When the Northern oriole returns to its nest in your backyard this spring, it will have just completed a remarkable round trip journey to Central America and back! Your students will pilot the orioles' return journey and learn what it takes for oriolesÑand other species of "neotropical" migrantsÑto successfully complete this amazing flight. Neotropical migrants are birds that breed in North America and winter south of the U.S. border. An amazing 333 bird species migrate according to this patternÑincluding hummingbirds! As the habitat along their long trail is broken into fragments, people are noticing a significant decline in the number of songbirds that return each spring. Students will meet members of an international network of scientists and conservation professionals who have united to preserve songbird habitat and they'll discover imaginative conservation strategies at work.
This story will begin with a report from the orioles' wintering grounds in Central America. As songbirds cross the Gulf of Mexico on their annual nonstop flight, a scientist will give students real-time weather lessons and explore the effect of weather on migration. As the journey continues, students across North America will report backyard sightings when the orioles return. Student activities will run the spectrum, from geography and math to the physical and life sciences. They will explore the physiology of flight, analyze banding data, learn about population dynamics, and participate in an on-line opinion poll surrounding conservation issues.
© Journey North 1996