michaell03's Journal

Date: 5/2/24
Start Time: 5 pm
End Time: 6 pm
Location: Old North End, Burlington, VT
Weather: Sunny, slightly cloudy sky, ~60 degrees
Habitat: Suburban/Urban, Some deciduous trees

Date: 4/22/24
Start Time: 10:40 am
End Time: 11:40 pm
Location: Centennial Woods, Burlington, VT
Weather: Sunny, few clouds, ~44 degrees
Habitat: Mixed deciduous/coniferous forest, riparian/marsh

One of the most prevalent behaviors regarding mate selection was singing. Today had the most bird song out of any of the days that I had been birding so far this year. This behavior may also have to do with territory selection as some individuals were the only ones of their species in an area. For example, I saw two Downy Woodpeckers that were on trees pecking at the dead wood. These birds were within view of each other but seemed to be staying a respectful distance apart. One behavior that I observed that may be nest selection was of Black-capped Chickadees. I saw many of them inspecting snags that had holes in them. From research, I found out that these birds build their nests in holes in dead trees. Nesting requirements differ from species to species because different birds build nests in different ways. A Black-capped Chickadee may need snags but an Ovenbird may need a dense understory to hide its ground nest in.

One of the Downy Woodpeckers I observed was loudly pecking a tree and making chirping sounds. It seemed to intensify this whenever the other nearby woodpecker got closer. The snag it was defending seemed to be prime real estate for a woodpecker as it was tall and seemed to be a good food source. The other woodpecker was on a small snag that had most of the trunk broken off. It seems that the first woodpecker had the better territory and it was determined to defend it from its neighbor. This may indicate that the woodpecker I was observing had high fitness and was able to defend its territory.

I observed an American Robin collecting dead grass and flying away with it. I assume that it may be using this to build a nest. From research, I found out that Robins build nests on branches on the lower parts of trees. They use grass and twigs to construct them. The birds probably can find these materials in most open areas such as the clearing in the middle of Centennial Woods. These materials are very accessible but may pose a risk to gather due to the open nature of the place where they occur.

My sound map drawing is attached to the Brightspace submission.

Date: 4/8/24
Start Time: 2:14 pm
End Time: 4:30 pm
Location: South Burlington, VT
Weather: Sunny, Slightly cloudy sky, ~60 degrees, Total solar eclipse happened
Habitat: Suburban/Urban, Some deciduous trees

I added my Ring-billed Gull observation to the solar eclipse iNaturalist project.

This was quite a unique birding experience as Burlington experienced a total solar eclipse. During this process, I focused on a flock of Ring-billed gulls that was walking around the empty horse field, presumably looking for food. They all were there for an hour before, but the second totality began, they all took off at once. They all gathered together and flew around in what seemed like an aimless way. From my perspective, it seemed like they were confused and/or frightened and did not know what to do. I attached a picture of the flock flying in front of the eclipse on the attached observation. Once sunlight returned, they all landed in the field again and resumed doing whatever they were doing before. Seeing the birds act this way added another level of intrigue to an already fascinating event.

I observed some other birds before totality began such as a trio of Mourning Doves that were sitting in a tree next to where I was observing. Similarly to the Gulls, once totality began, the Doves all took off and flew away. Their behavior was not as remarkable to me as the Gulls because they just flew away instead of flying around aimlessly, and they did not return once it was over.

I looked through the other observations on the iNaturalist project and noticed a theme among the reactions of birds. None of the other reactions from Ring-billed Gulls were remarkable but many of the other birds that were observed also took flight once the darkness set in. From seeing this, my interpretation of the bird's reaction is that they were so startled by this sudden break from normal sunlight that all they could do was fly around in panic. They seemed to return to normal behavior briefly after sunlight returned, so it does not seem like they were impacted too greatly by this event.

Date: 3/25/24
Start Time: 11 am
End Time: 12 pm
Location: Old North End, Burlington, VT
Weather: Sunny, clear sky, ~35 degrees
Habitat: Suburban/Urban, Some deciduous trees

One of the year-round residents that I observed was the American Robin. Robins can withstand very cold temperatures due to warm, downy feathers that they develop during the winter months. Some Robins do migrate, but the main driving force causing them to do so is food. Due to a year-round food supply in Vermont and much of the United States, Robins do not have to migrate during the winter. They are known to migrate south from places in Northern Canada, where they spend the warmer months. Their diet during the summer mainly includes invertebrates, but due to their absence in the winter, they rely on winter fruits such as berries.

One facultative migrant that I came across was the Red-winged Blackbird. I did not see this bird directly, but I heard its call and used the internet to identify it. I've heard people discussing how this bird is arriving back in Vermont. This bird migrates to the southern United States during the winter time. They fly north again due to warming temperatures and increased food availability. I did not see any obligate migrants, but I find their method of migration interesting. The strict schedule they adhere to seems like it makes it easier to reliably migrate at the right time. Though, I can see how problems can arise if the weather is unseasonably cold in early April. This would result in a lack of food and weather that may be too cold for the arriving migrants.

The only migratory bird that I believe I encountered was the Red-winged Blackbird. This bird is said to migrate to the southern United States. I looked up the distance from Texas to Vermont and found that it was about 1,600 miles. This is a very far distance! It is amazing how this little bird is capable of traveling so far.

Date: 3/8/24
Start Time: 7:30 am
End Time: 8:30 am
Location: Old North End, Burlington, VT
Weather: Sunny, few clouds, ~40 degrees
Habitat: Suburban/Urban, Some deciduous trees

One set of House Sparrows that I observed were hopping around each other on power lines, making chirping sounds. I included an audio clip of this on the attached House Sparrow observation. The sparrows seemed to be communicating with each other, but I am unsure what they were communicating about. They seemed to be searching for food so maybe they were showing each other where food was, or maybe they were communicating about me and warning each other about my presence.

Two species that I observed with highly contrasting plumage are Blue Jays and House Sparrows. Blue Jays do not have blue pigment, but instead, structural aspects of their feathers make them appear blue. House Sparrows are different tones of brown. I assume that House Sparrows are brown so that they are somewhat camouflaged. They are small birds that seem like they could be easy prey. Blue Jays however are bigger birds that seem like harder targets. They might be more brightly colored for communication with each other.

The House Sparrows I observed seemed to be resting and foraging. They sometimes just sat in the wires near my house and made noises at each other and other times they were on the ground seemingly looking for food. I imagine that throughout the day, the birds do things similar to this. It was not very cold out so they didn't seem like they were trying to produce or conserve heat.

I tried to make the "spishing" noise at birds and it had varying effects. Most of the time it just caused them to fly away but other times the birds seemed interested. Perhaps this noise mimics some noise birds naturally make. Maybe it reminds them of baby birds calling for food or maybe the noise of an insect.

Date: 2/23/24
Start Time: 10:45 am
End Time: 11:45 am
Location: Centennial Woods, Burlington, VT
Weather: Sunny, few clouds, ~40 degrees
Habitat: Mixed deciduous/coniferous forest, riparian/marsh

The birds I observed seem to be doing several things to maintain their body heat. One thing of note was that they did not often stop moving. From the Pine Siskins I saw on the sides of trees to the Black-capped Chickadees flying around, there were very few instances where they were standing still. When I did see them not moving, I observed some that seemed like they had puffed up their feathers. This seems like a way to keep warm. The birds seemed like they were constantly in search of food, and I saw little socialization between individuals.

The birds seemed to be looking primarily for seeds or other food produced by plants. Due to the season, there are no insects around so seeds and berries are some of the only available food. During warmer seasons, many birds would probably invest a lot of their time looking for nutrient-packed insects. The higher quality food and warmer temperatures would allow birds to have time for other activities. Now though, they seem to be mainly focused on getting food. When they sleep, I imagine that birds either roost high up in trees or in the many tree cavities I saw in the snags that litter the woods.

During my observation period, I counted 18 snags but I am sure there are many more that I missed. There were many holes in the snags, but I was not fortunate enough to observe any birds utilizing them. Snags are important for birds because they provide a source of shelter as they are more likely to have cavities in them than living trees. They may also act as a food source for birds like woodpeckers and nuthatches, as grubs and other bugs live in the decomposing wood.

Date: 2/9/24
Start Time: 10:45 am
End Time: 12:00 pm
Location: Centennial Woods, Burlington, VT
Weather: Sunny, few clouds, ~40 degrees
Habitat: Mixed deciduous/coniferous forest, riparian/marsh

I struggled to keep track of any flying birds, but one bird I saw for a few seconds was a tufted titmouse. This bird was flying between trees and maintained a pretty level flight path. There was little movement up and down as it flew. The bird had few wing flaps, but this may be due to its relatively direct course and it was flying downwards from the top of one tree to the middle of an adjacent one. Another bird that I saw flying was a black-capped chickadee. This bird was "bouncing" up and down as it flew. It was also doing a short flight between two trees.

The relationship between a bird's niche and its flight pattern is quite interesting. Birds that are accustomed to short flights between trees often have elliptical wings that allow for maneuverability. Black-capped chickadees as well as tufted titmouse both have these types of wings. These adaptations allow them to be more suited to the environment that they spend time in. The flight pattern is a good method for identifying birds because if it does not instantly give away the identity of the species, it can tell the observer a lot about the behavior and lifestyle of the bird.

I was relatively successful in finding birds during my observation, but I struggled to get very clear views of them flying. In the future, I could go earlier in the day, which I've heard is when more birds are active. I think the area I was in was fine for birds, but perhaps I can find another similar one. Having binoculars would also be a big help as I struggled to see birds that were far away.