juliadigiovanni's Journal

Date - 4/30/2024
Start time - 4:10 pm
End time - 5:10 pm
Location - Arthur Park
Weather - 55 degrees F, wind 7 mph, partly cloudly
Habitat(s) - Both pond and forest habitats

Start time - 4:40 pm
End time - 5:40 pm
Location - Centennial Woods
Weather - 49° F, clear sky, wind 6 mph
Habitat(s) - Mixed deciduous and coniferous trees including Sugar Maple, American Beech, Eastern Hemlock, Eastern White Pine, etc.

While in Centennial woods, the most clear form of nest selection was seen with a chickadee, as seen in one of the Chickadee photos attached to the observation. I noticed the same bird flying back and forth overhead and decided to investigate where it was going. It took a few tries to catch it, but it was going in and out of a small cavity towards the top of a snag. It seemed to be clearing out the cavity to make room for a nest, as it was coming out with good pieces in it's mouth, flying to a branch on a tree across from the snag, spitting out the wood pieces, and then flying back for more. This is similar to other cavity nesting species I observed, including Pileated Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, and White-breasted Nuthatch. I could hear a lot of noise from what seemed to be another higher up tree cavity. I couldn't make out the song, but this was likely a territory defending behavior. Compared to other cavities, it was pretty high quality being high up and fairly hidden, indicating good fitness. Alternatively, Dark-eyed Junco is known for ground nesting near the ground, typically at the base of shrubs. Because of this Dark-eyed Junco is far more likely to be observed on the forest ground than the cavity nester species, as seen in my Junco observation photo. American Goldfinch also differs in their nesting behavior, who wait until much later in the season, often in late June. Their nests are cup shaped and sturdy, with the exterior made of twigs and bark strips, sometimes held together by spider silk. The inner lining is made with plant fibers, with a downy lining often from Asteraceae plants or thistle, which is why they often wait until later in the season when production of this downy material is at a peak. These might be found in higher capacity near the forest edge or in more open areas in the woods.

Date - 4/07/2024
Start time - 12 pm
End time - 1 pm
Location - East Woods Natural Area
Weather - 61 degrees F, wind 17 mph
Habitat(s) - A variety of older trees with a sparse understory. Specific species include American Beech, Black Cherry, Eastern Hemlock, Northern White Pine, oaks and maples

Start time - 5:35 pm
End time - 6:35 pm
Location - Centennial Woods
Weather - 35° F, clear sky, wind 7 mph, a lot of snow on the ground
Habitat(s) - Mixed deciduous and coniferous trees including Sugar Maple, American Beech, Eastern Hemlock, Eastern White Pine, etc.

In my hour in Centennial, all of the species I observed are year-round Vermont residents. I was hoping to see some migratory species but didn't, possibly because of the recent snow. There are many adaptations that allow non-migratory species to survive and thrive during Vermont winters. First, as we have talked about in class, Black-capped Chickadees can enter a state of "regulated hypothermia" on colder nights to conserve energy by slowing the metabolism/need for food. Along with Blue Jays, they are also known for caching food to utilize when food as scarce. Crows do particularly well in the winter because of their opportunistic, omnivorous diet. They eat a very wide range of food and are able to find pretty easily throughout all seasons, so they don't have a need to migrate. This is similar to Northern Cardinals who eat a lot of insects, and in addition, Northern Cardinals are especially territorial, which can help ensure the availability of food and safe habitat year-round.

An example of a facultative migrant that I did not witness this day, but have in previous field journals, is the American Robin. They choose to migrate depending on food/habitat availability, meaning they might migrate south for the winter as berries and seeds become scarcer, and return for the spring.

Start time - 1:50 pm
End time - 2:50 pm
Location - Bradley Palmer State Park
Weather - 39° F, clear sky, wind 14 mph
Habitat(s) - A variety of older trees with a relatively dense understory. Also a river with some smaller streams and a large clearing/field.

Similar to my last field journal, I had a bit of a hard time finding/hearing birds. It was pretty windy and colder than the last few days so this could be why. I mainly heard Blue Jay's, Black-capped Chickadees, and even some Canada Goose, but I only actually saw a couple of birds which were too high up for me to identify. The ones I did see seemed to be foraging which makes sense for the time of day. Especially during the winter, they need to spend a lot of time during the day foraging to keep up with their fast metabolisms and keep themselves warm.

Birds make a lot of different sounds, both songs and calls, depending on what is going on around them. Black-capped chickadees make their famous "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" call when they are alarmed or think they might be in danger of a predator. Because of this, they probably make this call more often when people are around. I would guess that making a "spishing" sound mimics the sound of leaves moving and they might interpret this as a predator approaching, so they would make more of these calls.

I decided to compare the plumage of Black-capped Chickadees and Blue Jays, because they are very different in appearance, but both could be used as a form of camouflage. Chickadees do not have very "showy" colors, and their black, white, and grey feathers help them to blend into their surrounding environment. The vibrant color of Blue Jays could help them to blend into a blue sky during flight or when perched in a tree. Another advantage of their unique plumage is for attracting mates.

Date - 2/23/2024
Start time - 3:10 pm
End time - 4:10 pm
Location - East Woods Natural Area
Weather - 46° F, clear sky, wind 10 mph from SSW
Habitat(s) - A variety of older trees with a sparse understory. Specific species include American Beech, Black Cherry, Eastern Hemlock, Northern White Pine, oaks and maples

On today's bird walk in East Woods Natural Area, I had a bit of a harder time identifying specific species. While I saw a lot of birds, the majority of trees in this area were older, with an undeveloped understory. Because of this, most of the birds I observed spent most of their time high up in the canopy, making it difficult to identify them through appearance.

Throughout my walk, I observed many dead snags with varying cavity sizes. Although in the cavities I was able to reach did not have any birds in them at the time, based on my knowledge of winter ecology and the species I observed, these cavities are likely very important to the bird populations in this area. Tree cavities provide protection against harsh winter conditions and also predators. This is especially important in an area like East Woods, where vegetation is not particularly dense and the birds may be more susceptible to weather issues like chilling winds. I saw a lot of smaller cavities which are likely important for smaller species such as Black-capped Chickadee, providing roosting and nesting area. Larger snag cavities are important for larger species like woodpeckers, and while the American Crow does not nest in cavities, they can still use them for shelter and protection, especially in the winter.

Non migratory birds have developed many adaptations and lifestyle traits that allow them to survive the harsh winters we can see in Vermont. More time is required for foraging in the winter because resources are more scarce and possibly spread out. Because of this, birds might allocate their time differently in the winter, spending less time on breeding and territorial activities to allow more foraging time. This increased energy spent on foraging along with the need to maintain body temperatures means birds require a bit more food in the winter, which can be difficult to find. Because of this, the winter diet may slightly differ than their normal diet. This could mean focusing on more energy dense foods, like nuts, seeds, and insects. To make the most of the food they are able to find, Black-capped chickadees, along with some other species, can actually enter a state of "regulated hypothermia" at night, in which they reduce their body temperature to save energy while still remaining alert and active. This can allow them to survive off of less food than they normally would.

Date: 2/9/2024
Start Time: 4:00pm
End Time: 5:00pm
Location: Centennial Woods
Weather: Windy- 16mph, mostly cloudy, 49 degrees
Habitat: Mixed deciduous and coniferous trees including Sugar Maple, American Beech, Eastern Hemlock, Eastern White Pine, etc.

Today I spent an hour in Centennial woods in the late afternoon and ending up being able to identity five bird species. I think this was a good start, and with more practice over the semester I hope to improve my sound ID skills to hopefully be able to identify more species in the field. I decided to go in the late afternoon in hopes to see some crows which I particularly love. It ended up being the perfect time to watch hundreds of crows fly overhead as the sun began to set making this a very lovely experience! I saw the most of American Crows and Black Capped Chickadees, so I decided to compare their flight patterns.

These two species occupy very different ecological niches, which is clearly reflected in their bodies and the way they fly. Black-Capped Chickadees are much smaller and fly very erratically, changing directions often and having short bursts of quick flapping. This allows them to navigate through dense vegetation and forests. Alternatively, the much larger American Crow has more of a direct flight, gliding over long distances and with more powerful, slower flaps. This type of flight pattern is ideal for open areas and more smooth, sustained flight, which allows them to conserve energy when traveling far distances.

There are many connections that can be made between their bodies and their diets. Black-Capped Chickadees have rounded wings with a low aspect ratio. This is ideal for their foraging behavior of searching through dense vegetation for insects, seeds, and berries. American Crows have high aspect ratio wings which allows for soaring. They have a much more diverse diet than chickadees, often traveling further distances in search of carrion, invertebrates, grains, etc.