Bald Eagle Migration Update: April 9, 2002 Today's Report Includes: Latest Migration Map and Data Field Notes from Peter Nye Out of Bed and Up a Tree? Challenge Question #15 Collection of Migration Facts: Discussion of Challenge Questions #13 and #14 Try This! Comparing Migrations to Marathons Did Eagle K72 Learn Her Lesson? Latest Migration Map and Data Eagle #E47 Eagle #E49 Eagle #E50 Eagle #E63 Eagle #K58 Eagle #K70 Eagle #K72 Golden Eagle #A20 Field Notes from Peter Nye Hi Kids, Another BIG week for migration. Here are this week's highlights: E47 has been on the move! (Including a major move between April 4 and 6 of about 236 miles!) A major leap northeast for E63. (Why do you suppose he dropped back from his April 2 location on April 4?) K72 really boogying now. Note her major moves northwest April 3, 5 and 7. K70 is still moving...but both E47 and K72 passed her by. We're still waiting on Eagle E50. (That March 30 move was evidently not the start of migration. Only a day or two until to go?? He left last year on April 5.) Looks like Golden Eagle A20 is not ready to go yet either... Meanwhile, K58 is still making up his mind WHICH way to go! (Check out his travels between Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. You'll notice the same pattern on last spring's map. What do you think he's up to?) K58's Migration Patterns Spring, 2001 Spring, 2002 Some good answers to challenge question #11 last week, about Greenwich Mean Time! I pay careful attention to the times of reading in order to know if the eagles are using habitat where the satellite places them. If the local time is night hours, I know the eagles are roosting. Thus they are indeed "there" and are indeed in habitat very much to their liking. When the eagles are here in NY during the winter season, I highlight all the "roost" fixes and we carefully map and catalog them to identify important roosting habitats. I particularly look for repeat use of roost sites, during the winter and from year to year. These are very important to protect. So, back to work on Monday--and hopefully fully able to climb trees, come May. Stay tuned, Pete Out of Bed and Up a Tree? Challenge Question #15 What is going on here? Challenge Question #15: "Why do you think Peter Nye hopes to be able to climb trees in May? What do you think he'll be up to?" (To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) Collection of Migration Facts Discussion of Challenge Questions #13 and #14 Here are the answers for your collection of "migration facts." Remember, before satellite tracking none of this information could have been known! Challenge Questions #13 asked, "How far did E47 move in the 5 hours and 21 minutes between her two March 28 readings?" As the crow flies, E47 traveled about 56 miles. (And special thanks to Andrew, who lives in Vermont, for noticing we hadn't provided the information needed to answer the question!) Discussion of Challenge Question #14 We asked, "How many miles did Eagle K58 travel within 3 days, between March 21 and 24?" Amazingly, K58 traveled about 552 miles in those 3 days! Try This! Comparing Migrations to Marathons A marathon is 26.2 miles. This means that Eagle E47 flew more than two marathons in one afternoon! How many marathons do Eagle K58's 552 miles equal? These great distances illustrate the efficiency of flight. It would be impossible for a person to travel so many miles, in so little time, on foot. Did Eagle K72 Learn Her Lesson? See K72's Migration Spring, 2000 Back in 2000, K70 headed off to her nest on March 23--a full week earlier than her departure dates in 2001 and 2002. That year she was clobbered by a major blizzard that spread across eastern Canada. So she turned around and flew all the way back to New York--over 500 miles! Evidently happy to be back, she stayed in New York until April 13. Maybe she's adjusted her internal clock after a bad experience she had in 2000. Or perhaps her memory tells her to hold tight just a little longer than when her instincts say it's time to go. Spring 2000 was a warm spring, so maybe the difference in departure dates is just due to temperature cues. If you were a scientist, how could you design a research study to resolve this question? How to Respond to Today's Challenge Question: 1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-eagle@learner.org 2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #15. 3. In the body of your message, answer the question above. The Next Bald Eagle Migration Update Will Be Posted on April 16, 2002 Copyright 2002 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form