| Please
Report Your Sightings! |
 |
Robins are arriving and even singing at higher latitudes. When will they reach interior Alaska where students are watching and waiting? See records from the past decade, then enter the "Early Bird Contest" and send us your guess! Read Answers from the Expert this week, and ponder why claiming and defending a good territory is so important to a male robin.
This Week's Report Includes:
- The Migration
- Explore: Answers from the Robin Expert
- An Author Shares: "American Idol Robins"
- Research Question and Links: Investigate!
 |
Farther south, but at higher elevations, people in the Rocky Mountain states of Montana, Colorado and Utah haven't yet reported singing robins. It's colder in the mountains the higher you go, so robins and other signs of spring arrive later. But singing robins should happen soon:
Watch the map in coming days and you'll see that singing robins will reveal the temperature patterns of our continent. With each passing week, we'll hear reports of robins are singing at higher latitudes and at higher elevations. |
||
|
Predict when the first robins will reach interior Alaska! At latitude 62 north in Shageluk, Alaska, students at Innoko River School officiate Journey North's "Early Bird Contest." Teacher Joy Hamilton reports:
|
Watching for the early bird at latitude 62N.
|
|
|
|
|
A big thanks to Laura Erickson for providing her time and expertise in responding to your questions about robins! Now you can look for answers to these questions and more:
|
 |
||
|
Laura
Erickson |
Meet author Don Grussing, who grew up with six kids in a crowded house. He loved escaping outdoors, where he heard only the birds. Mr. Grussing wrote The Seasons of the Robin. The story follows a young male robin's first year of life from struggling to hatch, through his first migration, returning home, establishing a territory, finding a mate and starting the cycle anew. Mr. Grussing shares a story just for us:
American Idol Robins by Don Grussing
Female
robins don't sing the territorial song, but very many, if not most,
male Robins seem to be paying
attention to the judges on TV’s
"American Idol" show.
They
take the common Robin song, and make it their
own. They add phrases, warbles and sounds that make it
possible for us to distinguish one Robin’s song from another’s.
Often these modifications of the songs involve many repetitions of parts
of the song
that seem to be favorites of the singer. This can help you tell
one robin from another.
Try This! Listen to the robins sing and see how long it takes for you to learn the differences between the songs of your neighborhood robins. Robins sing most often in the morning or before a rain, but often will burst into song at any time of the day (and sometimes night) during the breeding season.
Any Robins At Mr. Grussing's Yet?
We asked and he replied: "I have seen several passing through, but
not one musical note. We still need
more snow to
melt in this neighborhood to make it good habitat for robins. Oh, and
the
waxwings ate all the crabapples and buckthorn berries early in the winter."
Coming next week: Another story just for us!
Author Don Grussing shares a birding adventure with his grandkids.
Mr. Grussing wrote in his book's preface:
" Once you experience
the world through a robin's eyes, I hope you'll look at every wild thing
with
new
appreciation and respect for what they accomplish by living."
| This Week's Research Question: | Other links to explore: |
|
What does a robin look for when choosing a territory? Explore this link to do your research: |
|
|
Please
Report Your Sightings! |
|||
| The
First Robin You See |
Robins migrating in Waves |
The
First Robin You Hear Singing |
Your first sighting of Earthworms |
 |
|
 |
 |
The Next Robin Migration Update Will Be Posted on April 12, 2011.
Copyright
1997-2013 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us Search