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Signs of Spring Update: February 21, 2003
Today's Report Includes:
- Red-winged Blackbirds returning
- Red-winged Blackbird Migration Map and Data
- Jack of all Trades, Challenge Question #6
- Current Happenings: Singin' in the Snow
- Discussion of Challenge Question #5
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Male Red-wing perched on a cattail. Click
to enlarge and try to see his feet. |
One of the most reliable and fun signs of spring is the return of the Red-winged Blackbird. This species spends the winter in enormous flocks, and moves north into its breeding areas sometimes while the marshes are still frozen. It's fun to watch redwings when they arrive. The males each choose their own little patch of territory in the marsh. To keep other males off their territory, they sing and expose their brilliant red shoulder patches.
What about the females? They will arrive a few weeks later. By then males have worked out all their territorial boundaries.
We've got a whole list of fun projects to help you learn more about redwings. Decipher what their calls mean with our Dictionary, or make your own redwing action figure and watch what happens when you put it up in redwing territory. Why do you see redwings chasing crows in the spring and summer? How does this help redwing babies? See "Neighborhood Watch" for some answers. And if you can't tell a redwing from a crow, don't miss "How to Identify Blackbirds." You'll find all this and more here:
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| First Red-winged Blackbird Sightings |
You can see the Red-winged Blackbird migration unfold by frequently checking the map on the Red-winged Blackbird Index Page. Here's where blackbirds have been reported already.
Jack of All Trades
Red-winged Blackbirds eat seeds and insects which they can find in open fields and prairies, shorelines, mats of vegetation in marshes, in the air (flycatching) and even on the back of a turtle! They eat such a wide variety of different kinds of seeds, and can take a wide variety of insects of many sizes that they can survive in a LOT of places.
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Female Red-winged Blackbird.
She looks more like a big sparrow. Why is this helpful? Copyright by Ann Cook |
Some birds are specialists--that means they must live in a certain habitat, or eat one special kind of food, in order to survive. Snail Kites eat snails. Hummingbirds eat flower nectar. Osprey catch live fish. If any of these food items disappear, the birds that need them disappear. But redwings are generalists. That means they can eat a wide variety of food and live in a wide variety of places. There are so many kinds of plants that make seeds, and so many kinds of insects, that redwings can survive just about anywhere. That's why scientists believe they are the most abundant bird in North America!
Learn more about generalists and specialists, while you think about different animals you know. Which are generalists? Which are specialists? What clues will help you to know? Take a peek at some beaks and you'll find out!
- Generalists
vs. Specialists
Challenge Question #6
"Name some reasons why more animals on the Endangered Species list are specialists than generalists." -
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)
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Northern
Cardinal and Tufted Titmouse Photos by Myron "Red" Newton
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This week's record snowfall closed schools and airports. But despite the thick white stuff, people were still noting signs of spring. Terry Sprague reports that Horned Larks have been showing up in bigger numbers in Prince Edward County in Ontario despite sub-zero temperatures.
Sarah in Oakville, Connecticut, writes, "Even though today is a 'dangerously cold day,' I heard a tufted titmouse singing his 'peter peter peter' song and the northern cardinal's 'cheer cheer cheer pretty pretty pretty.' It was very encouraging since this nasty winter doesn't want to give up." David Mark in Amhearst, Massachusetts, heard his first cardinal singing on February 19, and suggests that listening for the first cardinal songs might be an interesting way to track spring's progression. Have you heard a cardinal sing yet? Tufted Titmice aren't found in as many areas, but they have a lovely sound, too.
- Listen to Cardinal Songs (recorded by Lang Elliott)
- Listen to a Tufted Titmouse (recorded by Lang Elliott)
John Neville in Salt Spring Island, British Columbia heard a Saw-whet Owl calling before dawn on February 13. And Karen Stegeman in Wellington, Kansas, has been hearing Great Horned Owls, which just started whooping it up this week. She writes, "They have been with us at this location since the early 90s. They're definitely a blessing and a restful sound in the night." Learn how you can go owling and recognize their calls:
Remember
to share your sightings of first frogs, earthworms, red-winged blackbirds,
barn swallows, emerging leaves, flowing sap, melting ice and other spring
events. To report any interesting signs of spring, just click on the owl
icon at the top of any Journey North page.
Discussion of Challenge Question #5
Last time we asked, "What might be some reasons why owl calls are low-pitched like our voices, rather than high-pitched like so many other birds?"
This was a tricky one! Owls hunt for mice at nighttime, using their hearing as much as or more than their sight. Mice have high-pitched voices. If owls also had high-pitched voices, they might have more trouble quickly identifying whether they were hearing prey or another owl.
How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions:
IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message.
1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-spring@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge
Question #6
3. In the body of EACH message, give your answer to ONE of the questions
above.
The Next Signs of Spring Update Will Be Posted on February
28, 2003.
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