4/22/24 Ornithology Journal Entry

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.

Posted on April 23, 2024 03:49 AM by michaell03