jnorris2's Journal

Thursday I went for a walk following the miraculous spotting of a female snowy owl on campus. Peers have identified her as a juvinile female and she has been seen multiple times on roofs on campus. The temperature was about 65˚F, overcast, and for a small portion of my walk it drizzled. It felt hot and very humid out. It was around 4-6pm at night and I walked from central campus, to the redstone quarry, sat for a while, then walked around to the UVM RSENR research building and around the back fields before returning to campus from the golf course to redstone. Redstone quarry is surrounded by many houses, planted plants, shrubs, hedges, and invasives. Many birds were hiding in the bushes. The golf course is quieter and more open with only a few birds singing on the edges. Along the highway were grasses and marshes with many birds singing in them. Even in the urban areas there are many great birds to see. For a short while now I am able to hear the White-throated sparrow and I am very grateful they are back. Soon both the sparrow and the snowies will move northward back to their cooler alpine and tundra habitats for the summer.

Yesterday, in between two storm fronts that rolled over the lake, I got out kayaking to listen to the birds at the ecotone of the Winooski river by Derway park. It was about 55-60˚F, and overcast at first then very sunny. The wind was calm along the river but breezy on the lake.

In the flooded marsh of Derway, I saw a male Hooded Merganser preforming his courtship dance to a female sitting on a log. He bobbed his head backwards, tucking it to his back in quick motions. He swam around her continuing this behavior despite my presence. After some time flew off and so did she, potentially he had convinced her to follow him? Additionally, my kayak birding partner pointed out a cavity in a tree where he saw an unidentified bird disappear. Nearby was a House Sparrow calling out so potentially it was another sparrow that had disappeared. All along the floodplain were snags with fantastic cavities in them, some new and some old. The larger ones would provide an excellent place for wood ducks to nest if they are near the water but not right on the water. Falling apart bird boxes were also nailed to the trees but had no signs of recent bird activity. Other old woven nests higher up might be good for birds like phoebes, grackles, or cardinals. In the marchers where the red-winged blackbirds were singing would be an excellent place for a female to hid her nest. Her nest would be woven of grasses and reeds and held to gather with bits of mud. The reeds could be easily collected form dead matter from the year before and the mud could be gathered from the riverbank.

As we drove back to campus we saw a European Starling gathering up a beak-full of grasses and flew off to the eves of a building possibly to build a nest. This bird could easily gather it’s materials in any urban area and as seen by their presence near campus buildings, they live well on man-made structures. This is quite different from the red-winged blackbird that very specifically requires a thick marshy area. The Northern Cardinal I saw was perched high up in bushes near the boat launch with it’s crown raised, singing loudly. While I did not see a female around, it is very likely that this bird was protecting his territory with his song. I suspect this area is quite good as it is near a protected delta with plenty of wild foods and not far from houses that have sufficient shrubs and bird feeders.

When we returned to the parking lot I sat for a few minutes listening to the birdsongs. It was more challenging now with the commotion from the cars pulling in. When I was at Derway the red-winged blackbirds were loud and clear but were equally competing for the grackles for airspace. Now the chickadees, cardinals, song sparrows, robins, and other songbirds sound more jumbled.

Today's sightings at Shelburne Farms were filled with some great birds of prey and of particular interest was the possible Northern Harrier. The crows as always are around the prey birds, mobbing, calling, and watching them. An exciting part of my bird walk was identifying my first song sparrow by sound in the wild and after hearing that unique song once, I will never forget it. Additionally, the activities of the tree swallows in the distance were exciting. The weather was high 40˚F with no wind. It was overcast and the ground fully saturated with water from the snowmelt and recent storms. Most of my time was spent along the sugarbush and farm field ecotone which proved to be a great place to see the birds in the open and hear the forest dwelling species.

Near Farrell Park in Burlington Vermont, a path winds from soccer field, along farm fields, and through the woods. A detour off the trail to the right after crossing the bridge, leads to the UVM ropes course where I spent some time exploring. It was a very chilly morning with a fresh coating of April snow on the ground at about 11:00 am. I saw the regular year-round residents because they are the easiest for me to identify after a winter of listening to them regularly. These birds included American Crows, Blue Jays, a Black-capped Chickadee, a Brown Creeper, and a Tufted Titmouse.

These birds don’t need to leave this area in the cold months because food does not limit them. They have adapted to stay here where it is is uncrowded and forage for the remaining foods, thus their diet is not as specific and limited as those that left for the winter. Crows and jays are known to forage for a wide range of foods and are generalists which help in surviving the winter. In urban areas like here, they are able to find foods near people’s homes and substantial amounts of roadkill. Other birds that stay will eat remaining nuts and seeds larva of insects particularly in tree-bark and rotted wood.

Staying warm and conserving energy is essential for overwintering here so these birds will add on extra weight in down feathers that will insulate them. Additionally, birds such as the Black-capped Chickadee will overnight in tree cavities for warmth and insulation. These birds might excavate their own cavities or use a preexisting one.

While I have not seen this bird since December, I have heard rumor that the much sought Snowy Owls in Burlington have begun to migrate back north. This year they had an interruption and came down this south because they had a large population in the Arctic so they are in VT seeking food. Now that the temperatures are beginning to rise I speculate that they would be able to return to the Arctic for a better food supply. Unlike other birds, surviving the harsh cold temperature is not a driving force for these birds. While daylight might assist in reminding this bird to return north, ultimate factors of food abundance and weather are what will drive these birds back north.

An obligate species that has a regular and strict migration cycle that would primarily be driven by daylight, might arrive at this time in April and struggle with the lingering winter weather, snow, and cold temperatures. These species may have a difficult few weeks back in VT until the temperatures are consistently above freezing and the insects come out.

Because I found no migratory birds that don’t live year-round in north-western Vermont, I choose to look at the breeding ground of the Red-wingged Blackbird. These bird’s year-round habitat ends around Lake Chaplain so it is not unreasonable that they are here. I calculated the distance they might have traveled from central NY which is about 250-300 miles. Of course, they could migrate from anywhere in the US where they are year round residents but it seems unlikely they would go so far to Vermont. I have recently been seeing and hearing the Red-wingged Blackbird in centennial woods and along roadsides where their are open marshy areas.

Near Farrell Park in Burlington Vermont, a path winds from soccer field, along farm fields, and through the woods. A detour off the trail to the right after crossing the bridge, leads to the UVM ropes course where I spent some time exploring. It was a very chilly morning with a fresh coating of April snow on the ground at about 11:00 am. I saw the regular year-round residents because they are the easiest for me to identify after a winter of listening to them regularly. These birds included American Crows, Blue Jays, a Black-capped Chickadee, a Brown Creeper, and a Tufted Titmouse.

These birds don’t need to leave this area in the cold months because food does not limit them. They have adapted to stay here where it is is uncrowded and forage for the remaining foods, thus their diet is not as specific and limited as those that left for the winter. Crows and jays are known to forage for a wide range of foods and are generalists which help in surviving the winter. In urban areas like here, they are able to find foods near people’s homes and substantial amounts of roadkill. Other birds that stay will eat remaining nuts and seeds larva of insects particularly in tree-bark and rotted wood.

Staying warm and conserving energy is essential for overwintering here so these birds will add on extra weight in down feathers that will insulate them. Additionally, birds such as the Black-capped Chickadee will overnight in tree cavities for warmth and insulation. These birds might excavate their own cavities or use a preexisting one.

While I have not seen this bird since December, I have heard rumor that the much sought Snowy Owls in Burlington have begun to migrate back north. This year they had an interruption and came down this south because they had a large population in the Arctic so they are in VT seeking food. Now that the temperatures are beginning to rise I speculate that they would be able to return to the Arctic for a better food supply. Unlike other birds, surviving the harsh cold temperature is not a driving force for these birds. While daylight might assist in reminding this bird to return north, ultimate factors of food abundance and weather are what will drive these birds back north.

An obligate species that has a regular and strict migration cycle that would primarily be driven by daylight, might arrive at this time in April and struggle with the lingering winter weather, snow, and cold temperatures. These species may have a difficult few weeks back in VT until the temperatures are consistently above freezing and the insects come out.

Because I found no migratory birds that don’t live year-round in north-western Vermont, I choose to look at the breeding ground of the Red-wingged Blackbird. These bird’s year-round habitat ends around Lake Chaplain so it is not unreasonable that they are here. I calculated the distance they might have traveled from central NY which is about 250-300 miles. Of course, they could migrate from anywhere in the US where they are year round residents but it seems unlikely they would go so far to Vermont. I have recently been seeing and hearing the Red-wingged Blackbird in centennial woods and along roadsides where their are open marshy areas.

Snags: While down in Georgia in Daniel Coffee State Park over break , I walked along the Nature trail observing bird activity and snags on March 17th. It was around 4-5:00 and the sun wouldn’t set for a few more hours. It was about 65-70˚F out and clear skies. The trail took me along the campground through a mixed forest with long needle pine, live oaks, holly, and other wonders of the south. Then the trail swerved by a swampy river and took a boardwalk over the water. The swamps here are comprised of cypress trees and possibly tupelo; the roots of the cypress trees bend upwards like knees for extra support and oxygenation. At the start of the walk i noticed a few of the pine trees as dead snags with cavities in them up high. Additionally there was a tree with small sapsucker holes all along it. The birds were singing off in the canopy. Once we crossed the boardwalk I saw the action; the birds were noisier here and very active flying close to the water in the saplings. There was one large snag (probably a cyprus) in particular with a mix of large and small holes in it. Unlike Vermont which is covered in two feet of snow currently, sheltering in the small remaining songbirds in tree cavities, here the birds don’t rely on the cavities as much. At night the temperatures dip down into the 40s but during this time of day their biggest concern seems to be singing the day away and feeding. The fall hurricane has taken a tole on the trees though and many fresh blowdowns have left behind snapped trunks and upturned rootballs which will make great nesting sites and the rootlets will provide great nesting material.

At Shelburne Farms on February 28th, I walked around for about two hours; first around the main visitors barnyard, through the sugarbush, around the back fields overlooking the lake, then to the dairy barns. Because this landscape is so varied the birds were truly a spectacle. For a February day the weather was unheard of. Actually, it really was. Today’s temperature broke the record high for this day in February it was 56˚F out. With only a few patches of icy sludge left on the roadways, there were few signs of winter. Although today was not a typical winter day, this hawk seemed to be conserving energy by perching in the warm sun and riding the thermals. The crows likewise were warming in the sun and pecking for insects and seeds in the hayfields that are now exposed from the warmth. The ground was soft, the fields a golden yellow, and even the Sugar maple buds looked ready to burst. First big sighting was a red tailed perched on a fence post out in a field. The bird remained far away and thus I could not identify age or sex, but it did have a redish-brown tail, a whitish underside, and a dark brown back. It flew off over the hedgerows and dove behind a hill as though hunting with a flock of crows mobbing in hot pursuit. Later on it appeared that the same bird flew over again in a farther away field, this creature sure was loving the warm air currents today!

Along the walk I discovered a few birds nests in a bush of brambles along the side of a dirt road. It was about chest height and from last season. The outside was thick and made of reeds, twigs, a little birch bark, and hollow shrub shoots. The middle was lined with more twigs and some leaf pieces and the lining was mostly rootlets. Could this be a Grey catbird? It might have been a little wider than the length of my hand all-in-all. Around us we heard brown creepers very loudly, Black-capped Chickadees, and of course, the loudest bluejays. I learned from a great book, Winter World, that these buddies survive the cold winter nights in small tree cavities; sometimes multiple birds and birds of different species will roost together for warmth. Often the woodpeckers are responsible for making these holes but sometimes even a chickadee will peck its own hole in soft wood. I can only imagine these birds have as much cabin fever as I do on this lovely day and are taking advantage of getting out a feasting on the remaining berries, cached seeds (especially the jays), and the eager insects!

At the dairy bard the birds were going nuts. This is a great habitat for large generalist flocks such as Rock doves and European Starlings. The Rock doves hung out atop the building structures perching and pecking at the ground. In the nearby pine tree seemed to be a noisy bunch of starlings cackling away. What I was unsure of was the slender black birds inside the tent-barns. They flew around rapidly and perched on the poles and seemed to be well adept at getting out. These birds flock up in the winter especially for warmth whereas in the summer they might disperse to breed. But for the starlings, a cold night roosting together in a sheltered pine tree, means life over death. The birds who are cleaver enough to roost in the barns befit from the added warmth of the sun on the building and the animals inside. If they are lucky they will also be well fed by the grain and seeds scattered around the pens. I’d suspect that since is was 3:00 when I saw the birds here, that they spend the nights around the barn for warmth. The more wild species of birds will hunker down for the night in a cavity or on a sheltered perch. To keep their talons warm they will cover their feet with their puffed up feathers and tuck their beaks back into their down to retain heat from being lost. Additionally, even after a warm day, the night will be cold and many birds have to drop their body temperature to conserve energy until morning when they will be up early to feed.

On the day of February 10th around midday, of a chilly overcast day, eleven ice climbers in deep focus, were startled out of their blues by the rarity of a large bird overhead. In Smugglers Notch, a dark silhouette to the sky, this creature held our attention in the silence; we marveled at it's angelic awkwardness. Uncanny. Unfamiliar. Never had I seen a goose with such a wide tail. A hawk with such a long neck. A grouse so large. An owl with such a small head. A peasant. This bird was none of these regular species in the sky; it was a Wild Turkey. I suspect it was a female because of the relatively small size and simplistic markings. She flap-flap-flapped above us and then glided through the air as though magically, her full body, was being held up in the air. So soared out of the woods, and over the cliff above us, thrusting herself through the air and gliding downwards on the currents across the notch and to the far side. She landed hundreds, if not a thousand feet away in the deciduous trees on the opposite slope. I stood, stunned. Despite having wings with such a low aspect ratio, short, and wide, and such a heavy body, she was still able to fly so gracefully when she glided. The turkey flies most like the ruffed grouse where it takes a lot of effort for the bird to take off from the ground but once in flight they have to flap a lot to stay aloft. Both are found on the forest floor feeding a lot and roosting in trees where they often feed on buds.