jasamuel's Journal

Date: April 21
Time: 11am-1250pm
Weather: Sunny with clouds, 68 degrees Fahrenheit
For this birding walk, I went to North Beach to see what birds I could find. It was a very warm day, and plenty of birds were out. While I was walking to the beach proper, I found about ten Black-capped Chickadees in a tree. In a nearby tree I also found a single Northern Cardinal which was singing and calling. Yet another tree had a flock of about 20 birds, and I think they were all Cedar Waxwings although it may also have been a mixed flock. While on the way, I also saw two Red-tailed Hawks flying overhead as well as an American Crow, which was calling loudly. The crow flew to the ground and started pecking at some food trash that appeared to have been dropped recently. There were of course also many Ring-billed Gulls and Herring Gulls, and probably also some other species of gull that I was unable to identify, and some of them were flying while some were foraging and some were simply on the ground and mostly staying still. While I was walking along the beach, I heard a woodpecker pecking a tree from slightly far off, and I went to investigate. It turned out to be a Hairy Woodpecker which was foraging for food.
In the water, I saw maybe 30-40 Mallards, which were swimming and ducking under the water near the edge of the lake. They were mostly in pairs, and some were on land. There was also a Rock Pigeon nearby on land, which was unexpected. I saw three Common Mergansers and a Common Loon, and they were swimming in the water. I was hoping the Common Loon would call, except it stayed silent although I also didn't stick around that long.

April 1 4pm-6pm
55 degrees Fahrenheit, cloudy, rain earlier in day
For this expedition, I returned to Centennial Woods to see which birds would show up now that spring is supposed to be here. It was a relatively cold day, so perhaps the birds seen weren't the best indicator however.
On the roadside immediately next to Centennial Woods, I saw three Rock Pigeons which were pecking the sidewalk (which appeared to have some spilled food on it) and also just flying briefly and generally loitering around the sidewalk. This is interesting because although Rock Pigeons are supposed to be some of the easiest birds to find this is the first time I have seen them this year. The first thing I saw when I entered the woods were three American Crows which were flying (sort of together but also sort of separately) relatively close to the ground. They ended up perching on the same tree so that they were near to each other but not on the same branch. I heard a woodpecker and managed to locate it, although I was not entirely sure if it was a Downy Woodpecker or a Hairy Woodpecker. It was pecking a tree which was in the center of the forest and foraging. I also heard two Northern Cardinals but was unable to find where they were singing from. In addition to these birds, there were plenty of Black-capped Chickadees as always, and I found maybe 4-5 flocks of about 5-10 birds each. The chickadees generally perched in the trees and flew from tree to tree as well as called loudly.
I heard a Tufted Titmouse or possibly more, but could not find it. I also saw a White-breasted Nuthatch flying, and it ended up perching near the brook.
At one point I heard a loud call from above and it was a Red-tailed Hawk which was soaring. There were also a few gulls which were flying high above the woods.

(this did not happen on my walk but it was interesting nonetheless)
I have been seeing many birds around campus. There have been maybe 10-20 Herring Gulls flying around every time I walk around Redstone or Main Campus. It is odd that I have not seen a Ring-billed Gull thus far. There is an American Robin outside my window which chirps very distinctively at 630am every day, and I have consistently heard a White-breasted Nuthatch in the same tree near Living/Learning.

I went to Oakledge Park on the afternoon of March 18, at approximately 1pm to 2pm. Upon entering the parking lot (with an open path next to it and some trees as well as cliffs and also the lake in the distance) I heard a Northern Cardinal's call, but I was unable to locate it even after hunting around the vicinity. I walked over to the trees and found maybe 20-30 odd Black-capped Chickadees, but it was interesting because they were making a call that was different from the one we'd learned in class so perhaps they weren't actually Black-capped Chickadees. I also found a White-breasted Nuthatch in a tree nearby, as well as 3 American Crows which flew onto a tree and perched there for a while. Apart from this, I saw a large group of about 20 Mallards, which were swimming and diving in flocks. I also saw about 6-7 House Sparrows on the path in various places, and one European Starling. I saw what I think was a Bald Eagle and it was just soaring but it was very high up and so I couldn't be sure. I am very happy that spring is here because I am seeing many birds.

I went to Oakledge Park on February 6 to look for birds starting at around 1130 am. It was a fairly cold afternoon, with temperatures at about 0 degrees Celsius. Oakledge Park has a few sections, with a bike path next to the lake and a wooded area as well as some rocks and a treehouse. I saw a single American Crow on the ground just off the bike path, and it was just standing and watching its surroundings. As I approached the area where it was standing, it flew slightly further away and resumed its watching there.

There were a number of gulls that were flying around or just walking on the shore. I did not know what they were at the time, but after going over the Quiz 3 birds I realized they were most probably Ring-Billed Gulls. I also saw many pairs of adult Mallard ducks but did not see any ducklings. In the treehouse, I heard many Black-capped Chickadees but only saw a few of them.

Oakledge Park seems to have a lot of waterfowl but a disproportionately small number of other birds, which is slightly odd.

I embarked on my first birding excursion of the semester on the 4th of February 2016 at 7am, and I stayed in the Centennial Woods Natural Area until about 9am. It was a warm morning, but the ground was muddy and there were still patches of ice and the brook was frozen in places. There were grassy areas, a small brook, forested areas with mostly dormant trees and a section of the forest which is close to the main road.

I saw two American Robins on the ground, near the main road. They seemed to be foraging for food in the ground, and their song was clearly audible. I did not hear their calls. I was able to get fairly close to them without disturbing them.

It was difficult at first to locate any other birds, as they were all deep in the woods. Their songs and calls could be heard loudly from the opening of the woods, but they were not visible. As I progressed through the woods, I notice that there were a number of separate flocks of Black-capped chickadees in various spots. They were high up in the trees, either perching or flying among the branches. I heard both their calls and their song. I saw a White-breasted Nuthatch among the chickadees hanging upside down from a tree and pecking at a branch (presumably foraging). I saw a lone Northern Cardinal nearer to the frozen brook, perching on a low branch. Near the brook I also found a woodpecker, except that I was unable to identify it. It was pecking at a tree trunk. At one point I heard loud cawing and saw two American Crows circling high in the sky. I am certain that I heard a Mourning Dove but was unable to find it. At one point, I played a recording of a Northern Cardinal's song and call, wanting to make sure I remembered it correctly, and I heard at least three responding calls except I couldn't find their sources.