Käyttäjän ekate38 päiväkirja

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 - 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 - 4/23/2021
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.