Good News and Bad News
First the bad news: We were hoping to report today that our eagle's satellite transmitter was working again. Unfortunately, it does appear to be broken. Here's the latest from Peter Nye:
"I have now concluded that #32 is alive and well and simply that the satellite transmitter failed. I wasn't sure of this initially. It could have been that we were not receiving signals because the eagle was dead and underwater (or some other obstruction). I've determined it left Sullivan County, the capture area, on April 2nd. On April 5th it was just north of Albany around the Great Sacandaga Reservoir. I'll be checking with the satellite transmitter manufacturer to determine if there is any chance at all that this unit will suddenly "turn on" again. Not likely, but worth asking.
"Perhaps (but no guarantee) I may get another bird yet this spring. We're trapping at an active site in the Adirondacks this weekend, where yesterday two adults were feeding on a carcass. I have another transmitter ready to go and, if we get a suitable bird, I'll use it. The old caveat still applies: The eagle could be a local breeder and not migrate. But on the other had as evidenced by #32, wintering eagles are still her moving north. Stay tuned. I have great data from a 1993 eagle and will send it immediately."
Good News
On the bright side, in today's report you'll find spring migration data from eagles Peter Nye tracked in 1994 and 1995. In addition, we will include the data from his 1993 eagle in next week's report. This will give you migration data from 3 eagles to track this spring.
Old News?
While the satellite data below is not "live" migration data, keep this important fact in mind: This data represents the real world at this moment.
Remember, there are thousands of eagles migrating right now. When we follow an individual migration by satellite telemetry, we sometimes forget that the ONE individual we are tracking actually represents the movements of a whole population. When you review today's data, notice that the latest readings were taken EXACTLY one and two years ago today. This very day, there are eagles migrating according to the patterns you'll discover below. There are some fascinating similarities and differences between the three eagle migrations which we'll explore this spring. By the end of the season you'll be able to draw some interesting conclusions about eagle migration.
In addition to satellite data, we've included reports below of migrating eagles sent by field observers. These reports also remind us that many eagles are migrating right now, not just the ones being tracked by satellite!
Mystery From Michigan
Accompanying today's report you'll find a "Mystery from Michigan", reported by students in Iron River, Michigan. Read their report and see if you can answer today's Challenge Question:
Challenge Question # 73
"Why don't the eagles in Iron Mountain, Michigan migrate? What do you think they eat in the wintertime?"
To respond to this Challenge Question please follow the instructions at the end of this report.
Why are there so many eagles in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota? Thanks to all the students who answered last week's Challenge Question. We've attached their answers below.
To answer to this question, think back to past reports. Do you remember learning that hundreds of eagles spend the winter along the mighty Mississippi River? If you look at a map of Minnesota you will see that the Mississippi River begins in that state, just north of Pequot Lakes. Also north of Pequot Lakes is the Chippewa National Forest. There are more bald eagles nesting in Chippewa National Forest than anywhere else in the lower 48 states. Only Alaska has more eagles. Over 160 pairs of eagles breed there! In 1963 there were only 20 pairs, due to the effects of DDT--quite a recovery!
Here is Peter Nye's data from the 1994 & 1995 eagles. As you analyze their movements during the month of March, what similarities and differences do you see?
1994 Eagle
Date Latitude Longitude
Feb. 28 44' 20" N 75' 59" W
March 1 44' 18" N 76' 04" W
March 3 44' 21" N 75' 58" W
March 7 45' 11" N 76' 27" W
March 10 45' 9" N 76' 28" W
March 11 45' 13" N 76' 26" W
March 13 45' 21" N 76' 28" W
March 15 45' 31" N 76' 27" W
March 17 46' 15" N 75' 53" W
March 19 46' 21" N 75' 46" W
March 22 46' 16" N 75' 58" W
March 23 46' 18" N 76' 00" W
March 25 46' 18" N 75' 54" W
March 27 46' 21" N 75' 52" W
March 29 46' 31" N 76' 02" W
March 31 48' 27" N 74' 58" W
April 2 48' 23" N 74' 56" W
April 5 48' 24" N 75' 08" W
April 6 48' 22" N 75' 02" W
April 8 48' 19" N 75' 00" W
1995 Eagle
Date Latitude Longitude
March 1 41.234 N 75.186 W
March 17 41.558 N 75.122 W
March 20 42.041 N 74.925 W
March 27 43.731 N 73.072 W
March 31 44.969 N 72.268 W
April 2 46.033 N 71.532 W
April 6 46.758 N 70.294 W
April 8 48.258 N 70.028 W
Comments From Field Observers:
From ALASKA:
Two weeks ago we saw our first Bald Eagles, on approximately March
25th. These eagles are not the same eagles that are being tracked
by the Journey North program. The eagles we have winter in Haines,
the Bald Eagle capitol of North America. (More than 3,000 eagles
winter in Haines!) These eagles nest in our area and were neither
late or early this spring; they were right on time.
Joyanne Hamilton and Students, Innoko River School
Shageluk, Alaska TSJMH1@acad1.alaska.edu
From IOWA and MINNESOTA:
* Mrs. Wiese saw a bald eagle on the south shore of Silver Lake in
Dickinson Co. Iowa on March 17. He flew to the north shore and
stopped in the tall trees where eagles have been sighted in the
past. ( 43.28 N, 96 W.)
* On Sunday March 28, Brad Bentele saw a muture bald eagle flying over a marsh near Truman, MN. He landed in the top of a tall tree.
* Cindy Place, the librarian at our school, saw 3 bald eagles near
her home on Skunk Lake, a marshy area the second graders visit each
year (one mile from our school-43.32 N 96 W). On March 30 her
family observed 4 eagles setting at the edge of the ice eating the
dead fish that had floated to the top of the water. One of these
was a mature eagle, two of them were dark headed and the other one
had feathers of a lighter color on his head. They stayed until
around noon on the 31st and then took flight north.
Mrs. Wiese's Grade 2 Sioux Valley/Round Lake Elementary Jackson Co., MN
0328supt@informns.k12.mn.us
Students Answer Challenge Question #51
"Why do you think there are so many eagles in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota?"
From MAINE:
Hello-our answer to Challenge Question# 51 is we think that maybe the Eagles
are on the lakes because it is warmer and surround by trees. The Eagles
have food and water, lots of rivers for fishing. There is not any big cities
and there is shelter to build a home.
Sarah Madeira, Matthew Murphy, Nicole Alley
Pemetic Elementary School
Southwest Harbor, Maine
Fran Howley (grade5fh@pemetic.u98.k12.me.us)
From ALASKA:
It has good population , short warm humid summers
and beacause it has water that they can drink.
Kathy Clark (kclark@kpbsd.k12.ak.us)
From PENNSYLVANIA:
We believe the reason there are so many eagles in the Pequot Lakes
region of Minnesota is due to the bodies of water and the abundant
supply of fish and other foods for the eagles.
Audrey Nolte, Librarian
Richland Elementary School
Quakertown, PA l8951-2899
anolte@bciu.k12.pa.us
From TENNESSEE:
Our discussion yielded three possible answers.
1) The lakes are rich in fish, water snakes, and rats -- all of which are
sources of food for the eagles.
2) The lakes provide a lot of algae, which provides nutrition for fish,
completing a food chain link to the eagles.
3) The lakes are warmer than surrounding areas, and so are attractive for
nest building.
Hermitage, TN
Scott Merrick merric39@eve.telalink.net
How to Respond to Challenge Question # 73
1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of the message write: Challenge Question #73.
3. In the body of the message, give your school's name and location and answer this question:
"Why don't the eagles in Iron River, Michigan migrate? What do you think they eat in the wintertime?"
The Next Bald Eagle Migration Update Will be Posted on April 15, 1996.
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