michaell03's Journal

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: 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.