Spring's Realm of Galaxies

Small section of the Virgo Cluster

My blog last week was about Saturn and how big and beautiful it is. I'm going to pitch you again this week on a second reason to get outside and observe. April and May are the best months to observe galaxies. Matter of fact the largest collection of galaxies in the sky is just above Saturn. It's called "The Realm of Galaxies".

The Realm contains LOTS of galaxies. Nowhere else in the sky is the concentration even remotely as high. On the boundary between Virgo [the Girl] and Coma Berenices [Berenice's Hair] is the enormous Virgo Cluster. The Virgo Cluster is 60 million [give or take 10 million] light-years away. The Local Group (including our Milky Way) has fewer than forty galaxies. The Virgo Cluster has more than a thousand (the Realm is the heart of the cluster). A typical Virgo galaxy is the size of our own Milky Way. Since the Milky Way contains about 200 - 400 billion stars, the Virgo Cluster must hold trillions of stars. You can't really see these galaxies with binoculars and they're very faint with a small telescope. What you need is "big glass" like a large telescope at an observatory.

Observatories all over the US are now opening for the 2011 year. Saturn continues to get fainter and smaller each week as the Earth moves away from it. Don't get me wrong, Saturn is still big and beautiful, but the longer you wait the less you will see of it.

If you live in Kansas, here are the closest observatories and their viewing schedules.

Kansas City - http://www.askc.org/Documents/2011%20Powell%20Observatory%20schedule.pdf

Topeka - http://www.washburn.edu/cas/physics/openhouse.html

Eskridge - http://www.nekaal.org/doku.php?id=schedule

Wichita - http://webs.wichita.edu/lapo/events.html

Next blog - next week

Look up - Saturn!

Christopher Go

I've been a volunteer instructor at Powell Observatory - http://www.askc.org/powell.htm
in Louisburg, KS for about 15 years (note on the website under 2011 Observing Schedule that Powell officially opens May 7). The object that the public always asks about is Saturn. The main question is can you see Saturn's rings in a small telescope? The answer is YES!

Saturn is big and bright in the evening sky for the rest of April and all of May. Go outside about 10:00 PM CT and face southeast. Look up about 45 degrees (remember 90 degrees is straight overhead) and the bright star you'll see is Saturn. Directly below Saturn (about 30 degrees) is another bright star - Spica. Spica is in the Virgo constellation and Saturn is now drifting through Virgo. Spica is 250 light years away and 1900 times more luminous than our Sun. Actually, Spica consists of 2 stars that are very close together.

If you own a small telescope or have a friend who owns one, go out and take a look at the rings of Saturn. I'm guessing you'll need at least 25X magnification. Majority of binoculars are just not powerful enough. Most store bought binos are 7X35 (7 is the magnification) and these numbers are imprinted on the binos. I own a pair of 10X50 binos and I can't see the rings.

The picture (above) of Saturn was taken April 16. This is how the rings will be oriented when you see them. If you are looking through a more powerful scope - you may notice tiny stars around Saturn. These are Saturn's moons. On a real good clear night I can see 6 - 9 moons in my telescope (Saturn has at least 62).

I just added a new picture of me standing next to my telescope. I want to thank Tom Martinez for taking the picture. Tom is an observing buddy and great astrophotographer.
Check out Tom's blog - http://tomjmartinez.blogspot.com/

Next blog - next week

Kansas Giant Centipede

My daughter - Grace Anne and I decided to do some snake hunting this weekend in the Flint Hills at Camp Wood YMCA near Emporia, Kansas. We found colorful Milk Snakes, Common Garter Snakes, Ringneck Snakes and lots of Great Plains Skinks (lizards).

One of the most interesting animals we typically find in that area is the Common Desert Centipede also known as the North American Tiger Centipede (Scolopendra polymorpha). These typically grow approx. 4"- 5" in length. Scary to look at but fascinating to watch. The photo above is the specimen we found, taken by Grace Anne.
She also took the photo of the colorful collared lizard at the very top of the blog.

Centipedes use structures called gnathosomes or gnathopods to inject venom into their prey. These are paired pincer-like appendages in front of the legs. The “bite” is actually a pinch. In general, centipedes can live in a wide variety of habitats. They can be found not only in a desert habitat, but also in the tropics, and at the seashore. Desert centipedes are found throughout the southern US including Kansas. They are carnivores eating such foods as insects, lizards, frogs, and rodents. During the daytime desert centipedes will spend their time underground or under rocks concealed from the sun. Although this species typically live in dry terrain they will dry up and die easily if left exposed to the sun. Little is known about life span but estimated they can live 5+ years. 

Interesting fact: Centipede mothers take care of their eggs coiling around and grooming them. They may do this to protect them from mold and bacteria. Once the young hatch, she will care for them for a few more days until they disperse. A great website that shows the mother w/babies - http://cacoseraph.exofire.net/centis/index.php

What happens if you're bitten? I've read the bite can be intensely painful to mildly sore.

Want to see an actual bite and the write up about it?  I searched all over and found this website. If you're squeamish, avoid! 

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?postid=521021#poststop

Next blog - next week

First Toads of Spring

When the weather begins to warm up, the first amphibians I hear are Chorus Frogs and Spring Peepers (see my 3/20 & 3/27 blogs).

Well, toads like it a bit warmer. The American Toad began it's mating calls about 2 weeks ago. I walked by a local pond about 8:00 PM this weekend and they are loud!
Remember, just the males call. This is a relatively small toad, about 2 -3" with a mating call that can best be described as a "trill". Want to hear?
Go to http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recNum=AR0006

American Toads range south in the East to Louisiana, north through Tennessee and Kentucky, west through Indiana to ne. Kansas, and north to Canada. They can be found only in eastern Kansas.

Woodhouse Toads are the largest toads in Kansas, grow 2.5" - 4". If you're outside and see a "big, fat hop-toad" it's probably a Woodhouse. These toads like it even warmer. Typically come out several weeks after the American Toads emerge.
These toads have one of the strangest sounding calls I've heard. Reminds me of a "funny sounding baby wailing".
Listen to the Woodhouse - http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recNum=AR0012

Woodhouse Toads range from e. Montana and North Dakota, south through the plains states to c. Texas, and west of the Rocky Mountains from Idaho south to Colorado and Arizona, with isolated populations in w. Texas, se. California, and the Oregon-Washington border. They are found throughout the state in Kansas.

A sure-fire way to tell them apart other than by size is look at their bellies. American's are the only toad's in Kansas with spots on their bellies. Woodhouse's like all the other Kansas species have plain white bellies.

Next blog - next week

The Eagle has gone Viral!

Chat lines have been buzzing about the webcam - Decorah Eagles.
This is an eagle's nest 80 ft high, built 4 years ago in a cottonwood tree near Decorah, Iowa. Decorah is located in NE Iowa.

Raptor Resource Project maintains the 24 hr. webcam w/sound. You can even watch at night! (The cam switches to infrared)
Watch as the cam pans, tilts and zooms on the parents, babies, surrounding area and even the prey that has been freshly caught.
(I watched flies walk over the carcass of a bunny as it lay in the nest. Remember flies need to eat too!)

Eggs were laid in late Feb. and have been hatching over the last several days. One more egg is expected to hatch in the next couple of days.

122,000 viewers were watching as I typed this blog on Sunday @ 3:30 PM CT.

Look below the cam and read the FAQ's - interesting!
Check it out - http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

Next blog - next week

Answers - Second Frog of Spring

Photograph by Suzanne Collins - CNAH

In the Midwest typically the first frog mating call you'll hear is the Boreal Chorus Frog. The SECOND mating call comes shortly after.

This second frog lives throughout the eastern US, north from Canada, south to Central Florida, west to the Kansas/Missouri border. This species doesn't live in Kansas City, but just south of KC along the border to Oklahoma. The mating call sounds like the call of a baby bird. This species can be identified by the faint X on its back. If you see/hear this creature you're lucky. This is a threatened species!

Second frog -  pictured above.

What is this species?
1) Cricket Frog
2) Spring Peeper
3) Leopard Frog
4) None of the above

Answer - #2 - Spring Peeper

What makes this species interesting?
1) Cannibalistic
2) Females lay over 10,000 eggs
3) Males fight for territory
4) All the above

Answer - #3 - Males fight over territory!

Want to hear the mating call of the male spring peeper? http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recNum=AR0014
Hit the listen tab.

Next blog - next week

Second Frog of Spring

Photograph by Suzanne Collins - CNAH

In the Midwest typically the first frog mating call you'll hear is the Boreal Chorus Frog. The SECOND mating call comes shortly after.

This second frog lives throughout the eastern US, north from Canada, south to Central Florida, west to the Kansas/Missouri border. This species doesn't live in Kansas City, but just south of KC along the border to Oklahoma. The mating call sounds like the call of a baby bird. This species can be identified by the faint X on its back. If you see/hear this creature you're lucky. This is a threatened species!

Second frog -  pictured above.

What is this species?
1) Cricket Frog
2) Spring Peeper
3) Leopard Frog
4) None of the above

What makes this species interesting?
1) Cannibalistic
2) Females lay over 10,000 eggs
3) Males fight for territory
4) All the above

Answers to this week's blog in the next several days.

Answers - First Frog of Spring

An adult specimen from Anderson County, Kansas

Image © Suzanne L. Collins, 2001

An adult specimen from Anderson County, Kansas

Image © Suzanne L. Collins, 2001



It's been in the 60's and 70's almost all week in Kansas City. Crocuses are starting to bloom and hyacinths are about 2 weeks away from blooming. But what I listen for are the sounds of spring.

The first sound I always listen for is a particular species of frog. This frog lives in eastern and central North America. They call as early as late February in temperatures as low as 35 degrees. I've even heard their mating calls while it's snowing outside! If you live near a roadside ditch, pond or stream you've probably heard these tiny creatures. Males congregate in large numbers (only males call) and can be heard up to a quarter mile away. The call - a "crreek" lasting 1-2 seconds, sounds similar to running your fingers down the length of a comb.

A picture of this amphibian is above.

What is this frog?
A) Bullfrog
B) Cricket Frog
C) Leopard Frog
D) Chorus Frog

Answer - D - The Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata)

The reproductive ability of this frog is astounding. How many eggs can the female lay?
A) 500
B) 1000
C) More than 1000

Answer - C - Female can lay up to 1500 eggs!

Want to hear the mating call?
Go to http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recNum=AR0155

NOTE: According to Joe Collins - Co-Author of Amphibians, Reptiles and Turtles of Kansas - http://www.amazon.com/Amphibians-Reptiles-Turtles-Kansas-Collins/dp/0972015450
the Western Chorus Frog name and genus/species has changed to the Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata)

Next blog - next week

First Frog of Spring



An adult specimen from Anderson County, Kansas

Image © Suzanne L. Collins, 2001

An adult specimen from Anderson County, Kansas

Image © Suzanne L. Collins, 2001



It's been in the 60's and 70's almost all week in Kansas City. Crocuses are starting to bloom and hyacinths are about 2 weeks away from blooming. But what I listen for are the sounds of spring.

The first sound I always listen for is a particular species of frog. This frog lives in eastern and central North America. They call as early as late February in temperatures as low as 35 degrees. I've even heard their mating calls while it's snowing outside! If you live near a roadside ditch, pond or stream you've probably heard these tiny creatures. Males congregate in large numbers (only males call) and can be heard up to a quarter mile away. The call - a "crreek" lasting 1-2 seconds, sounds similar to running your fingers down the length of a comb.

A picture of this amphibian is above.

What is this frog?
A) Bullfrog
B) Cricket Frog
C) Leopard Frog
D) Chorus Frog


The reproductive ability of this frog is astounding. How many eggs can the female lay?
A) 500
B) 1000
C) More than 1000

Answers later this week

Did the Moon cause Japan's Earthquake?

I've had several people contact me regarding the article at the bottom of the page.

Is it true - or even partially true? I was incredulous.

Before you read any further see if you can answer these 2 questions:

The moon's gravitational pull affects:
A) Tides
B) Weather
C) Earthquakes
(you can circle up to three)

The land under you rises and falls about a meter a day:
A) True
B) False

I'm a fan of Phil Plait - creator of Bad Astronomy. If you want to read the REAL SCIENCE behind this and a much better answer than I can possibly give check out Phil's site - http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/03/11/no-the-supermoon-didnt-cause-the-japanese-earthquake/

The answers to the questions above are taken directly from Phil's blog. Thanks Phil!

Next blog - next week

Winter Star Party

My wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary last weekend. While we were making plans on where to go I noticed an event that has been on my life's "bucket list" - one of the largest amateur astronomy events in the US.

Imagine gazing at the night time sky, temperatures in the low 70's, on a sand beach with the ocean 30 feet away. You can see why the Winter Star Party - http://www.scas.org/wsp.html in the Florida Keys is so popular. This is the first major star party of the year in North America, attracting over 500 participants. Astronomers from all over the world leave the snow and cold to eat fresh seafood, listen to renowned speakers and observe all night long.
Star parties are popular throughout the world as amateur astronomers gather in some of the darkest, most remote locations to observe truly dark skies.
Some of the nearby star parties:
Heart of America Star Party near Kansas City - http://www.hoasp.org/
Nebraska Star Party - http://www.nebraskastarparty.org/
Okie-Tex Star Party - http://www.okie-tex.com/

Many bring large computerized telescopes. I had the chance to observe through 2 "monsters" - a 32" and a 25" (size of mirrors). The 32" stood about 15 feet high and the 25" stood about 12 feet high. You obviously need a ladder. I spent 3 nights observing galaxies, "exploding" stars (supernova), "exploded" stars (planetary nebula) and the "coolest" planet in the skies - Saturn. Not only are the rings big and beautiful but counted 6-8 moons around the ringed planet. Since Cape Canaveral is so close we had many speakers from NASA updating on the latest discoveries.

Interesting fact - Did you know at the beginning of the Civil War the Union Navy controlled Key West? Matter of fact more cannons were stored there than any place in the US. The citizens of Key West voted on which side they wanted to support - Union or Confederate. Voted Confederate. The Union Navy told the residents they would aim all their cannons at the city. Key West had a re-vote - Union won this time!

Key West - only city where residents enlisting as Confederates had to travel NORTH!

Next blog - next week.

Answers - Are You Smarter than a Middle Schooler?

Have you seen the TV show - Are You Smarter than a 5th grader? It's one of my favorites! I feel dumb when I can't answer the 3rd grade geography question. I kick myself when I don't know the answer to a 5th grade science question!

This was my 3rd year writing the astronomy tests for Middle and High school age kids at this weekend's Northeast Kansas Regional Competition of the Science Olympiad:

National website - http://www.soinc.org/
Ks website -  http://webs.wichita.edu/scienceolympiad/

These kids are the future of America. Some of the best and brightest. At this year's event there were 22 categories ranging from Ecology to Disease Detection to Mousetrap Powered Vehicles. Winners go to the State Championships in Wichita. The National Championships are held in Madison, Wisconsin.

I've taken 3 questions from the Middle School test - not too easy/not too hard to see if you're smarter than a Middle Schooler.

Here goes:

1) Earth rotates...
A) Clockwise
B) Counter-clockwise

Answer - B

2) All the planets in the solar system orbit the sun in the same direction.
A) True
B) False

Answer - A

3) Which planet in our solar system has the most moons discovered so far?
A) Uranus
B) Neptune
C) Saturn
D) Jupiter

Answer - D-  Jupiter has 63 moons.

Also, which schools were the overall winners?

Middle School Division

1st - California Trail Middle School  2nd - Leawood Middle School

 

High School Division 

1st - St. James Academy  2nd - Olathe East High School

So.... Are you REALLY smarter than a Middle Schooler? Be honest!

Next blog - next week

Are You Smarter than a Middle Schooler?

Have you seen the TV show - Are You Smarter than a 5th grader? It's one of my favorites! I feel dumb when I can't answer the 3rd grade geography question. I kick myself when I don't know the answer to a 5th grade science question!

This was my 3rd year writing the astronomy tests for Middle and High school age kids at this weekend's Northeast Kansas Regional Competition of the Science Olympiad:

National website - http://www.soinc.org/
Ks website -  http://webs.wichita.edu/scienceolympiad/

These kids are the future of America. Some of the best and brightest. At this year's event there were 22 categories ranging from Ecology to Disease Detection to Mousetrap Powered Vehicles. Winners go to the State Championships in Wichita. The National Championships are held in Madison, Wisconsin.

I've taken 3 questions from the Middle School test - not too easy/not too hard to see if you're smarter than a Middle Schooler.

Here goes:

1) Earth rotates...
A) Clockwise
B) Counter-clockwise

2) All the planets in the solar system orbit the sun in the same direction.
A) True
B) False

3) Which planet in our solar system has the most moons discovered so far?
A) Uranus
B) Neptune
C) Saturn
D) Jupiter

Answers - next couple of days.
Also, the NE KS Middle and High School winners.

Answers to Great Backyard Bird Count

upload.wikimedia.org

The answers to this week's Backyard Bird Count surprised me. I would have missed both if I hadn't looked them up. Answers below:

The Bird Count still has 1 more day before it ends. What species in Kansas has the largest number sighted so far the last 3 days?

A) Mallard
B) House Sparrow
C) Canada Goose
D) Snow Goose

Answer - Snow Goose - overwhelmingly!


The Canada Goose had the largest number of birds reported in Kansas for 2010. What species was the 2nd largest the same year?

A) Red-winged Blackbird
B) American Goldfinch
C) Dark Eyed Junco
D) Snow Goose
Answer - Red-winged Blackbird

Next blog - next week!

Great Backyard Bird Count

http://www.science.smith.edu/

The Great Backyard Bird Count - http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/  is an annual 4 day event that includes bird watchers all over North America. The Bird Count begins Feb. 18 and ends Feb. 21.

Just submitted the checklist from my backyard. In a 1 hour time period saw 1 American Goldfinch - that's all. Actually, saw 3 damn squirrels, but those don't count!

So, here's my trivia questions:

The Bird Count still has 1 more day before it ends. What species in Kansas has the largest number sighted so far the last 3 days?

A) Mallard
B) House Sparrow
C) Canada Goose
D) Snow Goose

The Canada Goose had the largest number of birds reported in Kansas for 2010. What species was the 2nd largest the same year?

A) Red-winged Blackbird
B) American Goldfinch
C) Dark Eyed Junco
D) Snow Goose

Answers in the next several days

Birding Quiz

upload.wikimedia.org

This weekend I attended an interesting birding presentation at the Overland Park Arboretum by Dr. David Seibel. Dr. Seibel is a native Kansan and lifelong birder. He holds a Ph.D. in ornithology and is a biology professor at Johnson County Community College, author, poet, and popular lecturer as well as an avid nature photographer. Dr. Seibel also is a coauthor and contributing photo editor for the authoritative Birds of Kansas to be published this spring by the University Press of Kansas.
http://www.davidseibel.com/


http://www.birdsinfocus.com/


Birds of Kansas (May 2011)
http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/thobok.html


Anyway, Dr. Seibel mentioned several interesting facts that surprised me. Since so many of our bloggers are from Kansas I thought I'd challenge you with these questions.


The US has over 800 species of birds.
How many species have been seen in Kansas?


A) 211
B) 283
C) 367
D) 473




Everybody knows cardinals are red.
Actually, cardinal plumage (feathers) sometimes have several abnormal colors, including all the following except one. What color is it?


A) Pink
B) White
C) Yellow
D) Green


See cardinal picture at bottom of page for the answers.


Next blog - next week

Snow Bacteria - Answers

Pseudomonas syringae - www.knowledgebank.irri.org

 

We all know (or should know) that eating dirty or yellow snow is a big “no-no”. Those of us who are parents (and live in regions where there are regular snowfalls) teach our children this lesson as quickly as possible.

Back in 2008 scientists were surprised to see a large amount of a specific bacteria in snow - even in "pristine" snow in places like Antarctica and the Yukon. Scientists discovered that there may be a relationship between ice-forming, air-borne bacteria and global rainfall patterns. For those of you who don’t know, the formation of ice in clouds is required for snow and most rainfall. Although dust and soot particles serve as ice formation particles, bacteria ice nuclei are capable of  freezing more quickly at much warmer temperatures. Bottom line:  Bacteria in the atmosphere may affect the processes that trigger precipitation. 

So...... here's my trivia questions:

 

 

What's the bacteria discovered that is so common in snow?
A) Plant bacteria
B) Ocean bacteria
C) Urine bacteria

 

Answer - A  Plant bacteria. Pseudomonas syringae causes diseases on various plants. It also produces proteins which cause water to freeze at fairly high temperatures, resulting in injury to plants. Since the 1970s, P. syringae has been implicated as an atmospheric "biological ice nucleator". Recent evidence has suggested that the species plays a larger role than previously thought in producing rain and snow. 

And now the most important question - how much snow can you safely eat?
A) Don't eat any
B) A little won't hurt
C) You can consume a lot

Answer - B  C'mon - you can eat snow!

Next blog - Next week

Snow bacteria

How many of you experienced this week's extreme snowfall? Good timing eh!

We all know (or should know) that eating dirty or yellow snow is a big “no-no”. Those of us who are parents (and live in regions where there are regular snowfalls) teach our children this lesson as quickly as possible.

Back in 2008 scientists were surprised to see a large amount of a specific bacteria in snow - even in "pristine" snow in places like Antarctica and the Yukon. Scientists discovered that there may be a relationship between ice-forming, air-borne bacteria and global rainfall patterns. For those of you who don’t know, the formation of ice in clouds is required for snow and most rainfall. Although dust and soot particles serve as ice formation particles, bacteria ice nuclei are capable of  freezing more quickly at much warmer temperatures. Bottom line:  Bacteria in the atmosphere may affect the processes that trigger precipitation. 

So...... here's my trivia questions:

What's the bacteria discovered that is so common in snow?
A) Plant bacteria
B) Ocean bacteria
C) Urine bacteria

And now the most important question - how much snow can you safely eat?
A) Don't eat any
B) A little won't hurt
C) You can consume a lot

Answers will be posted in a couple of days

Exploding Star

Betelgeuse, the red supergiant at the top of the constellation of Orion
Photograph credited to www.nightsky.ie

I’ve been contacted by numerous people about a star that may explode within the next 2 years. The star is Betelgeuse – located in the constellation Orion. Go out this week about 8:00 PM – face SSE, look up around 60 degrees (remember 90 degrees is straight overhead) and you should see the above constellation.
Betelgeuse is a red super giant, one of the largest and most luminous stars known. It will go supernova (explode) sometime – the question is when.

The Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/20/two-suns-twin-stars_n_811864.html  wrote a piece about Betelgeuse – suggesting the supernova will occur in 2012.

Highly unlikely

It also claims the supernova will be so bright that it would be like a second sun.

Wrong

I’m a fan of Phil Plait – creator of Bad Astronomy. If you want to read the REAL SCIENCE behind this plus great illustrations, check out Phil’s blog - http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/01/21/betelgeuse-and-2012/

Now you can talk intelligently if somebody brings this up!

This is my only blog this week.

Next blog – next week.

Groundhog Day Answers

Collegeboredom.com

With the upcoming media hype surrounding Groundhog Day - Feb 2, I thought I'd throw out some unusual questions.

Groundhogs (woodchucks) can do 2 of the following:

A) Howl

B) Swim

C) Chuck wood

D) Play dead

E) Climb trees

Answers - B & E

If you answered C - you've been watching too many Geico commercials!

Yes, they will climb trees, infrequently.

Groundhogs eat:

A) Insects

B) Green vegetation

C) Baby birds

D) All the above

Answer - D

Yes, they've been known to eat young birds.

However, groundhogs aren't eating now - they're hibernating. Groundhogs are true hibernators whose body temperatures may drop just above freezing!

Next blog - next week.       Dan

Groundhog Day

Groundhog (also known as a woodchuck) Day is Feb 2. 

The most famous groundhog is Punxsutawney Phil - http://www.groundhog.org/

I noticed this year's Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Banquet speaker is Jim Koch - Founder of Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams Beer). Cost to attend the banquet is $25.

Would you pay $25 to hear Jim talk about groundhogs and beer?

 

2 Questions:

Groundhogs (woodchucks) can do 2 of the following:

A) Howl

B) Swim

C) Chuck wood

D) Play dead

E) Climb trees

Groundhogs eat:

A) Insects

B) Green vegetation

C) Baby birds

D) All the above

Answers to this week's blog will be in several days.

American Robin Answers

Thanks for all those who have taken the time to view my new blog! During the winter you don't see a lot of animals, but here in Kansas City I see lots of robins around my bird feeder and heated bird bath. They love the bird bath, but don't eat the seed. I've wondered if these are same robins that have been hanging around all summer. Did some detective work - here are the answers.

1) Everybody knows that during warm weather robins love to eat earthworms.
But what happens when the weather turns cold and earthworms go deep underground.
What do robins eat?

Is it:

A) Leaves
B) Fruits and berries
C) Birdseed
D) All the above

ANSWER - B - fruits and berries.  Large flocks form and range over the countryside in search of berries such as mulberry, sumac, grape, viburnum, and cedar, as they shift from their breeding season diet of insects and earthworms to become wholly vegetarian.

2) When robins migrate, where do they go?

A) North
B) South
C) All the above
D) Robins don't migrate

ANSWER - C - All the above  As long as food is available robins will go anywhere. If food is available locally, they won't migrate.

FYI - hunters in the south used to shoot robins for meat. Robin meat was considered delicious!

Watch for my blog next week.        Dan

This week - American Robin

2 Questions:

1) Everybody knows that during warm weather robins love to eat earthworms.
But what happens when the weather turns cold and earthworms go deep underground.
What do robins eat?

Is it:

A) Leaves
B) Fruits and berries
C) Birdseed
D) All the above

2) When robins migrate, where do they go?

A) North
B) South
C) All the above
D) Robins don't migrate

Answer will appear in the next couple of days    Dan