sophiaprandini's Journal

April 28, 2020
7:00-8:30am
42 degrees Fahrenheit, mostly sunny, 9mph NW wind
Shelburne Bay Park, Shelburne, Vermont
Mixed deciduous and coniferous forested area with trail partially bordering Lake Champlain and swampy field area. Lots of shrubs and thick brush with old leaves and down trees littering the ground.

April 19, 2020
7:10-8:40am
39 degrees Fahrenheit, partly sunny, 15mph S wind
Saint Michael's College Natural Area, Essex, VT
Hilly forested area with mostly deciduous trees and patches of conifers, near a river, a swampy field area in the middle of the trail

The forested area had a lot of dense brush and tall trees, so most of the behavior I was able to observe was auditory. There were areas where I could hear many mating calls, presumably males all trying to outcompete each other for female mate selection. Some could have been examples of leks. Other calls I heard were alarm calls as I got closer to the birds, and they tried to warn the others of my presence. I also heard a fair amount of songs and even saw a couple males trying to chase of other males of the same species. There was a lot of thick undergrowth and bushes that some birds may have used as a safe area to conceal a nest, such as the Song Sparrow I observed. Others likely built nests high up in the trees where they would be safe from ground-dwelling predators. It was also interesting to observe the behavior of the dozens of Ring-billed Gulls I came across. They were in an open area where there appeared to be compost or trash disposed of in large bags. These birds were very vocal and flew around me as I walked through, eager to get back to feeding when I was a safe distance away.

One bird in particular who was singing a lot was the Northern Cardinal I spotted. I passed him twice on the trail, once down and once circling back, and he sat proudly on a branch in a specific tree and sang loudly. However, this loud male was defending his territory that appeared to be comprised of mostly bare trees, old logs, and some brush. This seemed like a poor territory. I did not notice any trees with fruit or seeds nearby. He was probably the only one in the area because other male Cardinals did not bother to try and defend territory here. This indicates this bird is probably less fit than many other males of his species. He is defending a poor territory because he cannot compete with other males. He will likely not be as successful attracting a female and mating, and thus have fewer offspring. The offspring he does have also might not even thrive because he does not appear to be in the best area to find food.

I also observed a Tufted Titmouse on the ground picking up moss to line its nest. This species often uses the nest cavities of other birds and then lines them with soft material. In the forest, there is not a lot of stray feathers, fur, and hair like you might find in a more populated area with lots of humans and pets. Therefore, this individual used moss, a readily available material in the forested area. I observed this bird picking up moss from the ground in its beak, so I do not need to speculate about where it would go to find nest materials. If it were not nesting in an area with moss, it would likely need to travel farther to find soft things to line the nest.

Sound map: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EKJkzmdasMpDhZe3_LLi-L2yYlaATD14li6JKsjYk5A/edit?usp=sharing
The arrow with a small circle around it in the center is my location. I was facing a swampy area near the river with some trees behind me. There were more birds in front of me than behind me, as seen in the sound map. The different symbols represent different songs, and the darkness of the symbol represents the volume of the song.

April 15, 2020
1:10-3:40pm
44 degrees Fahrenheit, mostly cloudy, 12mph NW wind
LaPlatte River Marsh Natural Area
Wetland area with a river and small tributaries draining into Lake Champlain, floodplain forest with mix of deciduous and coniferous trees, lots of brush and down trees with leaves and pine needles covering the muddy ground

April 8, 2020
6:30-8:00am
38 degrees Fahrenheit, party sunny, 6mph wind NW
Downtown Burlington, Vermont, USA
Mostly residential area neighboring some graveyards and a small park by the lake shore, scattered deciduous trees and some coniferous trees

Some of the species I observed were year-round residents that have adaptations that allow them to remain in Vermont during the winter. Birds living in temperate regions have high productivity to counteract the low juvenile and adult survival. These species have lots of babies because not many make it through adulthood. These birds have more down feathers to aid in thermoregulation. They are also likely better at storing fat, which acts as insulation to conserve body heat as well as making it easier to survive in the winter when there are less easily available food resources. These residential birds also have different behaviors during the colder seasons. They do not fly around and move as much so they don't waste energy. They fluff up their feathers in order to trap warm air. Some even stand on one leg to keep the other one warm. They also shiver to stay warm. Some species will also roost together to stay warm as a group or sun themselves during the day. A few examples of the year-round resident species I saw today were the Northern Cardinals, Rock Pigeons, Blue Jays, ad House Sparrows.

I also saw several migratory species. As we get farther into April, the days are lengthening, which is important for circannual cycles that determine when the birds mold and breed. The air is getting warmer, and as spring progresses, summer is coming not far behind. These signals indicate to birds when they should migrate back. Warmer, longer days means snow has melted, giving way to sprouting plants and insects that are easier to access such as earthworms. These environmental changes facilitate migratory birds' arrival in northern Vermont. One example of a migrant is the Canada Goose. I saw a small flock of these birds by the waterfront. This species is generally in Vermont just for the breeding season, and can be found in more southwest locations of the United States during the winter. These geese I observed today could have been wintering in Dallas, Texas which is over 1,700 miles away. I also saw several American Robins. They are short-distance migrants and could stay in Vermont during the winter, but generally I do not observe them here until the spring. If these birds flew a short distance south to a slightly warmer area such as Richmond, Virginia, they would have flown a little over 600 miles in each direction. Finally, the Song Sparrow I observed this morning could have been a resident, or a medium-distance migrant. These birds have "leapfrog migration," so those in Alaska and Northern Canada typically migrate to the Southern US or Mexico, but this bird either came from a closer area such as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which is about 400 miles south, or will be flying slightly north soon, such as Quebec (about 200 miles north). In total, these birds probably migrated around 2,700 miles!

I did not see any obligate migrants today. The benefits of the migrants I did see coming back to Vermont in early April is that they can establish territories before other birds arrive later in the month. It depends on their breeding cycles, but some birds can begin to prepare for having offspring. They can start foraging earlier as well. As long as they are able to not expend too much energy to stay warm during the chilly nights of early spring, these birds have less competition for now and can start off their spring in Vermont well.

March 13, 2020
3:20-4:50pm
86 degrees Fahrenheit, 10mph E wind, 38% humidity, sunny
6 Mile Cypress, Fort Myers, Florida, USA
Dense cypress slough canopy in a wetland bordering a small lake with flag pond and hammock communities

There was a variety of different mini ecosystems in this location, and this allowed for me to observe a wide variety of species. In the flag pond areas, there were mainly waterfowl such as the Tricolored Herons and Great Egrets. These birds kept to themselves, and I did not observe communication between any of them. This is likely because they were more spread out, likely with larger territories and less need for interaction because there is so much space in the slough. In the hammock communities, the bird populations were much more dense. This resulting in more intraspecies interaction. The Common Grackles used a lot of audio cues to interact, likely warning their neighbors of the human visitors. Their calls were loud, abrupt, and alarming to others. They perched on branches above and kept their heads swiveling. They did not stay in any one location for too long. Later on in my walk, I entered an area very dense with cypress trees and woodpecker species, mainly Downy and Red-bellied. These birds were also very vocal and sang to each other as they foraged in trees around us. They called to each other as we walked through the area, but they appeared more calm than the Common Grackles, and continued to peck the trees even a few feet away from us.
The birds had varying plumages. The Black-and-white Warbler camouflaged well with the tree it was on. The melanins created stripes that made it difficult to differentiate this bird from tree bark when it was perched on a tree. The Red-bellied Woodpecker also had this effect. One major difference was that these birds had the red feathers on their heads, but this assisted their camouflage while they were around the air plants with red flowers. It is also likely important for mating. The Double-crested Cormorants had very dark plumages. When they were in the water, they blended in well with the dark waves. The only thing that stood out was their bright colored beaks, and these bright bills are used for intimidation of other males and to attract females.
The Tricolored Heron was first observed standing still in a small pool of water. It was trying to blend in with the water and surrounding flora because I was only a few feet away. Once I was at a safer distance, this bird flew over to a larger pond and continued to forage for food such as small fish, crustaceans, and frogs in and around the water. Since it was later afternoon, this bird was toward the end of its circadian rhythm for the day. It was not yet time to rest for the night because there were still a few more hours to be active and search for food while wading in pools. In terms of its circannual cycle, this bird was likely settling into its breeding grounds, but not yet laying eggs or incubating them. It would also not be the time for courtship. It makes sense that this bird was focused on finding food and avoiding predators.

March 1, 2020
3:30-5:00PM
East Woods Natural Area, South Burlington, VT
25 degrees Fahrenheit, partly sunny, little to no wind
Wooded area (mostly tall, coniferous trees) with a stream running through one side of the park, hilly terrain

It was a moderately cold day, so not many birds were observed. The American Crows were seen flying more than the Black-capped Chickadees that spent most of their time safely tucked in the high branches of pine trees. Not only did the trees provide a place to nest and hide from predators, particularly those too large to navigate the dense branches, but they were very high up and gave the birds a good view of everything going on below such as families walking through, dogs, and even nosy ornithology students with cameras.

The Black-capped Chickadees budgeted their time in the trees, and they did not move much. By staying still and only moving when absolutely necessary, they were able to conserve energy for heat. I did not notice them eating, and I only saw two actually fly to a different tree. It is possible they feed more in the morning, rather than in the evening when they would want to conserve heat as it gets darker and colder overnight. I did not see any birds breeding, and it was hard to tell how many were resting because these birds were less noticeable. As mentioned above, the American Crows were flying around more, calling to others and looking for food. They seemed less concerned with conserving heat and energy.

I observed a few nests that birds had been using. There were also lots of cavities in dead trees. In one dead snag, a squirrel popped its head out, but there did not appear to be any birds spending the night in this particular tree. Several of the cavities appeared to have been made by a species of woodpecker, although none were observed on this walk. These cavities provide shelter from the elements such as wind and precipitation. They also provide protection from predators. By conserving energy rather than using it to stay warm, breed, or fly, the birds are more likely to survive the winter and stay healthy.

In other seasons, conserving heat is less important especially in the summer when the weather is warmer. From April to June, it is the Black-capped Chickadee's breeding season. During this time, energy will go toward reproduction more. For the American Crows, the breeding season is earlier, and they are often incubating eggs by April. This accounts for this species being more active during this time of year.

February 12, 2020, 10:30am-12:00pm
Sunny with some clouds, about 12 degrees Fahrenheit, 15mph southern wind
Mostly deciduous trees, some coniferous. A few hundred feet from a river and 15-20 feet from a road in a small clearing.

Smaller songbirds like the Dark-eyed Junco have elliptical, "all-purpose" wings. These provided some lift and speed, but most importantly, maneuverability. The Dark-eyed Junco was able to fly between tree branches and take off quickly due to this type of wing. It spent most of its time in more dense brush, and this likely helps protect it from predators. Being able to quickly take off and maneuver between branches also keeps smaller birds safe. These smaller birds were harder to locate, and they were more fearful of my presence.

On the other hand, the much larger American Crows were bold and did not hide amongst dense brush in the woods. They flew through the open sky, called loudly from tree branches, and sat in more open areas near the roads. These birds had slotted, high-lift wings. This reduces drag during soaring, and the American Crows were often spotted flying through the clearings rather than darting around in the trees like the smaller prey birds. With this type of wing, the bird needs to create their own lift. This was evident by the periods of large, rapid wing flaps to propel and lift them.

There were not as many birds as I would have expected from this relatively quiet area of Burlington. It was late in the morning, so I would predict there would be more birds active earlier in the morning and perhaps later in the evening as well. The weather was lovely, though it was a bit cold. The habitat deeper in the woods and closer to the river would probably be a better location to spot birds. If I were to return to this location, I would go earlier in the morning on a slightly warmer day, and I would go down the trail further.