For the third season in a row, New York biologist Peter Nye will share satellite telemetry data with students as he tracks a bald eagle back to its nest in Canada. Last year's bird flew all the way to Labrador from New York's Delaware River. Students will participate in an on-line guessing contest and predict the location of this eagle's nest. To guide their guess they'll analyze satellite data collected during the springs of '94 and '95 as well as banding data from other New York eagles. Students will explore how weather systems affect the eagle's journey through real-time weather lessons. They'll research the eagle's diet and Canada's climate, and then estimate when sufficient food would become available there. Nye believes the timing of an eagle's departure from New York is a clue to its ultimate destination. The further north the eagle's nest, he theorizes, the later it leaves New York. This suggests the eagle has an incredible sense of timing.
Recently removed from the endangered species list, the eagle's recovery is a conservation success story. Students will learn about DDT in the food chain and analyze eagle population statistics during the years of its recovery.
© Journey North 1996