Nicholas Frank
Date - March 2, 2021
Start time - 1:15 PM
End time - 3:30PM
Location - Lone Rock Point
Weather - Sunny, cloudless, temperature in the high teens, hard wind from the north
Habitat(s) - Northern hardwood forest, limestone bluff cedar-pine forest, Hemlock forest, parking a lot/road.
I went birding on town hall meeting day. As the prompt states, it is still winter and it shows based on my last expedition. The day was bright and sunny, but cold. There was a very brisk wind out of the north and with the air temperatures only being in the high teens the birding was slow to say the least. I went around the warmest part of the day and stayed for over two hours and still only witness two species with a possible third. I first made my trip around past the outdoor chapel first, than up around the cliff edges until I reached the tip of the point and than back around. There was no ice on the lake but when I made my way down tot he shoreline at one point there was a layer of slush on top of the water the stretched about 30 yards out that would move with the waves. The beach had a lot of really harsh, cold wind consistently blowing although the beaming sun and it's reflection off the water kept me warm. Assuming no birds wanted to spend time in such a rough environment, I left the icy pebble beach and made my way back up to the trail and continued going assuming there would be more birds among the shelter.
As I made my way to the point to turn back in towards the woods to see if any birds were hiding in the interior I noticed a pair of what appeared to be male Common Goldeyes flying north over the lake. As they disappeared I made way out of the cedars and into the hemlocks to continue exploring. Although the wind was less intense the lack of direct sunlight made it feel much colder. After about 30 minutes I noticed an Eastern white pine snag with a plethora of small to medium sized holes perfect for small birds or animals of the sort. Following the mini-activity I tapped near a few off the holes and waited a few feet back to see if anything appeared. After nothing came out I tried a couple more times and then decided to leave it alone. As I was walking away I noticed something pop out of the hole and back in out of the corner of my eye. It could have been bird or maybe a chipmunk, I am not really sure, but it was hiding in there.
I did not see anymore birds on the walk back to my until I was along the road about to get in my car. I noticed a Red-winged Blackbird chirping on the wire above me. It was much less windy and warm with sun here. There was at least another bird or two I could here in the distance. I made a recording and uploaded it along with my observation.
I am assuming the cold weather after relatively warm temperatures the few days before are the reason the birds were hiding. Often, when I go fly-fishing in the winter for trout, a water temperature drop off just a few degrees over day or two can really shut off the fishing, but an increase of a degree or two and the bite can really be on. The birds probably were just hiding from the wind on the high exposed point. I can not imagine the birds are eating very much as almost everything is dead. I supposed there some insects in wood or something for them to eat. Birds that are more adapted towards humans most likely seek out dumpster and birdfeeders for food or for shelter between buildings. Overall, a very slow but beautiful day.