Learners' Guide 8
Phenological studies
The pupils study the first sign of spring.
Programme coordinator
Mr Vytautas Eidėjus
Lithuanian Young Naturalist's Center
Džiaugsmo str. 44
11302 Vilnius
Lithuania
Tel: +370 60012941
Fax: +370 38559425
e-mail: vytautas@grazute.lt
Programme details
Phenological studies as a common BSP programme started in 1994.
The aim of the studies is to observe when spring appears in the different countries around the Baltic Sea.
The observations started with a little group of pupils from Finland, Sweden and Estonia in 1992. Now it has grown up to a common programme of the Baltic Sea Project. Untill 2006 years program co-ordinator was Ms Barbra Maitin from Germany, and since 2007 the program is coordinated by Lithuanian.
Phenological studies are very useful outdoor activity. The studies do not require special equipment, it is easy to work alone and with group, and motivate students to observe environment during for all spring period. The participants have to observe the date they first see: the black bird, the coltsfoot, the skylark, the white wagtail, the blue anemone, the white anemone, the brimstone butterfly, the cuckoo, and white stork and others.
Instruction
Please find the map coordinates for the location of your observations at first. Fill the dates, after you have observed the spring changes in nature. You can fill in all squares or choose only some of them. Observe only those objects that you know definitely. If some of the objects are not natural in your observation place, please mark it accordingly in the table. You can fill in the boxes altogether or individually. For making the evaluation of the results easier we request you to write down the date of your observation, for example: Blue Anemone on 6th of February (1.) that means 38 day of 2011 (2.).
If you have further proposals for improving our programme of phenological studies, please do not hesitate sending your suggestions.
When you have finished your observations, please return the table before the 20th of June . Send your results to:
Lietuvos jaunuju gamtininku centras
Dziaugsmo str. 44
LT-11302 Vilnius
Lithuania
or by-email: vytautas@grazute.lt
Additional materials
Results of spring observation 2011
This year more than 22 schools from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland have participated in Phenological studies programme. The total number of participants was more than 465. Classes, groups of students or nature clubs and individual researches were observing 20 species indicating spring periods. There are results of „Spring observation 2011“ in the table. So you can compare data in different countries and to draw conclusions with schoolchildren.
|
No |
Species |
Poland |
Lithuania |
Latvia |
Estonia |
|
1 |
Skylark ( Alauda arvensis) |
20.03 |
01.03 |
07.03 |
13.03 |
|
2 |
Starling ( Sturnus vulgaris) |
06.03 |
04.03 |
05.03 |
15.03 |
|
3 |
Hazelnut ( Corylus avellana) |
03.03 |
04.03 |
15.03 |
07.04 |
|
4 |
Snowdrop ( Galanthus nivalis) |
02.03 |
13.03 |
02.03 |
23.03 |
|
5 |
Coltsfoot ( Tussilago farfara) |
20.03 |
04.03 |
25.03 |
12.04 |
|
6 |
Blue anemone ( Hepatica nobilis) |
08.03 |
15.03 |
12.03 |
10.04 |
|
7 |
Brimstone ( Gonepteryx rhamni) |
26.03 |
05.03 |
28.03 |
03.04 |
|
8 |
Black ant |
06.03 |
22.03 |
25.03 |
30.03 |
|
9 |
White stork ( Ciconia ciconia) |
21.03 |
12.03 |
20.03 |
03.04 |
|
10 |
Wagtail ( Motacilla alba) |
15.03 |
24.03 |
05.04 |
05.04 |
|
11 |
Sallow ( Salix caprea) |
10.03 |
01.03 |
12.03 |
10.04 |
|
12 |
Wood anemone ( Anemone nemerosa) |
23.02 |
28.03 |
09.04 |
22.04 |
|
13 |
Bumble-bee |
15.03 |
25.03 |
04.04 |
05.04 |
|
14 |
Black bird ( Turdus merula) |
17.03 |
24.02 |
01.03 |
03.04 |
|
15 |
Frog concert |
30.03 |
02.04 |
06.04 |
21.04 |
|
16 |
Cuckoo ( Cuculus canorus) |
28.02 |
02.04 |
10.04 |
05.05 |
|
17 |
House martin ( Delichon urbica) |
29.03 |
21.03 |
12.04 |
09.05 |
|
18 |
Cabbage white ( Pieris brassicae) |
02.04 |
02.04 |
03.04 |
02.05 |
|
19 |
Bird-cherry ( Padus avium) |
17.04 |
05.04 |
01.05 |
10.05 |
|
20 |
Dog-rose ( Rosa canina) |
29.04 |
26.05 |
23.05 |
04.06 |
|
First observe - 20.04 |
|||||
Work Box
"Work box" promote you to continue research at home or class, and motivates you interest in other activities, such as art, music, medicine, folklore. There is: "Up and down", "House martin", "Nesting-box for starling", "Mythology of storks", "Singers", "Wood anemone " names around the Baltic Sea", "The Coltsfoots tea". You do not must to do this assignment, if you do not want or do not have possibility. Please, download this material and make your spring observation more wide!
Download "Work box"
Voices of Birds
If you do not know how to recognize the song of bird, you can use this useful guideline in the website. Click on the picture and you will hear a song. Try to memorize the song and the name of bird. There will be much easy to recognize each species outdoor during the spring observation. Good luck.
 |
Skylark (Alauda
arvensis) (MP3, 1.03MB) |
 |
Starling
(Sturnus vulgaris) (MP3, 1.96MB) |
 |
Stork (Ciconia
ciconia) (MP3, 825KB) |
 |
Wagtail
(Motacilla alba) (MP3, 956KB) |
 |
Blackbird
(Turdus merula) (MP3, 1.96MB) |
 |
Cuckoo (Cuculus
canorus) (MP3, 1.29MB) |
 |
House martin
(Delichon urbica) (MP3, 1.00MB) |