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Whose Robins Might These Be?
In
early February, a woman named Elizabeth Armistead in Montgomery,
Alabama (32.39
N, -86.32 W) saw trees filled with very feisty, pre-migratory
robins. "There were 10 to 20 robins in every tree you
looked at. It looked like a robin festival," she said.
If you live in the north, have you ever wondered where the robin
that nests in YOUR yard might be during the winter? Surely Elizabeth
Armistead wondered where robins that winter in Alabama and Georgia
go to breed in the
spring.
The robins she saw might be headed to Vermont, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, New York, West Virginia, Michigan or Maryland--to name a few possible
places. How do we know that? We used banding data from real robins. These
robins were "recovered" during the winter
in Georgia or Alabama, after being banded during the breeding season.
Follow these step-by-step instructions to find the answer.
1. Look at a map and find Alabama and Georgia in the Southeastern
United States. Notice that the latitude and longitude of the region
is roughly:
Latitude: Between 31 North and 35 North
Longitude: Between 82 West and 88 West
2. Now go through the banding recoveries, one state at a time. Look for any records that fall within the latitude and longitude above. Vermont, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia, Michigan or Maryland are 8 of the states we found. How many more can you find?
Copyright 1999-2005 Journey North. All Rights Reserved.
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