Gonondadoy is Late!
"Hopefully, by next week we will see our first Gonondadoy," wrote teacher Joy Hamilton. Her students fill birdfeeders at the school. Scroll down for a Q and A from students at Innoko River School in Shageluk:
Q: What kinds of things do you like to do in the winter?
A: We like to go snowmachine riding and when the snow melts we go through water. We also like to go sleding. We travel by snowmachine to other villages. We hunt moss (denag), ptarmigan, and grouse in the winter. We trap rabbits, fox, marten and beaver. WE like to make beaver soup. We like to play sports in the winter, like volleyball, basketball and have snowball fights. —Jewell
Q: Have you had any migrating bird sightings this year?
A: We saw Snow Buntings on March 31 and Bald Eagles on April 3. —Jewell
Q. What do the Snow Buntings eat when they get to you?
A. They eat the seeds in the Iditarod Dog Sled Race straw outside our shcool that is left over when the mushers and teams leave (and the poop). Ravens like to eat the left over dog food in the straw from where the dogs were laying down. —Madeline
Q. What do the Bald Eagles eat when they get to Shageluk?
A. We think they are eating other birds, mice, rabbits and maybe fox. They are not eating fish right now because the ice isn't melted. —Madeline
Q. How many years have you been gathering data on robins for Journey North?
A. We have been gathering data for JN since 1996. —Jewell
Q. What is the average date Robins appear in Shageluk?
A. The average date Robins appear in Shageluk is April 30. —Jewell
Q. When do you expect your Robins to get to Shageluk this year? (Our temperatures have ranged between 5 degrees F to 45 degrees F in a 2-week period.)
A. Since we couldn't document Isotherm this year due to absences at school (we had funerals in the village), we didn't make a chart to use in helping us make a prediction. But with our temps, I predict we will see Robins May 2. —Madeline
I predict we will see Robins when it gets warmer, May 3. —Jewell