UVM Ornithology Field Journal 1

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.

Posted on February 9, 2024 09:12 PM by carlybills