Field Journal 6: Julia DiGiovanni

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.

Posted on April 23, 2024 04:08 AM by juliadigiovanni