Updates from the Field

Week 4 Fall Migration Have you noticed the first signs of fall near your home? In Wisconsin, the asters are beginning to bloom and the Sandhill and Whooping Cranes are flocking in preparation for their fall migration. Further south along the eastern crane flyway, we will begin to see migrating birds from the north as the days get cooler and the summer humidy lessens. In Yakutia this same yearly cycle is occuring. In a recent email, Masha, who studies Siberian Cranes in northeastern Russia, noted that she has seen large groups of ducks and starlings near her home in Yakutsk - both preparing for their flights south. The Siberian Cranes are also preparing for their migration, cued by changes in their food supply, amount of daylight hours, and temperature. Beginning this week, we will follow a group of Siberian Cranes as they migrate between northeastern Siberia and western China. To do this, we will use data collected by a team of researchers in the mid 1990s. For this study, the researchers placed satellite transmitters (PTTs) on Siberian Cranes in Yakutia and followed the banded birds as they migrated south to their wintering area in southeastern China. This study was the first to track Siberian Crane migration along the east Asia flyway, and although it was completed several years ago, the study still informs our research on Siberian Cranes today. This update is timed with the beginning of the fall migration during the mid 1990s study. Beginning this week and continuing through the fall, we will post location data from the study on the Tracking Cranes website, so that you and your class can follow the banded birds' progress and map the fall migration. Click here to view the migration activity outline and directions on leading this activity in your classroom. Are you ready to begin mapping the fall Siberian Crane migration? Click here for the weekly location data.

Field Updates Student Activities Yakutian Birds Geography: Taiga and Tundra Ecoregions Field Work in the Tundra Science: Studying Animal Behavior Environmental Camps Team Building: Crane Egg Game Fall Migration Geography: Tracking Cranes Waterbird Lead Poisoning in Yakutia Social Studies: Raising Awareness Northeast China Discussion: Changing Landscapes Songnen Plain Science: Wetlands as Filters Student Exchanges Writing: School News Birding in China Science: Classroom Bird Feeders Bohai Bay Math: Waterbird Populations Poyang Lake Basin