East Woods, March 25, 2017

On Sunday, March 25th, I went to the East Woods natural area up off of Spear Street at 4:00 pm. It was a very sunny day and the temperature was around 35 degrees Fahrenheit. At the beginning of the trail when I first entered the woods, I immediately heard the calls of Black-capped Chickadees. They were foraging in a sunny section of the forest that had a lot of woody plants and small conifers. At first I only saw two chickadees, but when I got closer there were actually six. I made some “pish” calls when I was near the flock. It seemed like one of the chickadees looked at me for a couple seconds out of curiosity, but then returned to its business. The chickadees mostly ignored my “pish” sounds after that, perhaps due to a combination of living in an area where they are used to being near humans and not being able to hear me due to the loud cars on a nearby road. The reason this sound appeals to small birds could be because they hear similar noises in the woods. The rustle of a small creature or a flying insect made create similar noises, so chickadees respond or are curious enough to take interest. Maybe certain birds mistaking the “pish” for an insect would pursue the noise in hopes of a meal. Depending on the loudness or pitch of the “pish,” perhaps it sounds like other birds and the chickadees become alert.

While I observed the Black-capped Chickadees, I focused on one individual that was hanging out in a small section of the woods. This chickadee stayed in the sun as much as it could, enjoying the warmth and grassy areas where the snow had melted. This chickadee, along with the rest of the flock, were exclusively foraging in the areas where there was no snow. This could be part of their circannual rhythm because as warmer weather approaches, better food sources are emerging for birds. The chickadees are embracing the shift in seasons. Additionally, foraging at this time of day could be part of their circadian rhythm. As the sun starts to set, the chickadees need to prepare for a cold night of lowered metabolism by eating. They need enough energy in their system to optimize the functioning of their bodies overnight.

In the same area as the chickadees, I spotted one Brown Creeper and briefly saw a White-breasted Nuthatch running down the side of a tree. Walking deeper into the woods, there was more snow piled up and seemed to be less bird activity. It was fairly quiet until I heard the call of an American Crow and the response of a different crow in the distance. Right before I turned around to go back to the flock of chickadees, I briefly saw a larger bird fly into the woods. I only caught a glimpse, but it had a long wing span and white feathers on its underside. It took two large flaps away from me and flew out of sight. I attempted to pursue it, but only encountered a very vocal American crow. It sat high above me and cawed every couple of seconds. The harsh call of crows provides an easy way for them to communicate across long distances. They use these audio cues to tell each other if a predator is around or to locate each other for companionship.

Each of these bird species have very different color patterns and plumage. The Brown Creeper blends in really well with tree bark and can use this camouflage to protect them as they forage. An advantage of Black-capped Chickadees are their bodies are rather round and small, so if they get cold in the winter they can fluff up their feathers and minimize the surface area of their bodies exposed to the air. The black feathers of American Crows may help them absorb sunlight and stay warm in the winter. Dark feathers also help them remain inconspicuous and hide among tree branches.

As I drove from East Woods back to my apartment, a large flock of small black birds all fly up from a tree together. I could not tell what species they were because of the sun in my eyes, but their flight patterns were very coordinated within the group. They communicated by both visual and audio cues. They have to all watch each other to make sure no collisions happen, and the whole time they flew they were all calling out. Perhaps they are using these audio cues to warn the group of a change in direction.

Posted on March 27, 2018 02:33 AM by kaswitze