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Signs of Spring Update: March 26, 2001

Today's Report Includes:

Whale Watching From Maui

Photo courtesy
Maui Adventist School

Spring brings tulips and robins to many parts of the world, and migrating whales to others. This week students from Maui Adventist School (MAS) in Hawaii bring us signs of spring from their part of the world. Tucked between the base of Maui's tropical green mountains and the edge of the deep blue Pacific lies the "birthing room" of humpback whales of the North Pacific. This is also the "backyard" of students from Maui Adventist School, who are attempting to establish the optimum weeks for tourists to view whale activity from a land-based site. Their observations are from The Pali Lookout, one of the most popular whale observation areas on Maui. The Pali Lookout, located between Ma'alaea and Lahaina, is also known by some as Science Point. MAS Principal Dennis Kingma said, "The whales start to leave in March, so that could signal spring conditions in the North Pacific. I wonder if it's just biological--or are there climatic indicators that would induce early or late departure from Maui? Maybe we will find out."

Photo courtesy
Maui Adventist School

On their February 12th field trip with the Pacific Whale Foundation, MAS students saw many Humpback whales. They learned a lot about the whales' behavior and natural history, and we are delighted that they wrote to share some findings with you:

Jarred, Grade 6
"This school year our teacher wanted us to study whales, so we went to the Pali Lookout in Lahaina to look for whales. The first two weeks of our search we spotted no whales in a 50-minute period. On our last week we saw more than 60 whales. If we stayed an hour, we would probably have seen at least 98 whales. A few weeks later, we had the Pacific Whale Foundation come to our school to tell us more about whales. Baby whales drink between 100 and 120 gallons of milk a day."

Braiden, Grade 7
Photo courtesy
Maui Adventist School

"In former whale watches we have learned many interesting things about whales. Whales have been sighted within one mile off the shores of Maui. Humpback whales are very amusing and very playful. Whales are enormous in size and weight. An average Humpback whale can grow 40 to 50 feet long and can weigh 25 to 40 tons. Humpback whales are baleen whales, which means they have baleen hanging off their upper jaws instead of teeth. Baleen is made out of the same substance as our fingernails, and they use the baleen to filter their food. Baleen whales feed on krill and small fish by first taking in a lot of water, then filtering it with their baleen and eating whatever is left in their mouth.

"Whales come here to the Hawaiian Islands all the way from Alaska. They stay here for only 4-6 months and then go back to Alaska. They come to Hawaii just to breed and give birth, and they stay in Alaska to eat because here in Hawaii there is no food for them to feed on."

Why Warm Water?

Challenge Question #13:
"Why do most baleen whales breed and give birth in warm tropical waters even though they travel back to colder waters when the calves are a few months old?"

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

"Whales are mammals, not fish, which means they have lungs and breathe air and give birth to live young. Whales have lungs the size of a compact car, which allows them to stay underwater for a long time. The average down time or dive time for adult Humpbacks is 10 to 15 minutes and 3 to 5 minutes for calves. Humpbacks are capable of holding their breath for 45 minutes or longer; however, dives of this length are unusual.

"Each whale is identified by its own fluke or tail. Each whale has a different and very distinct tail. Their tails are like real human fingerprints, each one different and no two alike.

"I think the most fascinating thing that I have noticed about the Humpback whales is their beautiful display of leaping out of the water and splashing back in."

Robbie, Grade 5
Photo courtesy
Maui Adventist School

"The first time my class went whale watching, we saw no whales. It was really boring and I never wanted to go again, but the third time we saw 70 Humpback whales in all. Our family has seen whales on our fishing boat before but we have never seen that many at once. On that whale watch, it was definitely not boring.

"I found out that Humpback whales only come to Hawaii from December through March. They come to the warm waters of Hawaii to give birth. Humpback whales migrate almost 1,000 miles from Alaska all the way to Hawaii. Another interesting fact is that a whale's tongue weighs about 2,000 pounds.

"I think that whales are amazing creatures because of their huge size and their way of living. I am glad that our school goes on whale watches because it gives us a chance to see the whales living free and not being hunted anymore."

Robbie also wrote, "I wish that I could understand what the whales are saying to each other." Listen to the song of one Humpback whale:

Then tell us what you think!

Challenge Question #14:
"What might be some reasons why Humpback whales sing?"

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

North Pacific Humpbacks on the Rise

Photo courtesy
Thomas L. Conlin

Many boat captains and researchers say this year is the best they can recall for whale watching on Maui. The Pacific Whale Foundation's 13th Great Whale Count shows more whale sightings than in any of the last four years. Researchers and volunteers made 952 sightings of whales in a three-hour period on February 24. That compares with 643 sightings in 2000, 558 sightings in 1999, 710 in 1998 and 750 in 1997.

Challenge Question #15:
"By what percentage did February 24 whale sightings increase from the year of lowest sightings to this year's number?"

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

Researchers and volunteers from far and wide to help count the whales, using binoculars and compass readings from shore-based lookout points. Their sightings are conducted during peak whale season, December through March. Their whale counts provide clues and indicators about the whale population, which appears to be on the rise. The Maui News reports that, based on the latest population statistics, about 9000 humpbacks are believed to be in the North Pacific with about 60 percent spending some of their winter months in Hawaii to mate, calve, and nurse their young.

Thanks to students from Maui Adventist School for telling us about the whales they see migrating in spring!

Red-winged Blackbirds Now At Home!
It was a late migration this year, but the redwings are back! We want to thank everyone for helping report the arrivals. Here are the results! How does this year's migration compare to last year's?

The Word From Walden is ICE
For students wondering about the Ice-Out Contest, Walden Pond STILL has ice. Here's the latest news, received March 21:

"Although we have had some great 50 degree days and are into the spring season, we still have 6 to 8 inches of ice covering the entire pond! We are expecting another 6 to 12" of snow tonight which will act as an additional insulator for the ice. There are a lot of spring fishermen waiting anxiously for the ice to open so they can try their luck at the 350 brown trout and 550 rainbow trout we stocked today."

Michelle Dumas
Assistant Park Supervisor
Walden Pond State Reservation

Redwings in Cattail City: Discussion of Challenge Question #10
"Why are male redwings so much brighter and bigger than females, and why do they migrate at different times?"

Males are brighter because they are the ones that display to defend a territory. Females are camouflaged to blend in with their nests. Males are bigger for many reasons. Their larger size makes it easier for them to survive cold weather and periods without food when they first return to northern marshes. Being larger makes them more effective at defending their territory against other redwings and predators. The males migrate as soon as marshes open up because the early bird catches the best territories. Females come later since they can't start nesting until there is reliable food for them and their babies.

Wait For the Date: Discussion of Challenge Question #11
"Research the climate of Costa Rica. What is one reason why Red-winged Blackbirds wait so long to breed there?"

In Costa Rica the temperature stays pretty much the same all year round, but redwings must wait for the rainy season to breed. When the rains start, insects become much more abundant. The insects provide abundant protein for growing baby blackbirds.

Eggs Should Be Seen But Not Heard: Response to Challenge Question #12
"What are some possible reasons why Wood Ducks inside the egg make calls but Red-winged Blackbirds don't?"

Father ducks don't help take care of babies, and mother ducks can't feed their babies. They simply lead the babies to food and the babies feed themselves. Wood Ducks nest in woodpecker holes or nest boxes high in trees. The babies make their peeping sounds while still inside the eggs to synchronize so they all pip and hatch out together. If the babies didn't all hatch out together, either the first ones would starve waiting for the rest to hatch, or the mother would have to leave some of the eggs or some of the babies by themselves part of the time. Red-winged Blackbirds don't need to hatch out exactly together. The first sound they make is when they beg for their first meal.

Please Report "Signs of Spring" From Your Part of the World!
Report your "Signs of Spring" sightings to Journey North.
Remember to share your sightings of first frogs, earthworms, red-winged blackbirds, barn swallows, emerging leaves, flowing sap, melting ice and other spring events.




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-spring@learner.org
2. IMPORTANT: In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #13 (or #14 or #15).
3. In the body of the message, give your answer to the question above.

The Next Signs of Spring Update Will be Posted on April 9, 2001

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