FJ3: Field Observation: Ecological Physiology

Date: March 6, 2021
Start time: 9 am
End time: 10:30 am
Location: Centennial woods
Weather: 16°F, wind speed: 10 mph NW wind, no precipitation, more than 75% cloud cover
Habitat(s): Residential, Centennial woods-mixed hardwoods, conifers

The winter season can be quite a brutal season for many species of animals. Many species, like birds, often migrate to warmer places but others don’t and so that means they have to find ways to adapt to and survive the cold. On our walk, we first walked along East Ave and then into Centennial Woods through University Rd. On our way to Centennial we saw a flock of about 20 Red Crossbills as well as about 20 Rock Pigeons fly over. During the winter season when temperatures drop, a good way for birds to keep warm is to roost and huddle together in large groups. As we saw when walking through Centennial, there were quite a few dead trees with several cavities in them. For cavity nesters like Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatch and Woodpeckers they most likely use these tree cavities in order to stay warm.

Another aspect of the harsh winter season is food. During the spring many birds like the American Robin feed mainly on invertebrates like insects, worms, spiders, and millipedes. But during the winter many insects are dormant, and so their diet consists mainly of seeds, fruits, or ornamental berries. We saw a few American Robins by some crabapple trees going down Carrigan Dr, which is probably a source of food for these birds. This diet loaded in carbohydrates provides adequate fuel for these colder months. Many birds do with the food that is available to them. As we walked through Centennial there we passed by a few dead trees that had several cavities in them. As mentioned before, these cavities can be used by cavity nesters to stay warm during the winter, but also as a food source where birds can find dormant insects to feed on.

Julkaistu maaliskuu 8, 2021 04:50 AP. käyttäjältä