This week's satellite readings from our falcons are listed below. In addition, we've added an exciting surprise. Skip Ambrose sent the fall migration readings from the peregrine that's now in Argentina! He'll provide the fall data for the other six birds in the next report so you will be able to compare their fall journeys. Perhaps this new information will help us anticipate when and where they'll travel this spring.
If falcon # 22652 flew near your home town last fall, let us know! Be sure to tell us what you were doing on the day she flew over. If you've ever been to the region she visited, please describe the habitat for us. What kind of birds might she prey upon there? What would the weather have been like on the day she flew over?
ASK THE EXPERT
There's still time for you to ask Skip Ambrose questions about peregrine falcons. Please send them by Wednesday, March 8th to: jn_expert@informns.k12.mn.us
CHALLENGE QUESTIONS:
1) When did our falcon begin to migrate? 2) When did she arrive on her wintering grounds? 3) How many days did the journey take? 4) On the average, how many kilometers per day did she travel?
Send your answers to: jnorth@informns.k12.mn.us
Thanks to the Falcon Squad in Rochester, Minnesota we have some help in figuring the distance each bird traveled. Here's a note from them:
"In a previous message, we asked that you determine the distances between their summer and winter homes. In calculating the distances the birds have to fly, we first had to determine the bird's route. The birds wintering in South and Central America will most likely fly along the eastern ridge of the Andes and Rocky Mountains until they arrive in the Yukon. The bird which we believe moved from Cuba to an island in the Gulf of Mexico, will probably fly south to the Yucatan Penninsula and follow the path of the other birds."
"Here is our estimated distances for each of the satellite tracked birds:
22652 6,250 miles or 10,000 km 22658 6,000 miles or 9,600 km 22663 3,700 miles or 5,920 km 22654 3,000 miles or 4,800 km 22653 3,500 miles or 5,600 km 22656 3,000 miles or 4,800 km 22660 3,100 miles or 4,960 km
Points of interest:
The fastest animals on earth are: Marine animals: sailfish 68 mph Land animals: cheetah 60-63 mph Air animal: peregrine falcon 217 mph Marine mammal: bull killer whale 34.5 mph Aquatic bird: gentoo penguin 17 mph
SATELLITE READINGS:
Only 3 of the readings were of acceptable quality this week. As you now know, sometimes the readings are not reliable even though the transmitter sends a signal. (In the fall migration data above you'll notice there were no acceptable readings from September 19-23rd, unfortunately during an important part of the migration.)
Falcon Date Latitude Longitude 22653 3/5/95 13.994 N 89.232 W 22654 2/28/95 21.788 N 76.891 W 22658 3/3/95 10.210 S 42.853 W
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