 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Signs of Spring Update: March 28, 2003
Today's Report Includes:
- Swallows Spring Ahead: Challenge Question #15
- Capistrano Welcomes Swallows Back!
- Current Happenings: Spring Falls Back?
- First Calls: Discussion of Challenge Question #13
- The Redwing-Frog Connection: Discussion of Challenge Question #14
 |
Photo by Gregory Scott
for The Wisconsin Society
for Ornithology |
Over 300 years BC, a wise man named Aristotle wrote, "One swallow does not make a summer." But one swallow can sure be a sign of spring! Aristotle lived in Greece, but the swallow about which he was speaking was the same species as our own good old Barn Swallow. And Barn Swallows are right in the middle of their journey north! Jill Nugent saw her first in McKinney, Texas, on March 25. "This morning after I had finished feeding my horses and letting them out into the pasture, I saw the barn swallow swooping and diving to catch flying insects...after 5 minutes the barn swallow landed on the fence, and then was off again feeding on insects." Make sure you let us know when you see your first one!
Jill may have seen her first swallow near a barn, but most of the first sightings have been very close to lakes or streams. Like most early migrants, swallows follow bodies of water. That's because swallows eat flying insects. Why is water so important for flying insects? You tell us!
Challenge Question #15:
"During early spring, why are most flying insects near water?"
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)
 |
Tradition holds that every year on March 19, Cliff Swallows return to the Mission at San Juan Capistrano in California. And sure enough, if people keep their eyes averted until then, they're likely to see their first swallow there on March 19. But people who pay attention usually see their first before then. This year the first swallow was seen there on March 12..
Ginny O'Farrell, Event Coordinator at the Mission, told Journey North on March 27, "We have had quite a few sightings, but the whole flock isn't back yet. We're expecting more to come. We'd like more swallows to come back the mission itself. Years ago we were the only large building around, so they choose to nest here at the mission. Now they have many more choices. We had a swallow expert, Dr. Charles Brown, come to consult with us about how to attract more swallows to nest here again. We are putting up a colony of 50 ceramic nests. A ceramacist at the mission will make them to look just like the real swallows' nests. We will also play recorded sounds of swallows in hopes of attracting more nesting birds. Call us back next year to see if our plan works!" Do you think their experiment will be a success?
To learn more about the Mission at San Juan Capistrano and the swallows that made it famous, see:
 |
 |
Cliff Swallows working
on a mud nest. (Photo: James R. Gallagher) |
Cliff Swallows gathering
mud at a puddle. Click on photo for larger view and count how many
swallows you can find. |
To build their muddy gourd-shaped nests, Cliff Swallows pick up chunks of mud in their wide mouths. Their saliva helps to stick the marble-sized balls of mud together. They seem to prefer clay mud, which is sticky in its own right.
Cliff Swallows seem to have jolly parties by nice mud puddles. Each nest is made of a lot of mud balls, and the birds have to make a separate trip to get each one, so it's probably lucky that they get along at the puddles.
Do you have swallows near you? Have fun watching them, counting their wingbeats, or building a bird house for them. Try our:
 |
This Yellow-rumped Warbler
was feeding on little bits of suet that had dropped down to this
feeder from a suet feeder above. |
Even in northern areas like Minnesota and Ontario, temperatures had been in the 50s this week, but current weather forecasts are calling for snow! Although some wintry storms in spring can hurt the first migrants, most of them are adapted to surviving harsh weather for several days at a time. But it's a good time for northerners to remember that it's lucky the first hummingbirds and bluebirds don't arrive TOO early!
Meanwhile, Anne Carr reports that pussy willows are open in Minden, Ontario, as of March 27, and the day before, Fred Dakin in St. Catharines, Ontario, saw a moth buzzing his porch light. Third grader Amy at Franklin Elementary School in Cape Girardeaum, Missouri, wrote on March 26, "The Bradford Pear Trees that stand in front of our school are in full bloom. They look like great big puffs of snow!" Journey North's Laura Erickson read that and looked out the window at her apple trees. But they were covered with real snow! Susan Lang in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, had Yellow-rumped Warblers this winter but they are gone now. "They're a lot of fun for us because, as wild birds go, they can be pretty tame, and come down from the top of the tree to our level and watch us!" Where did Susan's yellow-rumps go? Doug McRae in Brighton, Ontario reported his first one on March 26.
 |
Red-headed Woodpecker
Photo by Stephen J. Lang for
The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology |
Jennifer Uppleger in Casco, Michigan saw a beautiful Red-headed Woodpecker on March 26, which must have been a real red-letter day! An Eastern Phoebe was reported in Ottawa, Ontario, the day before. Their "phoebe" call is an excellent sound of spring.
First Calls: Discussion of Challenge Question #13
Last time we asked, "Why do the first toads of the year call so much later than the first frogs?" Part of it is because some frogs are so well adapted to cold, even having a kind of antifreeze in their blood that keeps them able to move about when the temperature is hovering around freezing. Also, the first frogs feed in and call from the kinds of temporary puddles and ponds that thaw early. Toads get most of their food away from water, where the ground is still too hard to find much insect or worm food.
The Redwing-Frog Connection: Discussion of Challenge Question #14
Last ti me we asked, "Why is the timing so close for Red-winged Blackbirds arriving on marshes and frogs starting to call?" In spring, marshes seem to come alive all at once. Male redwings often arrive while the marsh is still icy, but they don't spend too much time there when it's cold--they usually fly to grain fields for feeding until the marsh opens up. Right as the water starts to thaw, when red-wings can be spending more and more time there, the frogs are able to emerge. So unless we're paying close attention to the earliest redwings, we usually notice both redwings and frogs on the same day!
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. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge
Question #15
3. In the body of your message, give your answer to ONE of the questions
above.
The Next Signs of Spring Update Will Be Posted on April
4, 2003.
Copyright 2003 Journey North. All Rights
Reserved.
Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form
