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American Robin Migration Update:
April 11, 2006
Today's Report Includes:
American
Robin Migration Maps and Data
First Robins
Seen |
Waves
of Robins |
First Robins Heard Singing* |
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(map) |
(map) (data)
*Recommended for mapping |
Latest
Migration News
Kentucky to Nova Scotia, Robins are homeward bound! An observer
in Idaho reported seeing the first females arrive, and many
happy listeners in far northern places reported the first Robins
singing. In some places, you've reported Robins starting their nesting
cycle!
- "A robin
is building a nest on my porch. She has been at it all day
long." April
6, Middlesboro, Kentucky.
 Please
keep watching and reporting. Help us tell the story of
this year's spring migration all the way to the end of the trail!
News
From the NOPs: How far North Have Robins Arrived?
Spring has come to some of our NOPs, and 3 out of 4 robins
reported singing this week were in NOPs. But Shageluk, Alaska—this
year's
Early Bird Contest host— is still waiting. From Innoko River
School in Shageluk, teacher
Ms. Hamilton
writes, "According
to a chart we've
been keeping for several years, we should be starting to see many different
kinds of spring birds now. We
aren't seeing hide nor feather of any of them!" What does Ms. Hamilton
say about the
path birds follow as they return north to Alaska? It's not too late
for you to enter the Early Bird Contest (Challenge Question #4), and
her comments will help with your entry. It's all here:
You'll
find all kinds of exciting news in this
week's NOP field notes.
Students in Homer, AK tell you the signs of spring they've seen,
but NO robins! In fact, twelve NOPs are still waiting for their
robins. It's a challenge for you to make
or revise your predictions for
first robins at the NOPS!
Go
Lay An Egg: Challenge Question #6
While we're waiting for robins to reach the end of the migration trail, the breeding
cycle is underway in places where robins have already arrived. Courtship, nest
building, egg laying, incubation, and care of the young all take place so robins
can make more robins—or, as scientists say, "pass their genes on
to
the
next generation." This season, you've been paying attention to the average
weekly
temperature
in places where robins arrive. Now latitude helps you predict another
stage of the breeding cycle: egg laying!
Challenge
Question #6:
"If we estimate a 2-week delay for every 5 degrees north in latitude, and
we assume robins in Middlesboro, Kentucky (36.6 N, -83.7W) are now beginning
to lay eggs, when would you expect robins in White Bear Lake, Minnesota (45.0
N,-93.0W) to begin
laying their eggs?"
To
respond to this question, please follow these instructions.
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NEW!
Just-for-Kids Booklet: “Baby
Robins: Welcome to the World”
For a mother robin to carry more than one egg
in her small body would be
like an
airplane
trying
to
fly with
too
much
weight
on
board.
How
many eggs does she lay? Each tiny baby weighs less than a quarter when
it hatches, but it already knows three things. What are they?
The
third of Journey North’s new robin booklets
looks at these questions and more. Find the booklet here, along
with a helpful teacher guide and print-and-fold instructions.
After
you read the booklet,
decide this:
Journaling
Question:
"Would
you rather be a mother robin or a father robin? Why?"
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You're
the Expert: Mice on the Menu?
"Today I saw a robin repeatedly dunking what appeared
to be a mouse (head in its mouth; body and tail hanging out) into the
waterfall
on
our pond! We live in central Ohio and I had never heard of such a thing!"
wrote an astonished observer. Our robin
expert, Laura Erickson, said, "It
could well be true. I wonder how the robin got the mouse?"
We are
still puzzling about this strange observation! Last
time you learned which
senses robins use in finding worms. Using what you learned, and
what you know about robin diets, what are your thoughts about this
observation? How would you explain mice on the menu? If you have any
ideas, we'd love to hear
them!
The Next Robin Migration
Update Will Be Posted on April *18, 2006 (*Migration
Maps and Data Only).
Copyright
1997- 2006 Journey North. All Rights Reserved.
Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback
form.
 
 
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