FJ7
Date: 4/24/21
Start time: 3:30
End time: 5:00
Location: Green Mountain Audubon Center
Weather: partly cloudy, temperature around 65 degrees, 5 mph winds from the northwest
Habitat(s): mix of coniferous and deciduous forest, beaver pond, swamp/marshy areas, open field with trees on the outskirts
This birding session started out a bit slow. The first birds I found were a pair of Canada Geese swimming towards the bank of the beaver pond. Once on land, they started feeding on some grass. Halfway around the pond I heard a bird but wasn’t sure what it was. I noticed the call was coming from a black bird standing on an old stump in the middle of the pond. The bird was flicking its tail a lot and after some research I believe it is a Rusty Blackbird, but it also looked very similar to a Common Grackle. By the pond I also heard two other birds which I’m not totally positive that I identified correctly. I first heard a whistling sound from the far end of the pond, and I thought it was a Red-winged Blackbird (those on iNaturalist have helped out saying this was a Common Grackle). I also heard what I think is a Belted Kingfisher to the left of the pond in some trees. As I headed away from the pond, I heard both a Black-capped Chickadee call and song. I never saw these chickadees but the area I was in definitely had a lot of resources (food, trees for nesting sites, close to the pond for water, etc.) which would explain the territorial song I heard. Moving toward the open field I spotted an American Robin perched on a branch. I also saw some movement on a tree right on the edge of the field which I believe was a Tree Swallow with its bright belly and slim body shape.
While walking around the field I found an old nest which was pretty beat up. It was in a more exposed location, so I wonder if that played a role in how quickly it was damaged. As I kept walking, I spotted a Song Sparrow in a marshy area on the edge of the field. It seemed as though it was gathering some grass/straw-like material for a nest. This Song Sparrow’s nest could likely be near this marshy area in one of the short, dense, shrub-like trees I saw there. In the same area I saw a handful of Alder Flycatchers hopping around in these shrubs. I saw a gray bird with a darker head and light belly sitting in a shrubby tree. I believe it was a an Eastern Phoebe. I also saw a pair of Eastern Bluebirds as I kept moving. I first noticed the male because of how bright blue his coloration was. I am sure this contributed to attracting his mate and ultimately her selection of him. As I kept walking, I saw a pair of American Robins perched on a tree. It seems like a lot of birds were in pairs! Further down the path I saw the Bluebird fly into one of the nesting boxes out in the field. Maybe there were some eggs in there! Leaving the open field area, I saw another male Eastern Bluebird at the edge of the clearing.
Next I headed to the more densely wooded areas on the Audubon land. Not too long after I entered the forest, I heard the cascading song of a Winter Wren. I was also able to spot a Brown Creeper hitching up a tree, pecking for some food. A while later, I was very caught off guard when I heard a Barred Owl call! I’m still not 100% sure if it was a person imitating an owl or if it was the real deal. It seemed a bit too realistic to be a human. The last sighting of the day was some Wild Turkeys in someone’s yard. There was an adult and its babies feeding in the grass. Springtime and the next generation of birds are definitely here!
Sound Map and Nest: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17cVClYEKuIRdLcppVwJBLShlqqMl45lbrUdTqBKv3ys/edit?usp=sharing
Some non-bird sightings: lots of Spring Peepers, a porcupine and a fox!
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