WFB 195 - Field Journal 5
5/28/2021, 6:40 – 10:40 am, Hillside Environmental Education Park, Mansfield, CT. The weather was clear skies and sunny, with a slight breeze. I first walked down a gravel path (which acted as a connecting let out point for all of the trails) where I heard Common Yellowthroat, Blue-winged Warbler (6:40 am), Veery, and Tufted Titmouse (6:45 am). I then got to a part in the gravel path where it lined a small pond. At this part, I saw a Red-shouldered Hawk and heard a Least Flycatcher and Mourning Dove (6:50 am). Further down the gravel path, I then took a trail into the forest (flat, plenty of trees, ground covered in ferns, no water running through, edge habitat right next to a housing development as well as UConn campus) where I heard a Red-bellied Woodpecker, Warbling Vireo, American Robin (7:00 am), Blue Jay, Eastern Wood-Pewee (7:05 am), Wood Thrush (7:10 am), and Ovenbird (7:40 am). I then got to a portion of the forest that had shallow dips that were muddy, some even still had water in them. Here I heard Great Crested Flycatcher (7:45 am), Downy Woodpecker, Belted Kingfisher (7:50 am), and Red-eyed Vireo (8:00 am). I saw two Turkeys walk by as well (8:10 am). I then got back onto the main gravel path and heard a Rose-breasted Grosbeak (8:15 am). I continued down the path until I walked the rest of it, which lead me to the edge of UConn campus next to a little pond. There I saw and heard a Northern Cardinal (8:20 am). I also heard a Black-capped Chickadee (8:20 am), Barn Swallows, a Red-winged Blackbird. I saw a Common Grackle (8:25 am) and heard a Song Sparrow (8:30 am) as well. Since the entire gravel path and forest were right nearby developments, when construction really picked up at around 9:20 am, most birds either got scared away or were drowned out by the noise of the machines. When walking back from the small pond, I saw a Chipping Sparrow on the gravel road (9:30 am) and a Brown Creeper (9:45 am). I also heard a Gray Catbird (9:50 am). I went into another forest trail, however all I heard were the same few birds (Warbling Vireo, American Robin, Black-capped Chickadee). The construction noise died down around 10:00 am, but by then it was late enough where the only birds that were still making any noise where the American Robins.