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Migration Update: March 8, 2011
Please Report
Your Sightings!

The robins are returning, and it's time to salute another sign of spring: the lowly earthworm. They migrate only a few feet, but the timing of their arrival makes earthworms the unsung heroes of robin migration.

This Week's Report Includes:

Image of the Week

What do you see?

The Migration: What's Happening Now & What to Watch For

What's Happening Now
Robins are starting to sing across the United States. March came "in like a lamb," with March 1 the biggest day so far for singing robins reported. A happy observer in Macomb, Illinois exclaimed, "The birds know spring is on its way!" More people are seeing their first robins. Big waves are flooding through Illinois and Indiana right now, where the average temperatures are starting to be above freezing. Canadians have not yet reported the first singing robins, but which province do you predict will be first to announce? The robin-song season is just beginning. Get ready so you'll know your robin's song when you hear it!


What might be some problems for the robin in this picture? How does a robin get a grip?

Why do areas like this make favorite hunting spots for migrating robins?

What to Watch For
As the snow melts and the sun warms the soil, watch how robins find earthworms. Robins know where the hunting is best. They search along the margins of melting snow and other places that are wet. Earthworms will wriggle to the surface where the soil is soft, wet and warm enough. Get ready:


First EARTHWORMS
(map/sightings)

This Week's Featured Map

  


Map Journal Page
Slideshow and Activity

Slideshow: Earthworms and Robins Return
The arrival of the first robins is a welcome sign of spring, and is often closely tied to the appearance of the first earthworms. Find out how closely the two are connected.

Activity: Temperature Timeline
March is a time of dramatic change. When will the ground thaw and earthworms appear? When will your backyard robins arrive? Create a Temperature Timeline to watch for connections between changing temperatures and signs of spring. With large chart paper, build a visual record of spring's arrival by constructing a wall-size line graph to document this month's average temperatures. Draw, write, or add digital photos to the line graph to show other signs of spring. Keep your Temperature Timeline on display to share the discoveries.
Research Question and Links: Explore!
Ask the Expert Now!

This Week's Research Question: Five hearts? No eyes? No ears? No lungs, but they still take in oxygen? There's a lot to discover about earthworms! Start with this question, and find three additional interesting facts: Why do worms come out after it rains?

Other links to explore:

Please Report Your Sightings!
The First Robin You
See

Robins migrating in Waves
The First Robin You
Hear Singing

Your first sighting of Earthworms


More Robin Lessons and Teaching Ideas!

The Next Robin Migration Update Will Be Posted on March 15, 2011.

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