carlybills's Journal

Date: April 29, 2024
Time: 2:00-3:00pm
Location: Williston, Vermont
Weather: 57 degrees Fahrenheit, party sunny, minimal winds
Habitat: Shrubbery off the side of a main road, against the fence of a dog kennel
I decided to bird watch at the kennel I work at, before and during work as I get to stand outside and hang with the dogs. There are large shrubs that line the fence of the outside area of the kennel where there are tons of birds. The only one I could get a photo of was baby Carolina Wrens in their nest that was in the shubbery, but I also did hear American Goldfinch, Northern Cardinals, and American Robins.

On this field journal I was actually at my grandparents house in Brewster, New York on April 19th 2024. It was approximately 46 degrees Fahrenheit with 12 mph winds off the coast of Tonetta Lake which made it feel a bit chillier. My grandparents also have a couple bird feeder which made bird watching super easy thins time as there are always multiples of birds around them at a time. This time I was able to see a plethora of species including the ones I got photos of, Northern Cardinal, House Sparrow, and Black-capped Chickadee. I also saw Tufted Titmouse, Common Grackle, and House Finch but was not able to get a photo fast enough. What was really perfect about this birding spot at my grandparents is they have some bird houses which aligns perfectly with the journal prompt for this week as one bird in particular was starting to build a nest in one. The Black-capped Chickadee was gathering materials as I was watching and bringing it into the birdhouse to build a nest. It also had what I am assuming to be a mate helping it as well as there were two continuously going in and out of the house.
It didn't seem like the Black-capped Chickadees were fighting for nesting territory in the birdhouse with any of the various species listed above. This may be because of the wide range of bushes and shrubs in the yard behind my grandparents house. Many of the sparrows and finches seemed to be hopping in and out of those where their nest may be potentially located. This goes along with the fact that these shrubs are also located along the line of my grandparents back porch which has large amounts of access underneath it for nests to be made and made safe from potential predators due to the tight spaces to get in and out. As their house is also on a lake, there are plenty of other trees and house for birds to occupy for their nests which I believe it limiting the need for competition of the birdhouse on their property. This might also be because many squirrels are around this birdhouse due to the bird feeders being right next to it. Maybe the species not in the birdhouse feel more threatened by the squirrels than the Black-capped Chickadees do. This could show a lot about a birds fitness. Although Black-capped Chickadees and super small, maybe they have a much higher courage and attitude than the other songbirds which allows them to claim territory that other birds are too nervous for.
There are plenty of materials near this location to build a nest due to it being right by a lake surround by great lush trees and bushes. Many of these materials include small sticks from shrubs and trees, fallen leaves, sand from the shore of the beach, and anything that has washed up from the shore as it is used for the public in the summer months for swimming (many people lose things in the lake).

On April 8, 2024, I went with my friends to Waterman Green to watch the solar eclipse and thought it was the perfect time also do my birding. I got there at around 1:00pm and stayed until 4:10pm but only was birding from 1:30-2:30pm. The weather at this point was a beautiful 57 degrees Fahrenheit and minimal wind mph. The green has multiple tree types and lots of grass with walking paths, benches, and a fountain. On April 8th, it was especially busy due to the eclipse so I'm assuming why less birds were out. The only birds I saw were Ring-billed Gulls and they were also the only birds I heard due to how many people were on green.

Today’s fieldwork took place on central campus green, in between my classes from 10:40am-11:40am. It was very sunny, but also windy with a temperature of 38 degrees F. I spotted a few year-round species including the Black-capped Chickadee and Tufted Titmouse. These species are year-round species because of many different adaptations that allow them to handle the harsh Vermont winters. For example, the Black-capped Chickadee has a dense coat which a great for insulation. They are also able to enter a controlled state of hypothermia called torpor, which we learned about in class, which drops their body temperature and allows for saving energy. Black-capped Chickadees also have a great memory for food storage where they can remember where they out their forages. Speaking of forages, they are great foragers which allows them to find food in small crevices, same goes for the Tufted Titmouse.

I also saw a few Ring-billed Gulls as I heard their call from above head. These are non-residential birds and could possibly be considered obligate migrates due to their almost obligatory behavior for them to migrate south in the winter even if their resources aren't diminishing; but they don't always migrate at the exact same time of year so it is hard to say. Ring-billed Gulls are omnivores and a big part of their diet includes insects so for them to go south for winter makes sense because their are very limited bugs in Vermont in this time of year. These birds are very found of staying by the water so it is likely that they have just arrived from a southern state like the Carolines, Georgia, or Florida. For my mini activity milage estimate, I used Fort Lauderdale, Florida as my southern point for the Ring-billed Gull because I saw a few while I was down there for spring break. If the Gull I saw while birding today just came from Fort Lauderdale, then they possible migrated a total of ~1,533 miles!

On Monday, March 4 at 10:40am I sat down on the bench outside of Harris Hall on Athletic campus until 11:40am. The Apple weather app stated it was 40°F and mostly sunny with approximately 10mph winds in gusts. The bench I was sitting at is right under two trees and other trees line the building of Harris. There is direct sunlight all around the bench by patchy shade coverage right on the bench. I chose this spot because every time I walk to the Gutterson Parking garage I hear plenty of birdsong. The birdsong I usually hear out here is the Black-capped Chickadee which was definitely true on Monday. I focused in on a specific bird who was hanging out in one of the trees who was singing the most out of the couple that were there. It seemed to be hoping around the branches while singing in spurts while the other birds sang in between these spurts. This makes sense due to the amount of times I have walked right through this path and there is always Black-capped Chickadee song. It seems to be a recurrent part of their day as they are typically there in the morning and gone by the afternoon.
I tried the spishing technique as shown in the mini activity and it sort of got the birds to come a little closer but not too much. One bird went from the top of the tree to lower in closer to the trunk but not much closer to me. One reason why I think this might be able to work is because a lot of songbirds eat insects and the spishing sounds does sound a little bit like insect buzzing noises.

On Friday, February 23 at 1:30pm I started my walk to an outfield of Centennial Woods and sat until 2:40pm. The Apple weather app stated it was 45°F and mostly sunny with 7mph winds that only came in gusts. I was sitting on a dead tree overlaying a very small stream. Where I was sitting there was direct sunlight but pretty much the rest of the space around me had shade. As soon as I entered the woods I could here plentiful bird song and was immediately able to pick up Black-capped Chickadees, which I can confirm because I spotted two after 5 minutes of sitting. As for the other sounds, I couldn't quite pinpoint them so I used the Merlin ID app and was told American Robin or White-throated Sparrow which makes sense due to their abundance in Vermont. As that was recording I also picked up a Carolina Wren which I wasn't sure was possible in Vermont so I double checked with the Merlin ID app and listened to their sound and it was very similar. I also heard a rubbery sounding bird but couldn't see it for the entire time I was in the woods as well as a bird that sort of sounded like a power drill. I would like to guess the first was a European Starling but I have no way of confirming and I have no clue what the power drill sounding bird was.
I did also see a very large bird fly overhead while sitting. It had some sort of rodent in its mouth which was super cool to see. I couldn't identify it though due to the fast speed it was flying at and how high up in the sky it was, I wasn't able to see its coloring well.
Where I was sitting there are tons of dead plants just fallen over the ground creating tons of false shrubbery that can act as habitats for the smaller songbirds. For example, the Black-capped Chickadees I saw flew together from one bundle of dead bush, right over my head to another bundle. These dead bundles of shrubs also can allow for warmth in the brutal Vermont winters, especially at night to reduce wind hitting the birds. There is also the small stream I mentioned earlier from melting snow due to a hill leading down to the dead tree I was sat on. As the snow melts, it turns into this stream which is perfect for birds that need water.
I know we were supposed to look for snags, but the entire area I was in was full of them. For example, the tree I was sitting on was dead and had holes it in. They were all completely hollow but it is a great space for birds to be able to take shelter in, especially in Vermont, for the warmth it provides from the harsh windy environment.

On Friday, February 9th at 3:30pm I sat down at the Lake Champlain waterfront by the Echo Center until 4:30pm. The weather app said it was 49°F but right in front of the water definitely felt colder like low 40s due to the consistent winds of 14-26mph headed north. Here there is obviously lake front habitats like the lake, sandy shores, rocky shores, shrubbery right off the shore as well as a large grass field with trees and shrubbery right off the board walk.
When I first arrived to the lake front there was a small flock of ducks in the water that I identified as Mallards. One, who I identified as male due to his unmistakable green reflecting head feathers as well as bright yellow bill, took off in flight as soon as I sat down on a bench on the board walk but was able to catch his flight pretty well.
The male Mallard was gliding through the water quite slowly when I first arrived but as he was taking off, he sped up and was bobbing his head a bit as if using that as momentum to go faster. Then he was out of the water flapping his wings quite fast, increasing at an angle and soon was able to slow his slapping down a bit and after that he disappeared.
This flight pattern is pretty common among dabbling birds because it takes great strength to take off from the water. Most land birds don't need a strong running or swimming start in order to gain momentum to take off. The other mallards in the water just swam continuously around the lake, spontaneously dipping its head in the water and going up to the shire a few times. Ducks are fairly easy to recognize but its color, specifically the male, makes this identification super easy. If you miss the bright green head and bright yellow beak, you might be able to catch the blueish stripe on their wings while they are flapping or just swimming to help identify it.