Max's Grand Adventure: Heading South On His Own By early August, as the days begin to get shorter, Max and the other young golden-plovers have grown independent. Max frequently flies off by himself in search of food. His parents, knowing that Max is old enough to fend for himself, gather with most of the other adult golden-plovers and leave the Arctic coastal plain. They have a long trip ahead before they reach their winter home in South America. During the next several weeks, hundreds of thousands of birds will flocking together - species by species -- and head south. The caribou are long gone, and the grizzlies are securing their dens in the foothills of the Brooks Range southward. Polar bears remain on the ice floes just off shore, waiting for winter to arrive when they'll come ashore and make their dens in the snowdrifts. Wolves, wolverines, arctic foxes and muskoxen are some of the animals that will spend the harsh winter here. After his parents have left, Max stays in the Arctic for a few more weeks, eating and storing up energy reserves and growing stronger. Little does he know that he's about to have the biggest adventure of his life. Previous Page  |  Next Page Back to "Max's Grand Adventure" Index All About Max  |  Max's Grand Adventure From Alaska to our Backyards  |  Amazing Arctic Birds  |  Links