Journey North Bald Eagle Spring 2003

Journey North News will be posted on Wednesdays: Feb. 5, 12*, 19, 26*, Mar. 5, 12*,19, 26*, Apr. 2, 9*, 16, 23*, 30, May 7*,14 (* Data Only Updates)

Journey North News

	February 5, 2003 Eagle Eye Nye is back for the 9th spring season. You're invited to look over his shoulder as he tracks bald eagle migration by satellite. First, look back at the fall migration and compare 2002 to 2001. We hear from scientists studying the migrations of all kinds of creatures. Why do you suppose manatees, monarchs and eagles are counted in the winter? And why do eagles bother to migrate, anyway?
	February 12, 2003 New eagle now online! Meet Eagle V31, who was captured last Wednesday and now sports a new satellite back-pack. Catching eagles isn't easy! Reading Peter Nye's journal is second best to spending the day in the field with him. There's so much to learn! If you knew nothing about bald eagles, how many new facts could you find in Peter Nye's story?
	February 19, 2003 "If you had my job, what would you say you've learned so far about eagle behavior?," asks Biologist Peter Nye. Use today's data to make a "winter range map" for Nye's NY eagles. Your job is to define each bald eagle's wintering range, and then describe the eagle's behavior within that range. To put these eagles' travels in perspective, make a human home range map and compare the eagle's travels to your own.
	February 26, 2003 It has been a cold winter for Peter Nye's eagles. What do eagles eat in the winter time, when rivers and lakes freeze over? Read about frozen dinners, and the challenges eagles face in finding food in winter. Can you imagine eating frozen food without any teeth?
	March 5, 2003 "Out of the office," a sign should read on my desk today. This week's report is brief because I am not in the office to write it! Peter Nye is hoping to catch one more bald eagle for satellite tracking this spring, and he invited me to come along. I promise next week's update will be packed with pictures of the trapping process. And HOPEFULLY, if we're really lucky, photos of a new eagle sporting a satellite backpack, ready for its trip north to nest.
	March 12, 2003 Alas, we did NOT catch an eagle. But it’s hard to be disappointed after a day in the field with Peter Nye. Join us through video, pictures and field notes. How are the backpacks attached to the eagle? See the Satellite Backpack Fashion Show. The transmitters weight 2% the body weight of an eagle, and are attached with cloth cords, so they'll eventually fall off. If you wore a backpack that weighed 2% of your weight, how heavy would your backpack be? With the trapping season drawing to a close, Nye's now waiting for the migration to begin...
	March 19, 2003 March is migration month! When do you predict the eagles will fly? "These are good days for birds to catch thermals and head north!" says Peter Nye. Just in time for the migrations, another Golden Eagle was captured last week. Can you find the reasons why capturing Eagle A00 was such a challenge? Starting with the sun, name the food at each tropic level that finally ended with turkey dinner for the golden eagles.
	March 26, 2003 Golden Eagle A00 was captured in the nick of time--he's headed north already. The satellite caught him in mid-migration. How fast does a golden eagle travel, and at what time of day? Learn about eagle time, local time and Greenwich Mean Time to find out. What does Peter Nye mean when he says, "The kind of fish bald eagles eat are not as important as the niche they occupy."?
by Simms Tayback	April 2 , 2003 "What a busy few days up there in the skies for our eagles!" noted Nye as the eagles flew the coup this week. Golden Eagle A00 traveled quickly before bad weather hit. Can birds forecast the weather? Learn to tell time as the satellites tell it. Also, explore the concepts of "food chain" and "niche." Illustrate a food chain, read "The House That Jack Built" then write a rhyme to show how the chain of events are connected.
	April 9 , 2003 "Lots of progress to report this week!" says Peter Nye. Several birds are headed to Labrador. What's the weather like in Labrador now? Research shows birds have a built-in barometer to help them predict the weather. How do birds judge air pressure? Why is it helpful?
Eagles Online	April 16 , 2003 Another big week! Everybody's off, including V31 flew to Labrador in the space of 5 days. How is a vacation like a migration? (For example, have YOU ever traveled without a suitcase?) Visit an eagle nest online, where egg #1 may be about to hatch, and learn how to watch for key moments in the nesting cycle. And what does that blue leg-band on the male eagle mean?
	April 30 , 2003 As the migration season comes to an end, the eagle's real work begins. Across the continent the nesting cycle is underway. Make your own observations in an online nest, where an eaglet has just been born. How do eagles spend their time? An "activity budget" is one way scientists quantify observations of animal behavior.
	May 7 , 2003 No field notes from Peter Nye today! He's out in the field banding eaglets, and eagle migration is drawing to a close. What's happening in the online eagle nest now? Find out how eaglets spend the day when they're two weeks old. Why are eagles such big babies?
	May 14 , 2003 As the migration season draws to a close, we thank biologist Peter Nye for sharing his time and expertise! What conclusions can you draw about Bald Eagle migration, based on the research you have witnessed? Write your own scientific paper. Then take another peek into the online eagle nest, where the baby eagle is now 3 weeks old. Why is mom sitting on baby's head?
Eagles Online