Field Observation 3: Social Behavior and Phenology

3/21/21
3:30PM-5:30PM
Retention Pond on Catamount Dr.
57° F
Sunny with 4 mph East wind
Habitat: Retention pond with cattails, sumac and phragmites around it. Wooded area across the street with various types of trees and shrubs

For this week’s observation, I took a walk around campus to see if I could find a nice place to sit down and observe. As I walked down Catamount Drive, I heard a “konk-a-ree” sound. This sound indicated two things; a Red-winged Blackbird was near and Spring is finally here! I heard the song again and looked up to see a male Red-winged Blackbird perched high up in a tree. I watched him for a while and observed how he would stick his shoulders out every time he would sing almost as if he was flexing his stature to impress someone. I took note of how confident the Red-winged Blackbird seemed. Singing loudly from the top of a tall tree, it was almost as if he wanted everyone nearby to know that he was there. This behavior fits into its circannual rhythm. Red-winged Blackbirds fly into Vermont for breeding season, which is during the Springtime. This Red-winged Blackbird most likely perched high up in the tree and started singing to either mark his territory or attract mates.
Before finding the Red-winged Blackbird, I found three Black-capped Chickadees in the wooded area across the street from the retention pond. While walking down the sidewalk I heard the notorious “hey sweetie” song of the Black-capped Chickadee and found three of them flying back and forth between some trees. I observed the three little birds pick around the trees looking for spiders, insects or seeds. This behavior is fitting for their circadian rhythm because it was around 4:00 PM and the sun was shining bright. They forage during the sunlight hours so they can lower their metabolism and body temperature at night to conserve energy. After observing silently, I decided to give “spishing” a try. I tried several volumes and tones. Most of the time the three Black-capped Chickadees would stop foraging and look at me for only a second before carrying on. None of my “spishing” attempts were able to bring any of the birds closer, however, as long as I got their attention I’ll call it a success. The “spishing” may attract the Black-capped Chickadees attention for a couple of reasons. The noise might sound like another bird or may even sound like an insect. Black-capped Chickadees are known as naturally curious birds, so maybe the unknown noise may intrigue them. While I was “spishing” the Black-capped Chickadees would sometimes give their “chicka-dee-dee-dee” call, but never sang their “hey sweetie” song. This may be because the song “hey sweetie” is more for courtship, whereas the call “chicka-dee-dee” is to alarm others about potential danger.
I made note of the comparisons between the plumage of both the male Red-winged Blackbird and Black-capped Chickadee. The Red-winged Blackbird was almost completely black, but had red and orange coloration on top of his shoulders. I thought about how it might be a possibility that male Red-winged Blackbirds have black plumage to absorb more light and heat to keep warm. I remembered how the female Red-winged Blackbird’s plumage is different from the male’s and is streaked with earthy browns rather than black. I thought maybe the black with bright red and orange shoulders might have been more attractive to females, thus causing the males plumage to change through evolution. Contrary to the Red-winged Blackbirds, both genders of the Black-capped Chickadees have the same plumage appearance. The Black-capped Chickadees plumage consists of black, grey, white and an earthy tan color. While in the tree, the Black-capped Chickadees almost blend in with the branches and become fairly hard to see. This may help them camouflage and hide from predators while in trees. The female Red-winged Blackbird may have also evolved to blend in with its habitat with streaky brown colors. Ultimately, the plumage of both birds have evolved to attract mates and blend in to escape predators.

Julkaistu maaliskuu 22, 2021 04:18 AP. käyttäjältä owenmcnichol