greetings Young Journey North-ers!
Welcome to the 2005 study season for New York State eagles. For those of you not familiar with this site or what we do, let me begin with a few specifics.
Our long-term research into migration patterns of both bald and golden eagles into and from New York continue. Each winter, we capture a few eagles at different wintering locations, outfit them with small radio-transmitters that allow us to track them, using satellites, to find out as much as we can about their life and movements. We want to answer basic biological questions about these species, primarily to obtain information we believe is critical to protecting them for you and future generations; yes, your children and grandchildren! More on that as we go on this season.
As you'll see when you explore the Journey North archives, we have tracked many eagles over the past years. Currently, only two of our radio transmitters (called Ptt's) are still operating (what do you suppose happened to the other radios?) and so we are currently only tracking two migrant eagles, A20, immature golden eagle, and V98 an adult female bald eagle. What can you tell about golden eagle A20 from the Journey North archives?
We hope to capture at least one, but maybe more, bald eagles along the Upper Delaware River in southern New York this winter. I also want to quickly mention that we are now also satellite tracking four juvenile eagles that fledged (look this term up!) from New York State nests this summer; more on that later!

Thank you for joining us in our eagle studies this year! I hope you find this both interesting and informative!
Signing off for now.

Eagleye Nye
New York State Dept. Environmental Conservation
Delmar, NY

Printable Nonfiction Booklet Introducing the Bald Eagle Migration Study

This year learn about the eagle study using our new "just for kids" booklet in your classroom. Created as an easy entry to Journey North through reading, this printable tool will introduce students to the eagle study as they read along. View the same material with a slide show on the web. A Teacher Guide with links to in-depth lessons also available.

Meet our Eagles!
GoldenEagleA20_021602C
Kathy Mitchell with A20 on capture day. 
Eagle V98 with backpack satellite unit
Just what do we know about the eagles we will be tracking this season? A20 is a Golden eagle, a young male when it was captured February 16, 2002. V96 is a female Bald eagle captured less than a year ago, March 9, 2004, along the Upper Delaware River.
Read the exciting stories about these birds and how they were captured:


 

Can you locate the 73 mile streatch of Delaware R. at the Pennsylvania/NewYork border? Don't peek yet! Locate the river in your atlas, then click on the map. The Upper Delaware River. (Photo courtesy of National Park Service.)
Delaware River Eagle Habitat
The word is out in the eagle population about a great place to hang out during the New York winter. The Upper Delaware River watershed hosts the largest population of wintering bald eagles in the Northeast. What is a watershed? A watershed is an area of land that drains ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water. In this case the waters would drain into the Upper Delaware.
Biologists studying the eagles in the Northeast keep count of the numbers of eagles who find food and shelter in the Delaware and other smaller rivers that feed into it. How do they take the count? In addition to sighters on the ground, one day each year in January Pete Nye himself soars over the countryside like an eagle in a small plane to count all the eagles he and his crew can find.

Here are the results of a few year's aerial surveys along the Upper Delaware River:
Bald Eagle Aerial Surveys
Year
#Eagles
2004
28
2003
41
2002
109
2001
27
2000
145
1999
77
1998
28

 

 

 

 

 

What can you tell about the data from these surveys? Study the numbers to answer these:

Challenge Question #1:
"Identify these landmarks from the aerial survey results: minimum, maximum, mode, range and mean. What conclusions can you make from the information presented?"

(To respond to these questions, please follow the instructions below.)

Fall 2004 Migration Map Clues
Each February we eagerly await the unveiling of our fall map. With satellite tracking we can “see” where our birds have been from late summer until now. Technology makes it easy to imagine we’re riding the eagles’ backs as they soar across the land searching for food and nesting sites. Put on your aviator goggles and look closely for what the map can teach us.

Try This
Fall 2004 Migration Map
Fall 2003 Migration Map

Let’s begin the spring season with a simple map showing the fall 2004 migration of some of our satellite tagged eagles. Study the map for its hidden meanings. Look carefully- what statements can you make from looking at the map? See if you can accurately answer these questions:

  • What do the dots (symbols) represent?
  • How often is the transmitter sending a signal?
  • What do the green lines on the map represent?
  • What might be happening when there is a cluster of data points in one location?
  • How far are the eagles traveling between data points?
  • How many miles/kilometers did each travel back to New York?
  • What else do you wish the map could tell us?

    AND FINALLY:
  • What general statements can you make based on these maps?

Extra Credit: Compare and contrast A20’s travels in fall 2004 and fall 2003.

High, High Tech: The Science of Satellite Tracking
In order to track an eagle by satellite, a transmitter must be fitted on the eagle's back. The transmitter fits like the backpack you might wear to school. EagleEye Nye programs the transmitters to emit signals once every 2 days. The straps of these lightweight backpacks are hand sewn onto each eagle with a thread that will decompose in about 2 years- the approximate lifetime of a transmitter battery.

Eagle with satellite backpack.

The satellite, orbiting high above Earth’s atmosphere becomes a tool in the complex transfer of data across the miles of space to show us where we can find our eagles.
Carefully read and learn more about this technology:

Now sharpen your pencils and calculate this:

Challenge Question #2:
"How many miles above the earth do the polar-orbiting satellites travel?"

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

Teacher Tips: Assessment Strategies

Students who participate in Journey North are engaged in real-life investigations. They observe, gather, and analyze authentic data; grapple with problem-solving challenges; eavesdrop on scientists engaged in inquiry; and discuss ideas and theories. These experiences offer rich opportunities for both you and students to explore how their thinking and reasoning, grasp of concepts, and abilities develop and become more sophisticated over time.

Student Portfolio Organizers for Assessment
Eagle migration study portfolio
A new Journey North season brings lots of excitement. Students gather information, send in field observations, study maps, calculate migration distances and spend time researching topics of special interest. All of these activities promote rich learning experiences. The challenge is how to organize this vast amount information for assessment purposes. A creative project portfolio is one answer!

Try This
Easy-to-make Project Portfolio
This lesson shows how to create a 9 X 12 project portfolio where students collect, record and display qualitative and quantitative observations, life cycle studies, weather and mapping information, research findings, and more all in one convenient, creative, easy-to-handle package beginning from day one of a new season of Journey North.

Build Your Own Eagle Glossary
Build your vocabulary with terms used in our reports as we study eagles this season. Start this week with some words you may be unfamiliar with. Find the following terms and define them in your eagle journals or portfolios: migration, eaglet, transmitter, fledge, hacking, watershed, habitat.
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 #1 (or #2).
3. In the body of EACH message, answer ONE of the questions above.

The Next Bald Eagle Migration Update Will Be Posted on February 9, 2005.

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