Signs of Spring Update: May 10, 2002 Today's Report Includes: You Think YOU Had a Long Winter: Frog Migration Map and Data Worming Their Way to the Top: Earthworm Migration Map and Data Waking Up As the Sun Goes Down But What's All the Singing About?: Link to Lesson and Quiz Hanging Out with the Frogs and Worms Wiggling Off the Lunch Menu: Link to Lesson and Challenge Question #29 Changing Habitats: Discussion of Challenge Question #27 Avoiding Trouble: Discussion of Challenge Question #28 Year-End Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts You Think YOU Had a Long Winter! First Frogs Singing: Data After spending the winter buried under mud at the bottom of a lake or surrounded by molding leaf litter, it's no wonder frogs are ready to sing in the spring! And it's no wonder Journey North participants are so delighted to hear them once again. Way up in Gowganda, Ontario (47.39 -80.46), Gert Trudel heard her first frogs on May 3, 2002. She writes, "At 9:03 p.m. I went to the window and heard the frogs for the first time. What a wonderful sound. Summer is just around the corner." Some places in Canada and the northern and mountain states still have snow and freezing temperatures, and so some people are still patiently (or impatiently) awaiting their first frogs. But in many places frogs are singing loud and clear. It's tricky to get good looks at calling frogs. It takes a lot of patience--as well as waterproof boots and a good flashlight. If you go outside on a rainy night, you might see them on the move. So, put on your rain slicker and galoshes and grab your flashlight. You may see frogs traveling from their wintering area to a breeding pond. But, quiet on the set! Once you're near the pond, be sure to tread lightly--any disturbance and the frogs will stop their tune. Stay quiet and they'll likely start up the chorus again. Worming Their Way to the Top First Earthworms Sighted: Data Today's map shows that earthworms have wriggled to the surface in many more places inland and northward, compared to our map on March 1. On May 2, Tina in Farmington, ME "found an earthworm squirming around in the puddles in the rain today." In Washington, Iowa, Maria wrote on April 19, "After a rain, we saw the first sight of earthworms on the pavement and robins gorging themselves! I know they were finding grubs and worms in the grass before that." Worms come out on rainy days because the their moisture-loving bodies find ideal conditions for moving about to find a new food supply, new territory, or a mate. But worming their way to the top puts them in considerable danger--from hungry robins and another bird you'll meet in today's report! Waking Up As the Sun Goes Down Every evening as the sun goes down, when most human days are winding down, the days of some critters are just starting up. Frogs and earthworms are creatures of the darkness. What are some of the advantages of nighttime for them? At night: there is no sunlight to dry their fragile skin or make them sunburned. humidity is higher to help them keep their skin moist. most frog and worm predators, which are daytime hunters, are sleeping. frog voices don't have to compete with many bird songs to be heard. But What's All the Singing About? In the frog breeding pond, just who is doing the singing? Who is listening? And what do the songs mean? Spring Peepers can give us a glimpse into the answers. Look at this lesson about Spring Peeper calls, and then try our Spring Peeper Call Quiz! Spring Peeper Calls Spring Peeper Quiz Hanging Out with the Frogs and Worms American Woodcock photo by J.A.Spendelow While you're searching for frogs in the dark, keep your eyes and ears open for nightcrawlers and for a plump bird with an oversized beak that feeds on worms. Male American Woodcocks start calling a few minutes after frogs start calling at dusk, in many of the same wet areas on the edge of woods. The woodcock makes a funny little "peent." After peenting for a while, he suddenly takes off, spiraling up toward the sky, his wings making a pretty chittering sound. When he gets high up, he starts chirping as he flies in a circle, then drops back to earth like a falling leaf and starts peenting again. Woodcock and Peepers Woodcock Skydance Listen to one woodcock "peenting" with spring peepers calling: .wav file .aif file Listen to one woodcock performing his spring skydance .wav file .aif file Wiggling Off the Lunch Menu Woodcocks are designed to eat one thing: worms. And woodcocks are active at nighttime when worms are most active. But nighttime is NOT when woodcocks eat most of their worms! They stay focused on dancing and mating in open fields at night, and eat worms in the woods during the day, when worms are hiding in their burrows. To get them, woodcocks stick their long beaks into the soil. The tip of their beak is very sensitive and has another special feature. When a woodcock senses a worm with its beak tip, it can open just the tip to grab the worm and pull it out of the soil. But worms do NOT want to serve as lunch! So they use a special adaptation on their bodies to hang on for dear life to the walls of their burrow. What could that be? Every segment of a worm's body (except the first and last) has four pairs of tiny, stiff, hair-like projections called setae. The worm makes these setae grip tight, sometimes tight enough that the woodcock gives up and tries to find an easier meal. Controlled by their own muscle system, the setae act like strong hooks. When a robin or woodcock grabs a worm in its burrow, some of the worm's setae dig in and hold the top end of the worm in place as the worm's other end contracts to move it deeper into the burrow. Thanks to the setae, the birds really have to tug to pull out a worm. And some worms are lucky enough to actually escape the predators by burrowing deeper underground. That makes us wonder: How long would it take for an earthworm to go underground? What variables might affect the time it takes? How could you find out? See: Escaping Predation Then try to answer: Challenge Question #29: "If it starts out in exactly the same place, why would it take longer for a worm to escape from a woodcock than from a robin? (To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) Changing Habitats: Discussion of Challenge Question #27 Last time we asked, "Why would migrating Red-winged Blackbirds be found in different habitats from nesting ones?" Nesting Red-winged Blackbirds are VERY territorial, trying their best to keep other redwings away so they won't have to share their precious resources. Redwings that are passing through an area avoid marshes that are filled with territorial birds. Since redwings feed on so many different kinds of food, including insects and seeds and fruits, it's far easier for migrating redwings to keep out of marshes and to do their feeding on farm fields, at bird feeders, and other places. As soon as they get home, they'll settle into their own marshes. Avoiding Trouble: Discussion of Challenge Question #28 Last time we wondered, "Why do you think crows don't fight back when a redwing attacks in the air?" Crows are strong, big birds with powerful and sharp beaks. If a crow and a redwing were locked into a small cage for a while, it wouldn't take long for the crow to kill the redwing. But redwings are much faster and more agile in the air. They can quickly dart away if a crow changes direction to chase them. And meanwhile, when redwings are divebombing a crow, they can hurt! So the crow keeps going in a steady flight, getting away from the redwing territory as quickly as it can. Year-End Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts! Please take a few minutes to share your suggestions and comments in our Year-End Evaluation Form below. The information you provide at the end of each year is the single most important tool used to guide our planning. Journey North Year End Evaluation Please share your thoughts 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 #29 3. In the body of the message, give your answer to the question above. The Next Signs of Spring Update Will be Posted on May 17, 2002 Copyright 2002 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form