Käyttäjän ekate38 päiväkirja

Date - 5/7/2021
Start time - 3:00
End time - 4:30
Location - Ethan Allen Park
Weather - low 60s, ligh breeze, partly cloudy
Habitat(s) - public park, residential area, forested area with deciduous & coniferous trees, and large rocks & boulders

Date - 4/23/2021
Start time - 2:00
End time - 3:30
Location - From Aiken Center to retention pond to bike path to country club
Weather - 53 degrees, partly cloudy 17mph wind
Habitat(s) - residential area, golf course, pond

For our birding field trip Friday afternoon we left from Aiken center and travelled to Redstone campus to the retention pond, and then to the golf course area before turning back around. It was somewhat windy so it was harder to hear and see some birds, but we did still see behavior related to mate selection, nest selection, or territory selection.
I saw paired up Cardinals together, as well as a pair of Mourning Doves. They were both near the golf course and residential yards. The Cardinals may have had a nest in the nearby shrubs or high hedges in the backyard. These could be good sites with dense foliage for a Cardinal to make a nest. I did hear some Cardinal songs, so they may have been defending some territory. This seemed like a good territory to defend, with decent out of reach and hidden nest sites.
In a very different habitat we also saw the nest site of a Canada Goose, with a couple Geese nearby it. Its nest was on a thin strip of land surrounded by water in the pond. The nest looked fairly large with some dry grass looking material constructing it. It may also have had body feathers or down lining it as Canada Geese will use that to insulate their nests. Canada Geese, especially the males, will defend their nesting territory fiercely.

We did the mini activity as a group right next to the golf course. It was interesting to stop and see how much we could hear and try to identify it, a bit of a challenge with the various man made noises going on. I noted the sounds by writing the initials of the bird, in different boldness for the sound qualities. This was harder than I realized, especially since I am not amazing at identifying bird calls and songs. But we went over what species we heard as a group after and I was able to match them all up.

Date - April 17, 2021
Start time - 4:30
End time - 6:30
Location - Arms Forest
Weather - 45 degrees, no precipitation, not windy
Habitat - forest with deciduous and coniferous trees

Date - 4/3/21
Start time - 10:30am
End time - 11:00
Location - Trinity Campus/Woods
Weather - ~50 degrees, sunny,
Habitat(s) - woods, residential area

I did this week's bird walk all around Trinity Campus and the surrounding woods. For year-round residents I saw Black-capped Chickadees in a tree, American Crows flying by and in the trees, and Ring-billed Gulls flying by, as well as hearing Mourning Doves. All these species are able to stay over the winter for different reasons that benefit them. Chickadees change their diets in the winter, eating seeds and berries and less insects. They also stay in groups so they can find food easier, and nest in cavities for warmth and protection. American Crows also benefit from being in groups so they can communicate about food, or group together for warmth. They also eat a variety of foods. Ring-billed Gulls are around all year largely because their food source is from humans who are around all year. These birds all say year round because the behaviors and adaptations make it a better option than the energetically expensive migration.
The facultative migrants I observed were American Robins. Facultative migrants don’t always migrate if the winter conditions happen to be more mild. Robins also eat a variety of foods and switch from insects to berries so they can winter farther north. We have observed the Robins here throughout the winter. They have shown up even more in Burlington the past month about, as it gets warmer and the snow covering the ground melts away, and insects are easier to access.I did not see any obligate migrants.
For the mini-activity, the American Crows, Black-capped Chickadees, and Mourning Doves all winter here. The Ring-Billed Gulls may also have mostly been here all year. The American Robin may not have traveled much either, but some could have wintered in southern Florida which is around 1,500 miles travelled. Or they could have come from the southern tip of Texas or from Mexico which would be around 21,000 miles at least, which is maybe less likely.

Date - 3/21/21
Start time - 2:30
End time - 4:00
Location - along the Burlington waterfront
Weather - 57 degrees F, sunny
Habitats - waterfront, urban

In the afternoon I went down to the waterfront to look for birds for this week's field journal. I wasn’t able to go at an earlier, more ideal time, so I wasn't surprised that there weren't many different birds. There were however plenty of Ring-billed Gulls. I saw two standing together on lightly frozen parts of the lake near the shore. They appeared to be preening, and one also seemed to be resting in between. I watched them after as they looked around and then flew away. I think they were looking for food as most of the Gulls appeared to be, as it was still midday which seems a good time to feed for their needs and metabolism.

I also saw some Rock Pigeons flying close by. They are a good bird to compare plumages with the Gulls as they are very different in look. Ring-billed Gulls have white heads and bodys, with gray wings with black tips that are white on the underside visible when flying overhead. This is likely for camouflage to keep the bird safe, as white is hard to see from below against a bright sky, and the gray could blend in with the water from above. The black on the wingtips is melanin to make the structure stronger. The Rock Pigeons were darker colored overall, with iridescent structural coloring on the neck and wings. But the Rock Pigeon also has a somewhat lighter underside, which could be for similar reasons to the Gull.

I saw many other Ring-billed Gulls flying by throughout the walk, and saw some on the edge of the pier. There was one standing alone and calling out repeatedly, and sometimes making a more laugh-like sound. A second Gull then flew down and stood by it. The Gulls that had been flying had also been making sounds and calls so that seemed to be their main form of communication, with the different sounds meaning different things.

There was not a good opportunity to try spishing much, but we did do it in the last group walk I attended. We attracted a few Black-capped Chickadees this way. I think it works because it may sound like a warning or some sort of alert for something and they want to see what it could be. Or it sounds like a group of birds that they want to check out or join.

Date - 3/5/2021
Start time - 2:00
End time - 3:30
Location - Centennial Woods
Weather - 21 degrees 13 mph wind
Habitat(s) - forest with deciduous and coniferous trees

On friday our birding group walked from UVMs Aiken Center to Centennial Woods, through and back. On the way there I saw two American Robins, one in a tree and one on the ground by the trees. The Robin in the tree seemed to be eating the tree's small red berries, and the one on the ground looked to be resting or just sitting but had likely also been eating berries from the ground.

In the woods we didn't see many birds at first but could hear some as we walked. I heard Black-capped Chickadees, American Crows, Brown Creepers, and a Pileated Woodpecker up in the trees or flying by before we saw any. We saw two Red-breasted Nuthatches in a tree, maybe eating/looking for insects or tree seeds, and a Tufted Titmouse flew by while we were watching. There were two Brown Creepers spotted high in the trees after we had been hearing them throughout the course of the walk. They were probably also looking for insects or seeds, both birds may have been more likely to find seeds due to it being winter. The small groups of Chickadees aswell were in / flying through the trees looking for food.

There were lots of snags throughout the walk, in various types of trees. They had lots of cavities and holes, some small holes for feeding and some large holes that may have been shelters and homes for birds at some point. I didn't see any birds in the tree cavities, I saw a red squirrel go into one. We tried to knock on the trees to see if anything would come out but had no luck. Maybe the cavities we saw were abandoned or the birds were out looking for food, it was already very cold in the day so I imagine many of the birds could need some sort of shelter like that at night.

Date - February 19
Start time - 2:10
End time - 3:00
Location - across University of Vermont campus and dorms
Weather - overcast, snowing, 29 degrees F
Habitat(s) - residential

On Friday in a birding group we walked around UVM campus from the Aiken center to Redstone campus. Many of the birds we saw were flying by or overhead which gave a good opportunity to watch flight movements of each species. For example I saw Mallards, Ring-billed Gulls, and European Starlings only in flight in the distance. American Robins and American Crows were also seen in flight as well as perched in on buildings and trees. Woodpeckers were seen together in trees.

For an example of observed flight patterns, the mallards I saw were flying high overheard, together in a group of 6. They have a high speed wing shape, and flap their wings consistently and quickly while in the air. This differs quite a bit from the Ring-billed Gull I observed in flight. The gull has high aspect ratio type wings, and it appeared slower and also seemed to glide or soar more than flap. I saw American Robins group together in trees and flying out of and around the trees. American Robins have elliptical shaped wings, which I saw them use for fast takeoffs and maneuvering that they are optimized for.

The three species of woodpecker observed, Downy, Hairy, and Red-bellied were not seen much in flight but were in trees close enough they could be identified easily and red coloring could be seen. Body/wing shape in flight and flight patterns (as well as sound) were helpful in identifying birds on the walk, as the weather conditions were not the best for identifying with color or other details that would require a better view.