Field Journal - Social Behavior and Phenology
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.
