Field Observation: ID and Flight Physiology

2/21/21
3:15 PM-5:00 PM
UVM Redstone Campus
28° F
Clear sky and Sunny with 3 mph SE wind
Open green space with high amounts of pedestrian traffic / man-made retention pond

For my first field journal observation I decided to take a walk around Redstone Campus at UVM. I noticed that there was a melted spot in the snow where grass was showing. There were many American Robins continually flying between the trees and picking around the grass patch. It was hard to count how many there were because they were constantly moving around, but I counted 22 of them. While observing the American Robins, I noticed two sleeker and faster birds fly by. They looped around just enough for me to see their black and iridescent feathers, long yellow beak and orange legs. With these characteristics, I was able to identify them as European Starling. After observing the Redstone green for a while, I took a walk behind the Wing, Davis and Wilks Halls to the retention pond. There I was surprised to find 19 Mallards wading around in the water. There were 10 females and 9 males.
As I watched the American Robins fly around between the trees and green I took note of their flight pattern. I noticed that many of them had big bodies and chests with elliptical wings with lower aspect ratio. They were able to maneuver around in the air fairly quick and brake right before landing on the grass. I was impressed by the way that they were able to land so smoothly with such a big chest. The American Robins also were able to fly into the trees and land on branches with impressive maneuverability. Before landing, their wing feathers would spread out and catch air underneath them. The American Robin’s elliptical wing shape and ability to maneuver around trees and quickly land can be associated with their habitat. My observations suggest that they may tend to live in wooded areas with open greenspace such as parks. They are definitely not afraid of human traffic as they were undisturbed by many walkers. Similar to the American Robin, the European Starling was able to maneuver around the air quickly. They were able to turn around in the air with ease and dove down with high velocity. Just like the American Robin, it may be reasonable to assume that the European Starling’s habitat may involve open green spaces with room to pick in grass and catch insects.
The third species that I found was the Mallards on the retention pond. I was not able to see any of them in full flight, however, I did see one of the Mallards fly across the water to the other side. While taking off from the water the Mallards wing feathers spread out and caught air underneath them. The Mallard’s body was at about a 60° angle to the water as his wings flapped in almost an “X” pattern. His wings moved up and back then forward and down repeatedly until his body moved across the pond. This quick flight was just enough to lift him out of the water and move to the other side. Despite not seeing a full flight, I still felt lucky to catch this little excursion. Mallard's ability to lift his large body out of the water quickly and efficiently proved to me why ducks thrive in aquatic environments.

Mini Activity - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vRZ6GnKcmqZMl_LRWQ5YHbTXL3qGhB_k35iDEeAb6wc/edit

Julkaistu helmikuu 22, 2021 04:10 IP. käyttäjältä