Field Observation 6: Reproductive Ecology

Date: April 13, 2019
Time: 1:45-3:15pm
Weather: Rainy, cloudy and 43 F
Location: Shelburne Pond

I was rather surprised to observe multiple birds during this outing because it was raining. There were about five Mallards swimming on the pond. I heard more birds than I saw. During my walk, I did not observe a lot of reproductive behaviors. At one point I must have got a little too close to a Red-winged Blackbird nest or territory because I heard its alarming call.

Most of the trees in the woods have not yet developed leaves. There were multiple times that I observed nests, new and old. I saw a Hermit Thrush nest in a smaller conifer where it was sheltered from the elements. I was slightly surprised at how low the nest was and if I were a tad bit taller, I would have been almost eye-level. I came across the Red-winged Blackbird territory closer to the edge of the water. I was unable to see the actual nest, but I did not want to stick around to try to find it. There was also a Brown-headed Cowbird around. These individuals plant their eggs in other bird's nests. I also noticed that there were some nests in various tree cavities that were higher up in the trees.

Posted on April 23, 2019 04:02 AM by