carlybills's Journal

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.

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.