American Robin Migration Update: March 2, 1999 American Robin Sightings Click on map to see detail Today's Report Includes: American Robin Sighting Data Challenge Question # 3 Banding Data Reveals Secrets Challenge Question # 4 Shhhhh!! Challenge Question # 5 Discussion of Challenge Question # 2 How to Respond to This Week's Challenge Question American Robin Sighting Data: Can You See a Pattern? Journey North participants are sending us sightings of robins. Look at our current map of robin reports and think about this: Challenge Question # 3 "Does this week's data show a northward movement of robins? What does our data tell us about robin migration so far?" (To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) Banding Data Reveals Secrets Do you ever wonder where robins you see during summer go for the winter? Ornithologists put numbered leg bands on some robins, and if they're lucky, eventually someone finds some of these banded birds again. We have compiled banding data for each state/province so you can... Find Out Where "Your" Robins Go for the Winter! Challenge Question # 4: "According to banding records, where did these 4 robins go for the winter?" A Robin Banded in: Was recovered at: What state/prov? Connecticut 35.3 N, -77.7 W   Washington 40.2 N, -122.2 W Nova Scotia 32.2 N, -83.2 W North Dakota 33.2 N, -93.2 W   (To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) Shhhhh!! Mike Houle's heated robin feeder Drew Clausen wrote from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, "The first robin of 1999 (for my yard) appeared in tree over my feeders today (February 28). I pulled out a container of raisins and cranberries and put them in a dish outside just in case he felt like dinner. "But what was really odd was this sound I heard. It was a typical "Cheer-up,Cherrio" song of the robin, but it was muted, and somewhat hoarse-sounding. I focused my binocs on the robin and it did not appear to be singing, and yet there was that song. It was soft, but not soft in the way it would have been had it been coming from across the street. It definitely sounded as if it were coming right from that particular robin. So help me if it sounds crazy, but it seemed as if that robin was singing with its beak closed." Drew reported later in the day that this same robin was singing a normal song. For more information about feeding robins during cold weather, check out Journey North's Winter Robin page. Challenge Question # 5: "What are some reasons why Drew Clausen's robin might have been singing in this unusual manner?" (To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) Discussion of Challenge Question # 2: We asked you to think of at least three different methods people might use to count a huge group of birds like the robin flocks seen this winter. Which would be the most accurate method? Why do you think scientific papers require a careful description of the method used when the paper is about a bird census? Several participants offered ideas: Estimate: Burton at Rolling Meadows High School pointed out you could "make a total guess." This would be highly inaccurate, but as Burton notes, it's still what many people would do when faced with a huge group of birds moving too fast to count. Try to count them all: Several Journey North participants said you could try to count them all, though many noted how difficult that might be. To improve accuracy, Burton suggested having several people count a flock and average their results. Kristen noted that you could count them in blocks of ten. This decreases accuracy, but makes counts of fast-moving birds possible. Color mark or band each bird and keep track of how many you've tagged. Banders and other researchers use this method a lot when keeping track of resident birds in a small study area, and it gives them a lot of information. As Kristen notes, "You wouldn't count any twice so your only problem is if some fly away." This method normally works better with breeding robins in summer than with wintering robins. When food supplies become low, many or most leave, and when food supplies are good, other robins are continually joining them. Divide up the flock into sections, count some of the sections and extrapolate. This can be done by one person or more, depending on how you divide the flock. The 5th Grade from Penobscot Elementary School in Penobscot, Maine invited Mrs.West, who works for the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife,to talk to them about bird counts. She is an expert bird counter, and one of her methods is to use a spotting scope to count how many birds are in the scope, then move the scope to a new area, and another. Finally, multiply by the number of times the scope is moved. Photograph the flock and then count the birds in the developed photo This method, suggested by KitKat, is often used by scientists for counting flocks of birds migrating overhead. Two problems: the flock can be a few birds thick so some of the upper birds hidden by lower ones, and a long stream of birds might not all fit in the photo. Radar This requires that the flock be flying fairly high in the sky, so isn't practical for wintering robins. Airplane Surveys Mrs. West told the class that she sometimes counts birds using an airplane to fly over mud flats on the coast. Airplane surveys can also be used for large colonial birds that roost or nest in the tops of trees. It might not be the best method for counting robins roosting in spruce trees. Report the first Robin you HEAR singing this spring to Journey North! Report the first robin WAVE (a flock of three or more) that you see to Journey North! As many people noted, it's important that scientific papers note exactly what method is used for counting birds to determine how accurate the count is, so scientists know how much they can rely on the data. How to Respond to Today's Challenge Question 1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-robin@learner.org 2.Answer only one Challenge Question in each e-mail. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question # 3 OR Challenge Question # 4 OR Challenge Question # 5. 3. In the body of your message, answer the question. The next Robin Migration Update will be posted Tuesday, March 9, 1999. Copyright 1999 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form