American Robin Migration Update: April 12, 2005 Today's Report Includes: American Robin Migration Maps and Data Latest Migration News Go Lay An Egg: Challenge Question #8 Something Eggstra: Challenge Question #9 Early Bird Contest (CQ #4 Reminder) and News From the NOPs Spring Comes to Alaska: Challenge Question #10 Answers from the American Robin Expert, Laura Erickson Thumper is Back: Help for Window Bonkers Field Study: Listen to the Robin Thanks, Rachel Carson! Birds of a Different Feather: Visualization and Journaling Tracking Temps and Robins: This Week’s Isotherm Map Robins, Temperatures, and Tulips: Discussion of CQ #6 Numbers of Nests: Discussion of Challenge Question #7 American Robin Migration Maps and Data   First Robins Seen Waves of Robins First Robins Heard Singing* (map) (map) (map) (data) *Recommended for mapping Initiation of "Song" is the clearest pattern we expect to see as we track the spring robin migration. Printer-friendly format: song data Latest Migration News ”As I walked into school, I heard the cheery notes of a robin coming from a tall pine tree. What a way to start the day!, said an observer from Auburn, Indiana. In Stanhope, NJ, on April 5, Mrs. Ference from Byram Lakes School reported “about 40 robins hopping across the grassy ground pecking at the soil and plants. It was about 8 AM and a bright, sunny morning with a temperature of about 45 outside. We'd had a weekend of rain, so I think they were hunting for any insects or worms coming up out of the ground.” On the same day, Derek in Marquette, Michigan, saw a group of five Robins in town. “They were patrolling the edges of the road where most of the snow had melted.” And in Canada, waves of robins arrived in several places. A look at the map shows that robins are making steady progress northward. More robins have crossed the border into Canada--where some are also singing! From week to week, do you see a beautiful migration pattern emerging? And on the “first seen” map, where is that robin waaaaaaay up in northern Alaska? (Look carefully and you’ll see it’s on a yellow star, one of our Northern Observation Posts.) Go, robins! Go Lay An Egg: Challenge Question #8 While we're waiting for robins to reach the end of the migration trail, the breeding cycle is underway in places where robins have already arrived. Courtship, nest building, egg laying, incubation, and care of the young all take place so robins can make more robins. Or, as scientists say, "pass their genes on to the next generation." Here’s a challenging question: Challenge Question #8: "If we estimate a 2-week delay for every 5 degrees north in latitude, and we assume robins in Jackson, Mississippi are now beginning to lay eggs, when would you expect robins in Madison, Wisconsin to begin laying their eggs?" (To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) Photo Westbrooks Something Eggstra: Challenge Question #9 Working on the CQ above might make you wonder some other things about laying eggs and raising robin babies. Who do you think does more work in raising young, the robin male or the female? Which robin takes more risks, the male or the female? Which robin would you rather be: a male or female? Why? You'll be able to answer these questions a lot better after digging into the pages we've made to help you collect clues and sort facts: Eggstra, Eggstra! Read All About It! Chore Chart for Raising Robins When you know the story behind the eggs, come back and answer: Challenge Question #9: " If a robin lays her first egg on May 1 and everything happens in an exactly average way, what date do you think her babies will fledge from the nest?" (To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) Early Bird Contest (CQ #4 Reminder) and News From the NOPs As of April 7, the Alaskan hosts of our Early Bird Contest STILL were waiting for their first robin! Students at Sand Lake Elementary and their teacher Mike Sterling, reported, “No robins.” They added, The thermometer reached 50 here in Anchorage April 6. Robins can't be far behind, eh?” Past dates from the first robins in Anchorage are listed in our March 15 robin report. Then race to enter the 2005 Early Bird Contest if you haven’t already! Enter by answering: Challenge Question #4: " When do you predict the first robin will be spotted in Anchorage, Alaska (61.22 N, 149.90 W)? Do you think it will arrive with the 36-degree isotherm? Why?" (To respond to this question please follow the instructions below.) Meantime, robins ARE appearing in more and more Northern Observation Posts! The past week brought some first singing robins, too. Still, some NOPs don’t expect to see their first robins for another month. Find out the latest news, and revisit (or make) your predictions for first robins in the NOPs, here: April 12 News from the NOPs Tracking Robins to the End of the Trail: Making Predictions Spring Comes to Alaska: Challenge Question #10 Joy Hamilton of Innoko River School in Shageluk, Alaska, shared photos to show you what spring is like in her part of the biggest US state. You’ll see lots of snow, and also their first robin! Laura Erickson, our robin expert, took a close look at the Shageluk robin and said, “You can tell this adult male robin arrived in excellent condition for the breeding season. I can tell he's healthy because of three things.” Read Laura’s list and look for the evidence in the photo. Snow Bunting Spring in Shageluk, AK What 3 things show this male is healthy?   -Photos Joy Hamilton (1) His feathers are in perfect order. (2) He looks plump. (Unlike humans, birds burn up body fat very easily and don't lay fatty deposits on heart tissue.) (3) His eyes are bright and interested. His good health and extra body fat will enable him to give almost all of the food he finds to his hungry babies in a few weeks! Challenge Question #10: "Why don't robins go even farther north? What factors influence the northern limits of their nesting range?" (To respond to this question, Please follow the instructions below.) Answers from the American Robin Expert, Laura Erickson Will a pair of robins use their nest from the previous year? Why is a robin flying against my window repeatedly? Why do Robins migrate? See how American Robin expert Laura Erickson answers these and other questions as we unveil the answers for your 2005 “Ask the Expert” questions. There’s a lot to learn from your good questions and Laura’s good answers! Answers from the American Robin Expert, Laura Erickson Thumper is Back: Help for Window Bonkers “ He's BAAACK!” writes Cindy from Grant, MN. “Last year we had a male robin constantly fly against our dining room window to defend his territory from...himself! (My windows are not that clean!) We call him Thumper and he is doing it again this year.” Plenty of people have the same problem as Cindy. Are you one of them? Here’s help: Help! A robin is bonking into my window. Photo Laura Erickson Field Study: Listen to the Robin “This morning there were robins all around (not visible) but certainly audible. The robins seemed to be singing two distinct songs. It's a lovely warm day and the robins help us truly know that spring is here--that spring is really here.” Beloit, Wisconsin observer Which two songs do you think this observer was hearing? How much do robin songs and calls vary at different times of day? Do songs and calls vary between individuals? If you compare males and females, do you hear a difference between them? Carry out this vocalization study and see what you discover: Listen to the Robin: Field Study and Recording Chart If you wonder if your females are around yet, these tips may help you: Ladies Second Thanks, Rachel Carson! April 22 marks the 30th anniversary of the first Earth Day. Nearly all across the continent, robins are singing today. But if it weren't for Rachel Carson--and her courage--the songs of spring wouldn't be what they are today. When you hear your robins and other songbirds, you have Rachel Carson to thank. Why? Rachel Carson wrote a landmark book called "Silent Spring." In it she told the world about the dangers of chemical pesticides. She warned that many pesticides were poisonous and had spread throughout the environment. Even the backyard robin was threatened. One example: Beginning in the spring of 1955, as each wave of migrating robins appeared on the Michigan State Campus, they would die within a week. People first suspected a disease. But after several years they concluded that, "in spite of the assurances of the insecticide people that their sprays were harmless to birds, the robins were really dying of insecticidal poisoning." This full story is told in Silent Spring, which remains an important book today. Find a copy of this book and then see if you can answer this question: Journaling Question If people weren't spraying robins directly with pesticides, exactly how did these chemicals kill the robins? (Please describe the process, step-by-step, in as much detail as you can.) Birds of a Different Feather: Visualization and Journaling “Our family sighted a partial Albino Robin. It had a back with black and white markings and a dark yellow beak. It was the normal size of a robin. It flew well in the trees. It searched for and found worms. It was quite cooperative with letting us take pictures of it. Our friend says this has been the second year the bird has been living around their house. It is a beautiful bird.” The Olsen Family, Sioux Falls, SD. (April 9) “I was north of Tiffin today and saw my first ever Robin with Albinism: solid white patches across his back,” said Walter Wells of Tiffin, Ohio. These unusual sightings both arrived last week! It’s important that observers know about variations in robins. When they understand, they can share their knowledge with others. Some of you may never have heard of robins of a “different feather,” robins with albinism. Find out and see more pictures here: Robins of a Different Feather Try This! Visualizing and Journaling Imagine being a newly-hatched albino baby robin. You don't have a mirror. Like other birds, you probably don't think a lot about how you look, but you certainly notice how other birds react to you! Do you think you would ever realize that you look different from your brothers and sisters? How might you make that realization? Would you feel lucky or unlucky to be different? Write about some of the special problems albino robins might face in their lives. Tracking Temps and Robins: This Week’s Isotherm Map We’ve invited you to test the theory that robins follow the 36- or 37-degree isotherm during migration. (The isotherm is an imaginary line that connects places having the same AVERAGE temps.) So, how’s the theory holding up in YOUR region? Average Temperature in United States Week ending April 2, 2005. Photo Courtesy of NOAA Climate Prediction Center. (No map available of entire continent.) Just joining us? See how to calculate the isotherm for YOUR region so you can test whether robins travel with the isotherm: Robins, Temperatures, and Tulips: Discussion of Challenge Question #6 This question challenged you to "Look at the maps and describe where robins are singing and where tulips are emerging this week. What reasons can you think of to explain the similar patterns? (HINT: What is it about the geography of North America that you think causes robins to sing and tulips to emerge?)" "Tulips need a temperature of at least 40 degrees F. Robins travel at the 36 degree isotherm. These temperatures are quite close. In the United States, most regions around springtime, get this temperature. Therefore, robins and tulips arrive in the U.S. in a similar pattern." Hooray for Richard, Sayantan, and Shivam of Iselin (New Jersey) Middle School/7th grade, who indicated that the temperature is indeed the key. What role does the geography of North America play? The oceans along the coasts have a moderating effect on the temperature. From the maps, you can see that "spring" moves up the West Coast more quickly than it moves up mid-continent--all the way to Alaska. The robin migration (and song) should follow the same pattern, with those in mid-Continent arriving (and singing) much later than those on West Coast at the same latitude. Numbers of Nests: Discussion of Challenge Question #7 Last time we said that robins nest three or even four times a season in most places in the US and southern Canada. Even in the northern parts of their range, robins usually nest at least twice. We asked, “Why do you think robins nest so many times during a summer?” Robins must produce plenty of babies to keep the robin population high enough to replace all the robins that are killed each year by hawks, cats and other predators; pesticides;, accidents; ice storms and other bad weather; and all the many other hazards they face. And many robin nests fail. Robin nests are fairly conspicuous--that's why we're lucky enough to see robin nests more often than most other birds' nests. But that means they're also pretty easy for jays and crows to discover, and jays and crows feed robin eggs and nestlings to their own hungry babies. With so many dangers, robins need to produce a lot of new babies each year. If a pair nests successfully four times in a year, they're likely to produce about 15 babies (4 each in the first three nests, and 3 in the last one. Sometimes the third or fourth nestings can have only one or two eggs.) But most robins don't succeed with four nestings in a row. It's a lot of work keeping a species going! How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions: Please answer ONLY ONE question in EACH e-mail message. 1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-robin@learner.org 2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #8 (OR #9 OR #10). 3. In the body of EACH message, give your answer to ONE Challenge Question. The Next Robin Migration Update Will Be Posted on April 19*, 2005. (*Data only) Copyright 1997- 2005 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form.