Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

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Bald Eagle Migration Update: April 10, 2001

Today's Report Includes:

Bald Eagle Migration News


Migration Map
as of April 10, 2001

"Well, well, guess who finally decided to move!" exclaimed Peter Nye.

Take a look at Eagle E50's reading for April 5th. He's not out of New York yet--but he has headed north. What's most exciting is this: Eagles that leave late are expected to go a long, long way north. One year, just as Nye was about to give up, one of his "New York" eagles traveled all the way to Labrador! Spring arrives very late in the far north, and it seems these eagles know they must wait, even when New York eagles are already sitting on eggs! All during the month of March, Eagle #E50 waited. Where do you think he's headed now? Let's keep an eye on Eagle E50!

Another big surprise this week was Eagle E47. You'll have to make lots of space on your map, because she's moved a long way to the west. Can you find her?

Challenge Question #18
"On April 5th, Eagle E47 was about 176 miles (283 km) directly west of what large body of water and in which Canadian Province?"

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

Migration Distances: Discussion of Challenge Questions #14 & #16
Before satellite telemetry, nobody knew how far eagles traveled during a typical day of migration. With each new season, Nye and other scientists get new pieces of information--new pieces of a big puzzle. Challenge Questions #14 & #16 looked at two examples.

Challenge Question #14 asked, "How many miles did Eagle K58 fly between her two March 20th readings? According to these readings, how many miles per hour did K58 travel during this time, on average?"

The distance between her two March 20th readings was 85 miles (137 kilometers). Because the first reading was at 4:26 am, Eagle K58 was probably at her overnight roost, sound asleep. The second reading was at 11:20 am. We don't know with certainty what time she took off, but if we assume she only traveled during daylight hours, and that sunrise was about 5:30 am, she moved 85 miles in less than 6 hours.

This next eagle's move is quite impressive! Challenge Question #16 asked, "How far did E47 fly between March 30 and April 1st?" The readings were taken around midnight, so we know Eagle E47 had two full days to travel. Using the Online "Distance Calculator," E47 traveled 373 miles (601 km) in just two days, so an average of 185 miles per day!

March 30: 46.60 N, -76.29 W
April 1: 48.84 N, 82.94 W

Online "Distance Calculator"
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/DistanceCalculator.html
Golden Eagle Migration News
Golden Eagle #004 may be migrating northward, but he's moved in a zigzag pattern so far. See today's map and think about this:

Challenge Question #19
"Why might the migration of a juvenile eagle be different from the migration of an adult eagle?"

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

Discussion of Challenge Question #15
"What questions do you have about Golden Eagles and/or lead poisoning? Send us your questions and we'll work to get the answers!"

Ms. Rhonda Rhyand of Upson Elementary School in Euclid, Ohio, wrote: "My students asked me how an eagle can get lead poisoning. Our discussion developed around the fact that they know paint can have lead, especially old paint. Since were are an urban school, a couple of students have lead in their blood from where they have lived. We discussed that the eagle must have also been somewhere where lead has contaminated its home but they did not know enough more about eagles to go any farther. Please give me (and my students) more information as to how this eagle could have been poisoned by lead."

Unlike their Bald Eagle relatives, Golden Eagles don't eat fish, so Eagle #004 almost certainly didn't get the lead from fish. And unlike tiny children, Golden Eagles NEVER lick paint chips! So where did the lead come from? We're not certain for this particular individual, but we DO know some ways that lead gets into Golden Eagles and other birds.

* Ducks, geese, and swans that eat by tipping up and straining plants and little critters at the bottoms of lakes, ponds, rivers, etc. can pick up lead from sinkers that fishermen lose. They also ingest lead from pellets left there when hunters used lead shot while duck-hunting (now they must use steel shot when hunting over water). If a Golden Eagle eats one of these waterbirds, the lead will end up in the eagle's body next.

* Hunters still use lead shot and bullets while "upland game hunting"--that is, hunting away from water, for deer and other animals. If a Golden Eagle scavenges on a dead deer that has a lead slug in it, the eagle will get the shot in its stomach.

* Sometimes people still shoot at eagles, even though it is illegal. Then the shot goes directly into its bone, muscle, and other tissues.

These are the main sources nowadays. Did you know that one other way lead used to get into the environment was from cars and trucks? Lead was put into gasoline to make engines work better, until scientists discovered how much of it was getting into the air, and settling down all around highways and streets, in lakes and streams as well as people's homes. In cities, where there are so many cars, it was an especially bad problem. That is why people made a law saying new cars had to run on lead-free gasoline. Soon the auto makers were building car engines that worked better without lead, and now at the gas station most of the gas says "lead-free." This has been a law for a long time, and there are very few cars now that can run on leaded gas, so this source of lead in the environment is finally disappearing.

We wrote to Marge Gibson, a wildlife rehabilitator who has treated many eagles, swans, and other birds suffering from lead poisoning. "Lead is NASTY," says Ms. Gibson. "It is a painful process for me and the birds. Emotionally I HATE it."

How does led get into an animal's body? What happens to an animal with lead poisoning? How do we treat humans and animals that have lead poisoning? And what can we do to help prevent lead poisoning? Basically, there are three main ways lead can get into the body: Swallowing it, breathing it, or by being shot. Here is an overview, along with an interview with Marge Gibson:


What can YOU do to help? If you hunt or fish, make sure you buy shot or sinkers made of steel. To get FREE samples and information, write or email Bullet Weights® today

IMPORTANT: You must mention Journey North to receive samples and information.

Bullet Weights, P.O. Box 187, Alda, Nebraska 68810

OR

E-mail your order form to Bullet Weights. (In the blank for "Company" or "Message," please write "Journey North Student Offer.")

Also, find out if your state or province allows lead shot for hunting, and lead sinkers for fishing. If so, write your concerns about this to people in public office who might be willing to change the laws. This is something kids can help with!

Discussion of Challenge Questions #12 and #13

Challenge Question #12 asked, "Why do you think birds have a nictitating membrane?"

"So they can fly fast without getting dirt in their eyes," said Jared and Jeremiah of Colene Hoose School in Normal, IL.

Megan, Joyce and Kaitlyn, Seventh Grade students at Iselin Middle School, Iselin, NJ, had the same concern: "To block out all the dust and debris in the air so it won't get it in their eyes while flying," they said.

The special feature of the nictitating membrane is that it is transparent, meaning that the bird can see even while blinking! When birds fly, air rushes into their face and could dry out their eyes. But if they close their eyelids or even just blink a lot while flying at high speeds, they might smack into something. To solve that problem, their nictitating membranes sweep by, spreading moisture from their tear ducts across the eyes to keep them nice and wet.

Challenge Question #13 asked, "Why do humans need oval-shaped eyelid openings to see well? Why do birds need round-shaped ones?"

This was a challenging question! To think it through, you needed to know that birds can hardly turn their eyes at all, whereas we humans can turn our eyes to the right and left. Humans and birds both protect as much of our eyes as possible under skin, to minimize the danger of scratching the eyes and to keep them from drying out. So eyelids only open as far as necessary to allow vision.

If our eyelids covered everything except our irises and pupils, when we turned our eyes side to side all we could see would be the insides of our eyelids! So our eyes have their special oval shape to allow us to look side to side. (Our eyelids open up and down as we turn our eyes up or down, but the lids can't open side-to-side.)

Because eagles can hardly turn their eyes at all, there is no reason for their eyelids to expose anything except their irises and pupils. That's why they're exactly the size and shape of their irises.
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 #18 (or #19).
3. In the body of EACH message, answer ONE of the questions above.


The Next Bald Eagle Migration Update Will Be Posted on April 17, 2001.

Copyright 2001 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form

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