lucasbeck's Journal

Location: Salmon Hole, Winooski VT
Date: 4/26/18
Start Time: 08:25
Weather: Raining and around 50 degrees Fahrenheit
Habitat:
It seemed that the rainy weather was really reducing bird activity at Salmon Hole. It even took a little bit of waiting before I was able to hear full songs from the birds. I eventually did hear a Song Sparrow begin to sing and managed to record its song. The singing behavior I heard from the song sparrow is related to both mate selection and territorial defense. I heard eventually detected four song sparrows. All four song sparrows were within riparian areas along the Winooski River. I am unsure whether high quality song sparrow habitat is the riparian forest closest to the river or farthest or in the middle. I imagine that the lowest quality song sparrow habitat would be that farthest from the river, as I feel that the risk of predation is higher for the sparrows in this area, than for the sparrows surrounded by other sparrows or those with one side guarded (from at least terrestrial predators) by the river. The birds defending the highest quality territory are likely to be the fittest birds. The area where I observed the song sparrows included lots of willow shrubs, barberry, and honey suckle. The dense vegetation created by these shrubs seemed like quality nesting habitat for a forest edge species such as a song sparrow.
I also observed a Blue Jay in the riparian forest. Blue Jays are a consummate generalist and can survive in a wide variety of forest and land cover conditions. Blue Jays usually nest in trees in larger branches and in the crotches of trees. Distal to the river and shrubs there are larger trees like cotton woods, red oaks, and box elders. All of these trees provide quality nesting habitat for Blue Jays. Blue Jays build nests of trigs and line them with roots. In the brush riparian forest there are lots of these resources for Blue jays to use. Specifically, the flooding and subsequent tip ups which occur in the riparian environments provide access to the fine roots Blue Jays use to line their nests.
I also saw a Canada Goose on an island in the Winooski. I have observed a couple of Canada Geese there before and I suspect they may have or will build a nest on the island. An island seems like a good choice for nesting for geese, since geese nest on the ground and an island may be accessible to fewer nest predators. The nest for Canada Geese are made of grasses and lined with feathers from the mother.
I also observed a Downy Woodpecker foraging amongst some boxelder trees. Downy Woodpeckers nest in cavities in dead wood and typically select trees/snags around 7 in in diameter for nest cavity excavation. There were lots of trees in the forest that fit this diameter, especially among the box elders (oaks and cottonwoods were usually larger). The flooding that occurs in riparian areas also contributes to higher numbers of snags that are suitable for cavity nesters.
The rain made doing the miniactivty difficult, but I took a sound recording and completed the miniactivty based on the sounds in the recording. See blackboard submission.

Date 4/5/2018
Time: Began at 8:38
Location: Salmon Hole Winooski
Weather: Sunny below freezing and very windy.
Habitat: River and Riparian Woodland
On my birding outing to Salmon Hole I saw several VT resident species, including Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch and Dark-eyed Junco. Facultative migrants I saw included the American Robnin, Song Sparrow and Common Merganser. I also saw Canada Geese which used to be an obligate migrant, but are beginning to form resident populations in Vermont.
Many of the Vermont resident species are able to eat seeds or are diet generalists, and the ability to cache food also seems to be a common strategy to adapt to winter shortages. The Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse and White-breasted Nuthatch are primarily insectivorous in the summer, but switch to eating mainly seeds in the winter. These three species also cache seed resources during the fall for use in the winter. The Dark Eyed Junco is a year-round seed eater. Rather than caching food resources, Junco are nomadic and roam widely to find locally abundant resources during the winter. The American Robin is a habitat and diet generalist and makes use of a wide variety of invertebrates (most famously earth worms) fruits. The American Robin is present in Vermont all year round, but some individuals that breed here winter father south and some individuals that winter here breed farther north. It seems that the key to the Robin’s ability to survive Vermont winters is being flexible enough in its life history traits to make whichever resources are available. Similar to the American Robin, the Song Sparrow and the Common Merganser are facultative migrants, meaning some birds of these species are present in Vermont year-round while others winter farther south and breed farther north. The Common Merganser is a fish eater, and in Vermont its winter habitat is limited by ice cover. I observed this species on the Winooski River below the Winooski dam, where the water velocity keeps the water free of ice. Similar to the Tufted Titmouse, Black-capped Chickadee and The White-breasted Nuthatch, the Song Sparrow eats both seeds and insects, and relies on seeds to survive the winter. Unlike the three exclusively resident species the Song Sparrow is not known to store food. Lacking the adaptations to cache food, it seems likely that the Song Sparrow evolved instead facultative migration to migrate when winter resources are insufficient for survival at more northerly latitudes.
Formerly the Canada Goose was an obligate migrant in Vermont, however resident populations are developing in the State. The Canada Goose is primarily a terrestrial grazer and deep snow, limits access to forage. By arriving in Vermont in April, the Geese are able to take advantage of the nutritious new growth in grasses and have access to them due to melting snow cover. New growth in grass tends to be higher in protein, than older growth and also contains less fiber and therefore has a higher assimilation efficiency. Grains left over winter agriculture fields have played a large role in allowing the Canada Goose to extend its wintering range North.

Migration Math Miniactivity:
Canada Goose: Vermont to Maryland, Distance: 419 miles
Song Sparrow: Vermont to Northern Pennsylvania 231 Miles
American Robin: Vermont to South Carolina, Distance 824 miles
Common Merganser: Vermont to New Hampshire Coast, Distance 160 miles

3/21/2018
Starting time 8:00 am
Location: Centennial Woods
Weather: Temperature in the 20°F’s, partly cloudy.
Habitat: Mixed, Northern Hardwoods and White Pines
Journal
This is time of year when the testosterone levels of male birds are increasing in preparation for the breeding season. One effect, I noticed of the rising testosterone levels in male birds this time of year, was that I heard more song activity than I had prior to spring break. Interestingly, because it is prior to peak breeding season and the hormones regulating singing activity are not at peak levels, the song activity I heard was not always a perfect example of the songs I would normally hear in the breeding season. For example, our group heard a Purple finch singing a shortened version of its song, that sounded quite similar to a Red-eyed Vireo. Hearing what we thought was a Red-eyed Vireo really threw us for a loop, because it would have been a very early migrant, fortunately Nathaniel got eyes on the bird and was able to identify it as a Purple Finch singing only part of its song. Birds, use their songs for territorial establishment, defense, and to court females. Song birds at this time of year are not yet engaged in these activities, but they are physiologically preparing to be. Despite territorial defense not yet being in full swing, it does seem that male birds are already responding to the songs of their counterparts. I heard a single Red-breasted Nuthatch sing, which seemed to initiate a chorus of three or four Red-breasted Nuthatches singing. Perhaps this response is practice for territorial defense, in the same way that the singing prior to the breeding season helps the birds perfect their songs for when it matters during the breeding season. Responding to the songs of other birds is also likely mediated by hormones. I also observed other communication calls between a flock of American Goldfinches as they wheeled around in a flock. The call likely helped coordinate the close spaced and synced flight of the flock. We tried to elicited a response from a Barred by Owl by imitating their “who cooks for you” song, but this did not elicit a response. If an owl had responded, the bird would likely have been trying to defend its territory against an intruder. Owls unlike, many passerines are breeding and caring for young right now.
Two bird species that I had the chance to examine the plumage of were the Red-winged Blackbird and the Black-capped Chickadee. The Black-capped Chickadee plumage seems to emphasize contrast between light and dark on the face, combined with countershading on the rest of the body with darker gray color on the back, cream on the sides and white on stomach. The black and white contrasting cap pattern on the Chickadee’s head seems to form a white arrow pointing to the black beak. Perhaps, the Black-capped Chickadees facial color evolved to emphasize the birds bill, making it seem more threatening to rivals, or highlighting a feature important for communication since, songs and call are emitted out of the beak.
The male Red-winged Blackbird has an overall glossy black coloration, while the lesser coverts are red, and the median coverts are a pale yellow. I find the red and yellow coloration to be most obvious when the bird is in flight and the colors flash, but they can also be seen at close range when the bird is perched. When the male Red-winged Blackbird displays it holds its shoulders out and erects the colored feathers while displaying. I would not be surprised if the intensity of the colors on the bird’s coverts are a reflection of its ability to acquire proper nutrition (since reds and yellow often come from carotenoid pigments acquired through the bird's diet. If this is true, then the birds with the brightest colors are in the best health, and are therefore likely have better genes and more energy to devote to caring for young.. It seems likely to me that mate choice in Red-winged Blackbirds is focused around the intensity of the males color, leading to the dark glossy black color from dense melanin on the body and then the red and yellows from carotenoids on the shoulder coverts. In the Black-capped Chickadee there seems to be some compromise between color for display/communication on the cap and color for camouflage on the body (counter shading), however, in the Red-winged Blackbird, male coloration seems entirely geared toward display, while the females are quite cryptically colored, with streaky brown coloration. It would be interesting to study why in some species sexual selection seems to play a stronger role in determining plumage color than in other species. Perhaps, in the Black-capped Chickadees, song has been more strongly selected for as the means of attracting mates and outcompeting rivals and as such their plumage is less geared to attraction than in the Red-winged Blackbirds.
Both the Red-winged Blackbird and the Black-capped Chickadee had their adult plumage and do not show a strong difference between breeding and non-Breeding plumage however another species we saw the American Goldfinch, shows a striking difference between the dull non-breeding plumage and the vibrant yellow, black and white breeding plumage. All of the American Goldfinches I observed were still in non-breeding plumage, but Nathaniel spotted one which was beginning to show yellow coloration on its head.
We were observing birds during the morning when it was still quite cold, so for the most part birds were relatively inactive. However, we saw several species singing including Black-capped Chickadee, Brown Creeper, American Robin, Purple Finch, and Red-breasted Nuthatch. We also saw a couple species foraging including Brown Creeper and Downy Woodpecker. I suspect that foraging activity would increase as it warmed through the day and moving around becomes less energetically costly. It is interesting to note that both species I observed foraging feed on insects on trees.
We tried pishing while we were in Centennial woods. My understanding is that pishing mimics the warning call of a Black-capped Chickadee. Since Chickadee’s are very vocal and common, other species are keyed into their warning calls, and will come into to investigate and locate the threat they believe the Chickadee has identified. While we were pishing, we would see the birds come in close and pause at various perches as they tried to investigate what was occurring. We would not likely have been able to see the Downy Woodpecker we saw, without pishing. The woodpecker few into view as it moved in to investigate the noise we were making. I also tried mimicking an Eastern Screech Owl whinny to see if birds would come in to mob this ambush predator, my call did not seem to have much effect on bird behavior.

Field Notes
This birding event was part of the WFB 176 Florida Ecology spring break class.
Date: 3/10/2018
Weather: Sunny and perhaps around 75 degrees Fahrenheit
Habitat: Open southern pine forest (loblloy pines and long-leaf pine), open scrub and a field.

Winter Physiology and the Use of Snags.

At the time I was in Ocala it was in the 70°F’s to 80°F’s during the day time, but getting down to the 40°F’s at night. Therefore, the birds had to deal with considerable temperature swings over the course of a 24-hour period. It was mid-morning to afternoon when I was observing the birds, so it was the warmest part of the day, but none of the birds seemed heat stressed and they certainly did not appear to be cold. Given Florida's mild climate, the thermoregulatory behavior I had the best opportunity to see the product of was migration. The three species of warbler I saw in Ocala (Black-and-white, Warbler, Pine Warbler (some are year round in Florida), and Yellow-rumped Warbler) and the Hermit Thrush are migratory species that summer in more temperate part of the country (including Vermont) and then migrate south in winter to areas like Florida, where they can find enough food to meet their energetic demands. Florida's subtropical climate means that many insect eating species can continue to find food there in the winter. While in Ocala, I witnessed a Red-bellied Woodpecker (a historically southern species that has begun to appear in Vermont) foraging for insects in the bark of a live oak. Species that remain in Vermont in the winter and eat insects have to cache them, as the Brown Creeper does or be able to access them where the larvae or eggs are lying dormant as a Pileated Woodpecker does.

Seeing migratory species I am familiar with in Vermont in a completely different habitat in their winter range was really interesting and illustrated to me the importance of conserving the habitat a specie's requires throughout its natural history. The Hermit Thrush is Vermont's state bird and a species I had previously associated with northern hardwoods. seeing a Hermit Thrush among loblolly pine, live oak and palmettos change the way I think about this species habitat associations and preferred habitat.

I was also able to witness the importance of snags as a feature of the habitat for some bird species. In the area around Ocala National forest we visited a clear cut where Snags had been left standing a thick understory of palmettos had grown in. In this habitat we saw 3 Red-headed Woodpeckers, a pair of American Kestrel and 4 Florida Scrub Jays. The kestrel and the Red-Headed Woodpeckers were both associating closely with snags, but were doing so in different ways. The Red-headed Woodpeckers were clinging to the sides of the snag and forage on them looking for insects and their larvae in the decaying wood. While the American Kestrels were utilizing the snags as a look out points to survey their landscape for predators and prey. The American Kestrels would sit high atop the snags and favored skinnier snags than those utilized by the Red-headed Woodpeckers.

Another species we saw that I feel I should mention here is the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. We saw three of these listed birds in a long-leaf pine stand in Ocala National Forest. The Red-cockaded Woodpecker is the only woodpecker in North America that regularly excavates live trees and nests in the cavities it excavates. The Red-cockaded Woodpecker is a cooperative breeder and cavities are excavated by family groups over generations. Therefore, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker is one of the few species associated with cavities, but not with snags. Unfortunately we did not see any of the cavity trees utilized for nesting by the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in Ocala. The Red-cockaded Woodpecker was still a really awesome bird to have the opportunity to observe and one I have heard about for so long.

Flight Physiology Journal
Location: Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area, Addison VT
Date: 2/9/18
Weather: partially cloudy to Overcast. Temperature in the twenties Fahrenheit, and falling with the encroaching darkness.
Party Size: 3
I was fortunate on this birding trip to Dead Creek WMA to be able to observe the flight patterns of variety of taxa occupying widely different niches from flocking song birds, to upland game birds, to diurnal raptors and owls. The first species of the trip whose flight pattern caught my attention was the Rough-legged Hawk. The Rough-legged Hawk is a large Buteo, like the Red-tailed Hawk. However, when compared to the Red-tailed Hawk, the Rough-legged Hawk’s wings seem to be slimmer and longer in proportion to their body size. This seems to suggest that the Rough-legged Hawk’s wing structure preferences speed over agility, when compared to that of Red-tailed Tailed Hawk. The differences in wing structure and function may reflect differences in the habitat utilized by each species. The Rough-legged Hawk breeds on the arctic tundra and winters in southern Canada and the US. While, wintering it still tends to frequent open country like agricultural fields. The Red-tailed Hawk ranges across a large swath of North America, and occupies a wide range of habitats, including forests. Selective pressures acting on the Red-tailed Hawk may therefore have favored broad wings that allow the maneuverability needed to hunt in forested environments. Since, the Rough-legged Hawk hunts in very open environments, selection pressure likely favored the slender wings needed for fast pursuit.
Another bird species whose flight struck me as interesting was the Snow Bunting. The Snow Buntings I observed were flying in tight wheeling flocks. When the Buntings would bank into a turn, the dazzling white of their undersides would become exposed in unison. I imagine that If I were a predator trying to attack the tight flock, this sudden flash of bright white would be quite disorienting. I would very interested in learning whether there is any reliable field observations or experimental evidence supporting that snow buntings use their white underside to startle or disorient predators who attack the flock in flight.
A species with very different style of flight which, we observed, was the Ring-Necked Pheasant. The Ring-necked Pheasant is a typical member of the family of Phasianidae, meaning it is a relatively heavy bird, with relatively well-developed legs. Pheasants spend a lot of time on the ground and that was where we first spotted the individuals we saw. When the first Pheasant was spotted, it was crouched on the ground maintaining a low profile. When the Pheasant realized it was spotted it slowly walked away. However, this pheasant (a male) soon began to run toward a female which appeared and as we approached the two birds flew away at high speed using very rapid wing beats. The Ring-necked Pheasant has relatively short rounded wings, with a larger proportion of the wing devoted to providing thrust than lift. This enables the pheasant to take off rapidly despite its bulks and fly surprisingly fast for a short distance, as we observed. This ability allows the pheasant to evade ground predators who detect the pheasant despite its camouflage, stealth and use of cover.
Another species our party observed, with a very distinctive flight pattern, was the Short-eared Owl. The trip to Dead Creek WMA was in large part for the opportunity to see the Short-eared Owls which are known to occupy the area. As night was falling my companions (who are very experienced birders) were able to identify a distant, large, flying bird as a Short-eared Owl by its floppy, almost moth like wing beats. The Sibley Birds East Field guide describes the Short-eared Owl as the nocturnal counterpart of the Northern Harrier, which has similar wing beats. Perhaps, the long, blunt wing structure these two species share, facilitates the low gliding over fields which these two birds of prey utilize to flush prey while hunting. I hope in the future I have the opportunity to view a Short-eared Owl at closer range and observe more of the species behavior.