apbray's Journal

On Saturday, April 28th I walked 5 miles through Niquette Bay for my final field observation. It was around 60 degrees Fahrenheit when I set out around noon. I walked through a myriad of habitats, ranging from edge habitats, mature and first-growth forests, wetlands, and to an extent, high elevation habitat. Although I heard a lot of birds, I didn't see many. When I was near the wetland, I heard the Belted Kingfisher and Red-winged Blackbird clearly, but wasn't able to get a picture of them. I also had heard the Pileated Woodpecker calling, and was lucky enough to track it down and get some pictures before it flew off. However, my favorite find from today was the Barred Owl. I was at one of the highest points of Niquette Bay, and heard it hooting around 2pm. I pulled out my phone and played a Barred Owl call from the Merlin I.D. app I have, and waited. Within a few seconds, the owl flew right over me, and landing in a tree about 30 feet away. I was able to get a picture of him before he flew a little farther off, but I continued to play calls from my phone, to which he would respond with a single hoot.

On Wednesday, April 25th I walked through the Intervale in Burlington, Vermont, from 11:20am to 12:30pm. The weather today was rainy, but around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The habitat here varied quite a bit; it starts off in a secondary growth forests with big cottonwood trees and sandy soils. The trail followed the Winooski River, and across the river was marsh habitat. Towards the end of the trails are large, open fields that provide great habitat for edge species.

I saw a great range of species today. Although, I felt that I didn't see a lot of the birds I was hearing, which may be due to the fact that across the river, trees were being cut down and might've scared them off. However the species I did see were exhibiting a lot of different behaviors. First of all, I saw three Hairy Woodpeckers fighting over territory; I saw a male chase off two other Hairy Woodpecker's, making loud calls as he did so. They were definitely fighting over prime territory, because they were right next to the river, and there were a lot of small snags in the area which other bigger woodpecker species, such as the Pileated, probably wouldn't use. The male I saw fighting off the others was probably of the highest fitness, because he could spend that energy fighting rather than foraging, and will probably get more females than the individuals he chased away (assuming they were also males). But what is prime territory for these Woodpeckers might not be prime territory for everyone; a Mallard might think prime territory is the marsh across the river, and prime territory for a Common Grackle could range from a forest edge to a city park.

I also saw an American Robin gathering materials to build a nest. In it's beak it was carrying straw or dead grass, which it probably got from the farmed fields a couple meters away. Robins use straw and twigs to build their nests, and I saw a completed nest at eye level in a tree on my walk as well. The American Robin could get materials for its nest anywhere in the woods or the field that had twigs or straw, which were not limiting resources. However not every species builds a nest in the open such as the American Robin; a lot of other birds such as the Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, and sometimes Winter Wrens will use cavities in trees or other natural cavities for nesting. I also saw a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds, which don't have to build nests; they're brood parasites, and will lay eggs in other birds nests for them to raise. I could tell the pair of Cowbirds I saw today was a breeding pair because the male was following the female from branch to branch and singing to her and puffing up as he did it.

My mini activity was pretty successful this week. Because the trail I was walking was fairly open, it was easy to follow where sounds were coming from. For example, when I was walking I heard the Northern Flicker from all the way across the river to my right, but could detect that an Eastern Phoebe was right above me.

I began my bird walk around 1:15 pm on Thursday, April 19th. Although it was around 43 degrees Fahrenheit, snow began to fall at the end of my walk. I started my walk by walking towards a large puddle where I heard frogs peeping, and noticed a lot of birds hanging around the puddle, searching for insects. This was a younger part of the forest, with a lot of large snags. I saw a Northern Cardinal on a log above the puddle, trying to catch insects. I watched for a while, then continued on. Across the walking path I heard birds calling to each other, and recognized them to be Ovenbirds, a species new to me. I wasn't ever able to see them because they were too high in the trees, so I walked on. I walked all along edge habitat, but the woods were made up of mostly mature tree stands with a lot of large snags. I saw a lot of Hairy Woodpeckers that were foraging on trees, fairly close to me. I also saw a lot of Black-capped Chickadees who were very close to me, and didn't seem bothered by me approaching them at all. I was next to some cliffs, and noticed a very small, round bird foraging with the Black-capped Chickadees on a northern white-cedar tree, and got home to identify it as a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. There was definitely a lot of activity, even at this time of the day, and I'm sure as more birds migrate back to Red Rocks, it'll be one of the best birding spots around Burlington.

I started my walk on Thursday, April 5th around 11:30 am. It was about 28 degrees Fahrenheit outside, but the sun was still shining. I walked in a mix of mature tree stands, young tree stands, and open fields. The first species I saw was a Downy Woodpecker that was foraging on the edge of the trail near some houses. As I continued down the path I saw a murder of American Crows that were calling to each other. As I got closer to the more mature tree stands, I stood on the edge of the walking path and saw two Pileated Woodpeckers fly into the woods. Before I could take a picture of them, I saw two birds fighting above me and one of them was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, which I wasn't able to identify until I got home. I went further into the woods and photographed one of the Pileated Woodpeckers for a while, and noticed to my right there was a Hairy Woodpecker that was also foraging. I continued walking and came to a younger part of the forest where I saw some Passerines, such as the Northern Cardinal, American Robin and White-breasted Nuthatch. The Northern Cardinal was calling to some other individuals in the area.

One species I observed that foregoes migration is the Northern Cardinal. The Northern Cardinal is a generalist species, and eats many kinds of fruits, insects and nuts. Birds that don't migrate have better chances of maintaining their territories year-round, and don't have to face the hazards of migration. Northern Cardinals have some behavioral adaptations to survive winter's cold; Northern Cardinals fluff up their feathers and tuck their heads and feet in to maintain body heat. Birds can also put on fat in the winter, so most species that stay in Vermont in the winter forage during the day for fatty foods, hence why bird feeders become so popular in the winter. Some birds also undergo facultative hypothermia at night to lower energy consumption.

One species I observed that is a migratory species was the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. This species was coming from Mexico and Central America, and migrate to upper North America. This species probably started migrating north because there were more resources available up here that weren't being used up by another species. There are multiple factors that could've caused them to come back, including a change in climate (such as a change in wind patterns), timing and location changes in predation, and different food types and their supply in the environment. An advantage of this individual returning to Vermont early is that, if their food is available, they can replenish their energy stores more fully than individuals that arrive later in the season, and thus will be more fit for breeding. They can also claim territories before other individuals arrive. However, an obvious disadvantage to coming back this early in April could be that their food is not available yet; in the case of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, because the temperatures are still below freezing, it may not be able to access sap as well as it would if it arrived later in the spring.

On Friday, March 16th at 11am I went on a bird walk in Benson's Park in Hudson, NH. It was around 32 degrees, and very windy where there weren't trees. Benson's is a unique place because it includes two dog parks, a playground for children, and old animal exhibits which are relics of when the park was a small zoo that had all sorts of exotic animals. There are also walking trails and two bodies of water, and the only open water was Swan Lake (which is more like a pond than a lake). Swan Lake is beside a walking path but mostly concealed by trees and shrubs, and to the left of the pond is Otter Creek Trail, which continues on into the woods and loops around to the dog parks. There were a range of habitats from thick woods with mostly mature trees, to open fields, to wetlands. On my walk I passed each of these habitats and saw different birds in each.

The first birds I saw were a pair of Hooded Mergansers relatively close to the walking path. They took turns foraging underwater, then eventually flew to the other side of the pond. I walked along the trail so I could get a better look at the other side of the pond, and saw that the Hooded Mergansers had joined a pair of Canada Geese and a pair of Mallards. None of these birds made sound as I stood and took pictures of them. The Canada Geese were also foraging, but stayed in the same spot the whole time. The Hooded Mergansers foraged around the Canada Geese first for a short period of time. The female Merganser flapped her wings at the Geese, which I thought might have been a display of aggression, but the Canada Geese had no reaction. When the male Merganser popped back up out of the water, the female foraged, then the two swam over to the Mallards. The Mallards paid no attention to the Hooded Mergansers, but the female Merganser seemed to stick her neck out at the Mallards while her mate foraged. I thought foraging at this time of day was pretty typical for these waterfowl, and they might forage together so they'll collectively have more eyes out for predators.

I continued to walk and walked past a small stream that branched off of Swan Lake, and in some shrubs I saw what I thought was a leaf, but turned out to be a Winter Wren. It blended in perfectly with the vines it was perched on. Another Winter Wren called to it from the other side of the stream and the subject I was looking at flew off; I can assume the call of the other bird was either a mate or a competitor that the subject I was looking at wanted to chase off. I continued walking and turned a corner to mostly open fields, but the path was sparsely lines with dense shrubs and birch saplings. In this area I saw mostly Black-capped Chickadees and Dark-eyed Juncos. Per usual, the Black-capped Chickadees were the loudest bird and constantly calling to each other. The Juncos were quiet, and the ones I could see were mostly just foraging on the ground. Between the different species I saw, there were plenty of different types of plumage. The Dark-eyed Junco uses countershading as a way to conceal them (white on their ventral side, dark gray on their dorsal side). The Winter Wren uses cryptic coloration to hide from predators. The Black-capped Chickadee, Hooded Merganser and male Mallard all have plumage for advertising; the Hooded Merganser has a bold pattern, the Black-capped Chickadees accentuate their bill to advertise reproductive fitness or to seem more threatening, and the male Mallard has a bright green head to attract a mate (a great example of sexual selection).

As for trying to make a "pish" call - it didn't seem to have much of an affect. For me, playing bird calls from the Merlin Bird ID app on my phone elicits more of a response from songbirds. I tried playing Black-capped Chickadee songs and they seemed to quiet down for a bit, then would continue on with their chatter. Maybe small songbirds respond to "pish"-ing sounds because they sound like the call of a rival bird?

I went to Red Rocks Park in South Burlington, VT on Sunday, March 4th. I went there around 11am, and it was 41 degrees Fahrenheit. The trails were relatively quiet, but I ran into a group of people who said they saw a Carolina Wren down the path, which I thought was unlikely, and never spotted it myself. Half way through my trip it started to snow, but this didn’t discourage any of the birds I was seeing and hearing.

The species I saw and heard the most were Black-capped Chickadees. I saw one Tufted Titmouse foraging with the Black-capped Chickadees deeper into the woods. I had a Hairy Woodpecker fly right in front of me and land on snag to my right, and foraged as I stood and took pictures. When I was walking out of the woods, about to wrap up my birding trip, I saw one American Crow, a White-breasted Nuthatch, and heard one Herring Gull. Each of these species were seen at the edge of the trail on mature trees or snags, except the Herring Gull which flew overhead towards Lake Champlain.

Although it wasn’t particularly cold, I was surprised to see the birds so active in the snow. The Tufted Titmouse and the Black-capped Chickadees, from what I saw, spent most of their time foraging in the trees deeper in the forest for insects or plant matter such as seeds or berries. For these Passerines, their winter diet may be more varied due to lack of food resources. In the summer, Tufted Titmice generally eat insects, but will eat more seeds in the winter. Black-capped Chickadees are the same in that 80-90 percent of their diet in the summer and fall is insects and other animal food; however they are also known to eat seeds and nuts from birdfeeders, but may avoid being exposed if winter wind is particularly harsh. The American Crow and Herring Gull both scavenge, probably more so in winter when the Gull might have a harder time catching marine invertebrates, and when the Crow might have a harder time finding seeds. The Hairy Woodpecker and the White-breasted Nuthatch both have diets largely made up of insects, but both are also known to eat seeds from birdfeeders. They have similar feeding strategies, where they can cling to the side of a tree to forage. Avoiding cold winter wind is easier for Hairy Woodpeckers and White-breasted Nuthatches because they’re able to hop around the tree trunk and stay shielded from the wind, but the Black-capped Chickadee and Tufted Titmouse need to forage lower in the trees to avoid the colder air higher in the trees.

Hairy Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatches, Tufted Titmice, and Black-capped Chickadees all use nest cavities to sleep in. While the Hairy Woodpecker can create their own cavity, the Passerines typically use nest boxes or cavities created by Woodpeckers. Red Rocks has a lot of large snags, and practically every snag I saw had cavities in it. Snags are essential for creating ideal habitats for most Passerines and Woodpeckers. Herring Gulls make their nests in sand. Crows make their nests high up in evergreen trees, but will nest in deciduous trees if they don’t have as many options.

All information provided by Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/

I visited Red Rocks twice this day - once at 8am, and another at 2pm. In the morning it was 34 degrees Fahrenheit, and in the afternoon it was 49 degrees Fahrenheit. In the morning, the Black-capped Chickadees were flying around the tops of the trees with some White-breasted Nuthatches, that I didn't see but could recognize by their nasally wah-wah-wah call . I heard and saw them on the edge of a parking lot in a relatively young tree stand. I also heard the Pileated Woodpecker doing its call far off in the woods.

In my afternoon trip, the woods were much more quiet. I heard the Black-capped Chickadees the most, along with the Pileated Woodpecker again, and the American Crow throughout the woods. I saw a group of Common Goldeneye ducks on the lake by the shore, and saw them take off from the water. As I was leaving the woods, I was walking past some houses and saw a mixture of Black-capped Chickadees, Cedar Waxwings, and Northern Cardinals on the edge of the trail in some cedar trees, making a lot of calls. Among them, I also saw a Downy Woodpecker hopping along a branch.

The most striking difference in flight patterns I saw today were between the Black-capped Chickadees and the Common Goldeneyes. The Black-capped Chickadees fly in a swooping pattern, and close their wings a bit when they fly. They also didn't fly for extended periods of time, and mostly fluttered from branch to branch with periods of rest between. For a species that lives on edge habitats in trees, it makes sense that the Black-capped Chickadee has an elliptical wing shape for better maneuverability between trees. The Common Goldeneyes, however, flapped their wings a lot as they took off from the water, and flew in a much straighter fashion. Common Goldeneyes have wings better suited for soaring and traveling long distances.