Alaskan
biologist Skip Ambrose has been
tracking 9 peregrine falcons since last August. He traveled up the Yukon
River and captured them from their nests. Then he outfitted each bird with a
satellite backpack! This season, you'll receive satellite data from their
fall migration, from their wintering grounds, and from their return trip
to Alaska.
December's satellite data is provided below. Where do you suppose these falcons are spending the winter? Take out your atlas and see if you can find them!
Peregrine Falcon Locations December, 1995
Bird # Date Latitude/Longitude
# 651 December No December Data
# 652 12/10/95 7.909 N, 70.631 W
# 655 12/08/95 17.816.N, 92.312 W
# 658 12/07/95 17.877 N, 89.331 W
# 867 12/11/95 17.488 N, 91.194 W
# 868 12/09/96 18.481 N, 95.949 W
# 871 12/11/95 60.752 N, 133.576 W
# 895 12/09/95 22.145 N, 105.209 W
# 897 December No December Data
Just a Minute!!
Did you noticed the latitude and longitude figures above look different than those on your map? Most maps divide degrees into minutes, in which one degree is 60 minutes. Satellite data is given as "decimal degrees". That is, fractions of a degree are given in decimal form. Therefore, before you plot these locations on your map you must translate from decimal degrees. Instructions are provided in the HELP section below.
Classroom Activities
1. As a class, discuss what "No December Data" might mean. Make a list of all the possible explanations you can think of. In next week's report, Skip Ambrose will tell us how he interprets this information.
2. Divide into cooperative groups, and have each group chose one of the falcons. Students should find out as much as they can about the place each falcon is spending the winter. In what country is the falcon found? What is the nearest town? What do you know about that place? What language do the people speak? What work do the people do? Do you know anyone who has been there?
Check your library and the Internet for information about each of these places. If you discover good resources which you'd like to recommend to others, please share your ideas on jn-talk@learner.org. In our next update we'll highlight the resources you discover.
3. Why do peregrine falcons migrate? This would be a good time to begin "Life Cycle Sleuth". (See Lesson 5.1 on page 73 of the Teacher's Manual.)
4. Before next week find the answer to this question: What do peregrine falcons eat?
HELP SECTION: How to Translate Decimal Degrees:
Example 1
Use the latitude reading of 7.909 N from Falcon #652 on December 10th. The bird's latitude is 7 degrees plus .909 degrees. This is 909 of 1000, or 90.9 % of a full degree. On your map, a full degree is 60 minutes. 90.9% of a 60 minute degree is 54 . Therefore, the latitude would be 7 degrees, 54 minutes.
Example 2
Use the longitude reading of 92.312 W from Falcon #655 on December 8th. The bird's longitude is 92 degrees plus .312 degrees. This is 312 of 1000, or 31.2 % of a full degree. On your map, a full degree is 60 minutes. 31.2 % of a 60 minute degree is 18 . Therefore, the longitude would be 92 degrees, 18 minutes on your map.
The Next Peregrine Falcon Update Will Be Posted on February 12, 1996.
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