Hey Answer Girl -

As I watch robins looking for worms in my yard, it seems they cock their heads and sometimes it seems they are listening and sometimes they are looking. Just how do robins locate the juicy worms they grab and pull out of the ground and gobble down?

- Bird Lover

In 1965, scientist and fellow bird lover Frank Heppner published a study called "Sensory Mechanisms and Environmental Clues Used by the American Robin in Locating Earthworms," and it pretty much answered the how-to-find-worms question in more detail than anyone needs.

Having conducted a series of experiments earlier the same decade, Heppner concluded that the robin hunts by sight, not sound.

Worms, apparently not the brightest crayons in the box, rest in their little underground holes with their tail ends sticking out. You'd think they would have figured out, by now, that if they ducked down a little lower they wouldn't end up the birds' bellies, but they haven't.

Robins do look like they're listening for movement, but studies show that they really don't use much of their other senses at all during worm hunts. They turn their heads to the side because their eyes are more on the sides of their heads than ours. They can see better that way.

The early bird may get the worm - but only if the worm is dumb enough to stick its hind end out like an "Eat me" signal.

Hey Answer Girl -

I have a perplexing question regarding a street in Casper. Who is CY Avenue named after? I assume it was a person with the last name of Yesness. But what does the 'C' stand for? And, I know there is a Yesness Park in Casper. Is this park named after the same person, or some other person in the same family?

- John in Riverton

CY Avenue was not named after a Yesness, actually. It was named after the Carey brothers.

The road, which was once more of a cattle path and less of street, got its name from the first and last letters of the "Carey" name of the Carey Brothers' Ranch - more commonly known as the CY ranch.

The avenue/cattle run went straight up to the Carey ranch house, which was located near the fairgrounds and pretty close to where the A&W drive-thru is now.

Why they went with the first and last letters of the name instead of just a whole name or initials or something is beyond me. Maybe they wanted to be unique.

And while we're on the subject, another street name in town is related to the Carey brothers as well. David Street was named after Edward David, a foreman for the ranch. He was lucky enough to get his whole last name on the sign.

Ask Answer Girl

Answer Girl tackles your questions about Casper, the universe and everything else. Submit your questions by email to megan.lee@trib.com, or call Megan Lee at 266-0589.

Contact reporter Megan Lee at (307) 266-0589 or megan.lee@trib.com