Field Journal #8 ... My First Time at Macrae Farm Park

Date --- 5/1/2021
Start Time --- 11:15 AM
End Time --- 12:45 PM
Location --- Macrae Farm Park, Colchester, VT 05446
Weather --- (Temperature) = 45 degrees Fahrenheit, or ~ 7 degrees Celsius ... (Wind) = ~ 10mph NW ... (Precipitation) = none. Sunny with minimal cloud cover.
Habitats --- Dirt road along the Winooski River, with steep banks and lots of dead trees. Eventually transitioned into more of a wetland area, as persistent rain over the past week caused flooding and stopped us from wandering the various trails along the river. Farms and grassland could be seen on the other side of the road.

x1 Muskrat
x2 Eastern Mole
x1 Eastern Painted Turtle (very small, could not have been more than a week old ... picture attached)
x1 Northern Cardinal
x2 Mallard
x2 Tufted Titmouse
x2 Black-capped Chickadee
x1 Downy Woodpecker
x3 American Robin
x1 White-breasted Nuthatch
x2 Song Sparrow
x1 Northern Flicker
x2 Canada Goose
x2 American Crow
x4 European Starling
x1 Ring-billed Gull

The Northern Flicker was my first confirmed sighting of the species; I thought I had seen one during the spring 2020 semester (during my time at home in upstate New York), but it was too far away for me to confirm it. I had also never seen a muskrat before, and it took my partner and I a few minutes to get a glimpse of the organism's size and tail, which indicated it was not a beaver.

I have an Eastern Painted Turtle at home (about 8 years old named Shoelace), but seeing a baby one stranded in a puddle nearly made me cry ... I felt honored to have held it, and afterwards we transported it over to the river bank where it dipped its head into water, swam off, and began its childhood.

We also went to investigate a rock that was being heavily sniffed by the dog we were dogsitting; I lifted up the rock to observe, and out scurried two moles as quick as they could due to the danger they sensed.

My last field journal trip was a terrific one, but I'll keep on exploring new natural areas around Burlington and neighboring towns. Excited for summer birding, as well as Field Ornithology in late May :)

Julkaistu toukokuu 1, 2021 06:44 IP. käyttäjältä pyramidlakejake