Oriole Oriole
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Oriole Migration Update: March 1, 2001

Today's Report Includes:


Welcome to the Journey North Spring Oriole Migration Season!
We begin our season each year while the orioles are on their wintering grounds. When their migration begins, we hope you'll help us track their journey north. See instructions on the Web:



Spotting Orioles on Their Wintering Grounds
According to range maps, Baltimore Orioles winter through Central America as far north as southern Mexico (and also Florida!) and all the way down to northern South America. But while Journey North bird expert Laura Erickson was in Costa
Courtesy of Laura Erickson
Rica this year, she thought every oriole in the world must have been right there. She saw hundreds! At home in northern Minnesota, Laura is used to seeing orioles alone, in pairs, or in small family groups. She says, "In Costa Rica they gather in big flocks--sometimes ten or twenty, sometimes more than a hundred. Orioles aren't territorial, and although males sometimes sing short songs on their wintering grounds, none of the ones I saw sang at all. They spent their time in a variety of trees, some with flowers where they could get nectar, others with fruit, but some with neither. The orioles were probably feeding on insects in those trees."
Laura continues, "This time of year they're building up their bodies so they'll be in top condition to return north, just in time to establish a territory, build nests, lay eggs, and raise babies. So the food they get on their wintering grounds is critically important not only for each individual, but for the entire species.

Whose Orioles Are These?
Laura wondered whether some of the orioles she was seeing were orioles that passed through her town or even nested in her yard! The mysteries and magic of migration make a lot of people wonder things like that. Frank Joyce writes from Monteverde, where he is a leader in the Monteverde Conservation League:

Saturday, 27 January 2001

Photo courtesy Laura Erickson
"I watched two brilliant orange and black Baltimore orioles chase each other in a big pochote tree down in the lowlands. This tree is remarkable in several ways. It has thousands of stout spines on its trunk and branches. It has no leaves at this time of year, which is dry and windy, and it produces big white flowers that get visited and pollinated by bats. But other animals--including orioles--drink nectar from these flowers. They get liquid energy from these flowers, but we don't know if they actually pollinate the flowers. Pochote trees grow wild, but farmers also plant them in rows as living fence posts. The trees help make a fence, provide good wood and provide habitat to orioles and lots of other animals. Because here in Costa Rica these birds were living on a farm with lots of trees, I wondered if their home in North America was also on a farm, perhaps in New York or Michigan."


Home Sweet Habitat: Challenge Question #1
After reading Laura's and Frank's observations, you have an idea about what kind of habitat orioles are seen in. What kind of habitat do orioles prefer on the wintering grounds? You'll see more clues when you take a look at this chart showing one naturalist's oriole sightings at different elevations in Costa Rica:

After you look at the chart, come back and answer:

Challenge Question #1
"What type of habitat do orioles prefer on the wintering grounds? What are some threats to this habitat?"

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

The Children's Eternal Rain Forest
Courtesy of Children's Eternal Rainforest
Many of your own backyard orioles spend the winter in the rainforests of Central America. They find a feast of insects, seeds, and fruits--plenty for the migratory birds as well as the billions of resident birds who live there year-round. Some of the migrants stocked up on food and continued to South America. They return each year to the same feeding place. But when their tree, or even the whole "neighborhood" has been cut down, the birds are in trouble. They have just flown thousands of miles. Hungry and thin, they've lost between 10 percent and 50 percent of their body weight. And there's no food, no perch, no place to sleep. Without protection of their wintering habitat, the birds that were singing in your neighborhood last summer won't come back in the spring. You miss them, and so do the people in their wintertime homes.

The good news is that some adults and children are working hard to save the rain forests where our neotropical migrants spend winter. The birds find a safe haven in Bosque Eterno de los Niños (BEN for short, and "Children's Eternal Rain Forest" in English). BEN is a very special forest. It was saved by children, for children. It is supported by children and adults alike from over 40 countries. BEN was named in honor of all the children from round the world that have contributed efforts and money to protect this forest for migratory and resident species. It's the largest private reserve in Costa Rica! What species live there? Where did the idea for the Children's Forest begin? How have children all over the world helped to save this forest? How can YOU help? Find the answers--and a link to a booklist--here:


Weather and Migration: Dr. Aborn's Weather Watch is Back!
Dr. David Aborn
Journey North is delighted to welcome back Dr. David Aborn again this spring. From the University of Tennessee, he will help us figure out just how birds take advantage of weather systems to migrate. He will also share what he discovers about migratory and breeding birds at a newly protected area called Lula Lake in Tennessee, where he heads an exciting research project. Here's David's first letter to you:

Dear Students,
Another migration season is about to get underway. That means it is time to watch the weather. Why? Because migration is very dependent on the weather. Over the course of this spring, I will be pointing out areas where there might be lots of migrants landing as a result of the weather, and reporting what I and other people have been seeing. So what does this week look like?

Well, a cold front has stalled along the Gulf coast, bringing rain and clouds to much of the southern US. Any migrants coming up from the tropics will encounter poor flying weather when they reach the coast and will be forced to land. I wouldn't look for large numbers of birds just yet. It is still pretty early in the season, but numbers should pick up in a couple of weeks.
Until next time,

Dr. David Aborn
Univeristy of Tennessee
David-Aborn@utc.edu

Why don't birds fly when there's a low pressure system? For the answer, along with Dr. Aborn's quick explanation of how to read weather maps, read his full letter:


Teacher Tip
Right now, before the birds' big push north, it's a good time to brush up on weather basics. Dr. Aborn will teach you how to read a weather map to try to predict areas of the country that might see large numbers of migrants landing. Dr. Aborn says, "Birds like to fly in good weather, and they land when the weather is bad. Birds want to fly with a tailwind to help them travel farther." So, what creates a tailwind? What do weather "highs" and "lows" mean for migration? What does a cold front mean to birds on the wing? Find these answers and more at Dr. Aborn's "reading-the-weather-made-easy" primer here:

Try This!
Photo courtesy Provincial Museum of Alberta
Paul Englander of the Monteverde Conservation League wrote, "I sighted two Baltimore (Northern) Orioles here on my way home about 10 days ago here. Beautiful colors. This is a great time to visit Costa Rica for the very reason that there are so many migratory birds now."

After reading this report, you know why the tropics are a great place to spend the winter if you're a songbird from the north. But did you ever stop to think that the orioles have had to survive the fall migration to a country far away from their summer breeding grounds? Do you wonder what route they took to get there? How far they flew? What they saw along the way? What's good to eat? What the scenery is like, or the weather? If you were an oriole in Costa Rica now, what would you write on a vacation postcard to "feathered friends" back home? That's what this Journey North activity is about:

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-oriole@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #1.
3. In the body of your message, give your answer to the question above.

The Next Oriole Migration Update Will Be Posted on March 15, 2001

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

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