Ornithology Field Journal 3

Date: 3/8/2024
Start Time: 5:00pm
End Time: 5:29pm
Location: Grant street, Downtown Burlington
Weather: Sunny, 49 degrees, no wind, cloudless sky
Habitat: Suburban area with houses, people, roads, and cars. Some trees and shrubs on properties including box elder, sugar maple, and white cedar.

During this birding trip I heard an assortment of birds including Northern Cardinals, Black -Capped Chickadees, and House Sparrows. Considering the time of day that I was outside, I imagine most of the calls and songs heard were to communicate with the birds around them that nighttime was nearing and they would be sleeping soon. The calls and song could have also been for mating or courtship. Since it is now March and it has recently been getting warmer, it would make sense that some birds have begun searching for mates.
The Northern Cardinal I saw was a male with bright red plumage. I couldn’t make out if the House Sparrow was male or female from my vantage point, but it had the coloration of any typical house sparrow with brown streaky plumage. The reason for the bright red color of male Cardinals is probably for attracting a mate, similar to the birds of paradise except slightly less showy. I can’t imagine the red coloring does them much good in the camouflage department, so it would make most sense for it to be an evolutionary trait connected to producing viable offspring. The brown streakiness of a House Sparrow is probably best for camouflage. They are relatively small song birds that I always seem to see hiding amongst deciduous shrubs and small trees. The streaks help them look like a part of the tree, protecting them from potential predators while it forages for food which is what the particular bird I saw was doing. In the winter this coloration is likely super helpful, because it allows them to direct the majority of their energy and attention to finding food and staying warm, and focusing less on staying out of a potential predator’s stomach.
I was not personally able to get any birds to come towards me when I made the ‘psssh psssh’ sound, however I can kind of understand why it would work in some instances. Smaller songbirds like Black-capped Chickadees might rely on small insects as a food source, and the sound we make can kind of replicate the sound of a flying insect. It may also replicate the sound of a juvenile bird or a bird in distress which could peak the interest of an adult bird (similar to what my cat does). My final idea is that maybe the birds are just curious and the sound is high-pitched enough that they don’t think it is coming from a larger/threatening organism so they deem it safe to check out.

Posted on March 9, 2024 01:37 AM by grace723