srotella's Journal

This afternoon I went to the mouth of the La Platte River and hiked the Ethan Allen Hill trail. It was an overcast day, approximately 40 degrees and raining for the second half. Throughout the walk I passed through mostly a mixed deciduous and coniferous forest. Dominated by Hemlocks, Eastern White Pines, White/Red cedars, and some Paper Beeches. Most of the passerines seemed to prefer the coniferous canopy during this, possibly to shelter from the rain? I have not been able to take pictures due to the rain.

I went to Missisqoui National Wildlife Refuge and got a private tour with WFS of the area. It was earlier afternoon, with bright sunny skies and warmer temps (60 F). Then on Wednesday evening I went on a last minute stroll around the Intervale farms in Burlington. It was raining all day, caught a short dry spell, and was moderately warm (55 F).

The intervale was chock full of singing birds, mostly Song Sparrows and American Robins, that were almost entirely along the edges of the farm fields. These consisted of some smaller brush and small bands (15' wide) deciduous forest. While it seemed like these calls were coming from everywhere, after awhile I could pinpoint the same birds calling and distinguish their possible territory or nest site. The mini activity really helped with the accuracy and remembering which call potentially came from the same individual. As I approached these singing birds a lot of times they began calling frantically, leading me to believe I was encroaching on their territory or nest site.

Walking along one of the edges an American Robin flew right across my path with several hay straws in its mouth, looking at me and bouncing from limb to limb. Thought it was peculiar he wasn't building his nest, but given sometime he then popped down to his nest, which I did not see, and place the straws there. This behavior of not immediately flying to the nest, but possibly pretending to forage, is him watching for predators. However, there were no eggs in it so I am curious as to whether or not this was the case, or just him examining me.

While at Missisqoui I saw my first Tree Swallows in a field outside the visitors center. They were resting on a sign in the open, and then flying all around the field following each other occasionally. The park ranger, Ken Strum, pointed out the mating display of male Tree Swallows. While in flight they do a very quick and shallow wingbeat that slows them down quite a bit. Without having someone point it out it would like normal, but once seen I could point it out myself several other times. I believe the female was perched on the sign as the males were displaying in the air, occasionally coming back to the sign.

To compare two species nesting, I think the American Robin and White-throated Sparrows are two good examples. The American Robin nest was halfway up a midstory tree (haven't taken Dendro yet!), in the nook of three branches. It seems to be a relatively poor nesting site, being only 7-8 feet off the ground within full view. Other American Robins I saw seemed to have nests in higher quality spots, further off the ground and within denser coverage. Leading me to believe that the robin I witnessed may be a subordinate or has a lower fitness than its competitors. I noticed that they were were spending most of their time in the tree or foraging in the field for hay and other nest building materials. However, the White-throated Sparrow I spotted foraging along the ground. While I did not see its nest, I do know that they tend to nest on or very near the ground in dense vegetation. This is where I spotted it, presuming the nest had to be near.

The highlight of these two trips was seeing a lifer I have been searching for, the Merlin. Heard its call near the river, and walked over to spot it high in a tree across the Winooski. Super psyched I got my binoculars out and just as I got into focus a male swooped out of nowhere into the mating position. Several seconds later, with the male gone, I realized I just watched the true beauty of nature unfold right in front of me. Ah, springtime.

April 15
La Platte River natural area and Shelburne farms. Approximately 12:00-2:00 p.m.. Overcast, around 35 degrees, and wintery mix precipitation. Walked along Shelburne Bay spotting some Canada Geese and Hooded Merganser out on the bay from the shore. Several flocks of Black-capped Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco, American Robin, and Song Sparrow. On the edge of a pine dominated forest. Deeper in the forest was a Brown Creeper, White-breasted Nuthatch, and a mystery bird that I believe to be a Northern Cardinal with an interesting song. As I was driving down the road to Shelburne Farms I spotted a Great Blue Heron flying over towards the bay and two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers foraging trees along the road.

April 17
While installing game cameras in Jericho for two hours, 9:00-11:00 a.m., my group saw several good bird sightings. It was around 40 degrees with a disgusting wintery mix again. Most of the species were spotted in a deciduous natural community, including Black-capped Chickadee, American Goldfinch, Hermit Thrush, and a Hairy Woodpecker. In a small stand of red pines we spotted three Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers foraging the pines.

I spent three hours driving around south of Burlington around Shelburne Pond, Little Otter Creek, and the town of Charlotte. Most of my time was spent in the car, pulling off the road when I spotted a bird. Little Otter Creek was perfect for this as it was just long empty farm roads with massive fields on either side, Osprey and Bald Eagle nests, and the creek running close by. It was a beautiful sunny day, approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Most of the resident species I saw have the tendency to roost in larger groups to conserve heat. This includes species like the Eastern Bluebird, Black-capped Chickadee, Song Sparrow, Mallards, and American Robin. I also noticed a tendency for these non-migrants to change their food source as the winter approaches. Black-capped Chickadees, American Robins, and Eastern Bluebirds all shift their diets from mostly energy rich invertebrates in the summer and spring to mostly a seed and fruit diet in the winter. Changing their foraging habits as the food sources change through the seasons. Other species like the American Crow, Mallard, Herring Gull, Ring-billed gull, and Song Sparrow all have very broad diets from insects, to seeds/fruits, and vegetation that allow them to forage year round. Not necessarily changing their foraging habits specifically in relation to season.

The Red-tailed Hawk for example eats mostly mammals (hares, rodents, and small birds) that are available year round. However, the Osprey and Bald Eagle mostly rely on fish and so when the rivers and Lake Champlain freeze over they lose their hunting ground. This is why the Bald Eagle and Osprey are short distance migrants that return fairly early compared to other species. The Bald Eagle and Osprey are the perfect example of a facultative migrant. They return not based on a "hardwired" time for migration, but environmental cues like that of open water that opens up more food sources. These two species most likely are arriving now or in the past couple months from an area with open water, rather it be the ocean to the East or a warmer area in more southern states. This area is their nesting habitat for I saw one massive Bald Eagle nest that has likely been utilized and grown over the past several seasons. The Osprey may also return to the same nest year after year, depending on the success rate of hatchlings.

The Osprey is most likely the species with the longest migration I saw that day. A study completed on banded Ospreys showed that east coast nesters most likely come from South America or the Caribbean, with few coming from the southern United States but not in the best health (Henny and Van Velzen 1972, Poole and Agler 1987). It is possible that some of these individuals migrated over 3,000 miles to get here to Vermont. The two Ospreys I saw also are relatively early migrants, more to be expected in the next coming weeks.

This was the last day of real birding on the Florida WFB trip and this small patch of preserved wetlands was chock full of wading birds and other wetlands species. Within an hour and half I counted more than 40 species and up near 250+ individuals. It was approximately mid-afternoon, bright and sunny, with a temperature of around 70 degrees. It was just a sheer number of birds in such a small 50 acre parcel. The biodiversity found here within a matrix of suburbia seemed odd, but the water pumped into this wetlands is highly treated.

With such a high concentration of birds there was a plethora of intense infraspecific and interspecific interactions/competition. One of the most intriguing interactions was a 15 minute battle over a medium sized fish. One Great Blue Heron brought a fish back to its nest on-top of a tree above the water (that is shared with at least 10 other nesting pairs of Wood Storks) and began to fight over it with another Great Blue Heron, not entirely sure if they were a nesting pair. Strong peck like strikes at the body/wings were common, eventually the bill of the first Great Blue Heron was covered in blood. Then a nesting pair of Wood Storks joined in, snagging the fish from the Herons and rightfully defending it for approximately ten minutes. One of the Great Blue Herons showed an aggressive display by rearing backwards while flapping its wings and thrusting its head upwards into the sky. The Wood Storks won this dispute.

While there I also witnessed a brief foraging territorial battle between two Great Blue Herons. The original forager was patiently foraging for fish, standing still, when a competitor approached from the side slowly walking on land. The original Heron turned and jumped 2-3' into the air, splaying out it's wings and flapping them. This jump repeated 4 more times. The competitor returned this display only twice and quickly flew away. There was no physical contact. It is apparent that these territorial disputes, rather over foraging or nesting territory, rarely become physical and rarely does the original individual lose its territory. The dancing display they showed is a way of showing physical strength and dominance, this way neither individual becomes fatally injured. I also witnessed multiple Wood Storks "clicking" their bills together while on their nests. While at first it seemed an aggressive interaction, Dr. Allan Strong mentioned it was their way of recognizing one another and saying "hello".

The Wood Stork and Great Egret both have strikingly white plumages. One would presume that it cryptically hides them against the glare of the sky from fish. However, upon further research and discussion it seems that the white stands out amongst their habitat which makes finding colonies and other conspecifics easier. The Rosetta Spoonbill gets its pink coloration from the carotenoids in the shrimp they eat. It is interesting to ponder whether their pink coloration has an evolutionary purpose, like showing the age class and individual fitness, or its just a byproduct of their diet. Then on the other spectrum there is the Clapper Rail, spotted not at Wakodahatchee but at Little Talbot State Park. Using a recording we got over 6 individual Clapper Rails to call back, all of which where within 10 feet. But, it was impossible to see them in the 2' tall grass. Their dark brown cryptic coloration makes it near impossible to see in the grass and their ability to extend their necks and body laterally makes it impossible to spot movement. Entirely a different strategy compared to the wading birds.

At Wakodahatchee and Anhinga Trail (in Everglades National Park) it was interesting to watch Wood Storks and Black Vultures go about their daily schedules. The Black Vultures have become a serious nuisance to visitors as they peel the coamings off of car doors in the morning with zero apparent reason. However, once noon time came around and the air heated up, thermals formed and they took to the skies to fly in kettles without a single one being left behind. It is apparent that this is a circadian rhythm. The Wood Storks also spent their early mornings on their nests or on the dock preening, sunning, or warming their chicks. Then when the sun came out they began to forage, one individual hunting and the other staying with the chicks. This seemed to continue throughout the day. While at Wakodahatchee a woman commented that in years past most of the nesting birds were Great Egrets, which now almost entirely have been replaced by Wood Storks. Upon further discussion we realized that it was due to a difference in circannual rhythm where the Wood Storks most likely nest earlier and either got to the nesting sites first or that they would leave and the Great Egrets will come later in the year.

During this trip I was able to pish some birds into view on a regular basis. It is incredible how well this works. I believe that most birds respond because it sounds like an alert or distressed bird. This means that there is a predator nearby that these smaller flocking birds need to watch out for, and so they are investigating to ensure they know what and where the danger is coming from. It's similar in reasoning to why the "Magic" recordings of Barred Owls, Red-Shouldered Hawks, and American Crows always works flawlessly. They just want to know where the danger is.

I visited Delta Park, Ethan Allen Homestead, the Colchester Causeway, and the Burlington waterfront all in one weekend in search of the mystical snowy owl and to take some pictures of more common birds. It was a relatively chilly day, somewhere between 30 and 40 degrees, with overcast skies. I was told Ethan Allen Homestead would be a good spot to go, but I did not expect to find so many birds in one small patch of forest (while the rest of the park was mostly empty). Delta Park contained the same common species, white-breasted nuthatch and black-capped chickadees, but it is always a nice place to visit.

One of the most common body heat conservation behavior I saw was the repeated fluffing of feathers and preening. I saw this behavior in the black-capped chickadee, tufted titmouse, herring gull, and dark-eyed junco. They would shake their whole body to fluff up their feathers in order to utilize their down feathers better. I also saw a good amount of preening of the contour feathers which I would assume is to increase their insulation ability.

All of the forest foraging birds I saw were foraging for the entirety of the time (except for a few individuals who were preening). They were mostly in mixed species flocks of 3-8 gathering seeds and small fruits from tree limbs and twigs anywhere from a few feet off the ground to the lower canopy. I noticed they would forage a singular spot and then fly and come back. I suppose this could be them caching their seed for later consumption, ensuring they have a food storage through the winter. In more productive seasons, like the summer, I would expect these small foraging species to consume more insects for their higher nutritional value. They are just not present in the winter. I did not see any breeding behavior or any individuals sleeping.

In the Ethan Allen Homestead I noticed that almost all the birds were all centrally located in one small patch of forest near the Winooski River. None were to be found in the agricultural fields or even a forest patch within the bordering the fields and river. The patch where they were located seemed to have a higher diversity of trees and understory vegetation, possibly providing more food resources.

It was not surprising to find that most of the tree cavities in snags were located where I found the highest abundance of birds. There were close to a dozen snags that I saw within the patch and all of them had at least two cavities in them. It seemed from quick observation that the larger trees tended to have larger excavations, but it also seemed to depend on what species created the cavity. I noticed the larger rectangular cavity of a pileated woodpecker and the smaller limb cavities of the downy woodpecker. Tapping on the snags did not bring out any curious avian creatures. These cavities are crucial to the survival of our winter residence for the shelter/warmth it provides in the harsh winters. I believe most of the smaller forest foraging birds utilize these cavities, sometimes in larger groups occupying an individual cavity. Without them these smaller birds would most likely not be able to survive.

This morning I arrived at Delta Park in Colchester, VT, at approximately 8:45 a.m.. It was a warmer 35 degree Fahrenheit day with overcast skies. Delta Park is situated at the mouth of the Winooski River into Lake Champlain, comprising of natural sandy beaches, floodplain forest, and marshy wetland. The Rock Pigeons flew overhead south along the lake and the Fish Crows were along the edge of the forest and Lake Champlain. I had to walk about a quarter mile along the bike path to then be surrounded by bird calls, almost all of which I identified as Black-capped Chickadees or Tufted Titmice. They were all within a small area, some paired together, and were higher up in deciduous trees. The Northern Cardinal, Downy Woodpecker, and White-breasted Nuthatch were found at the edge of the forest next to a small open park, only a few hundred feet from suburban housing.

I observed a Tufted Titmouse for several minutes, analyzing its flight. It would complete short bursts of flight between tree limbs and branches, normally less than ten feet apart, mostly in the same tree. When flying it would swoop down below the branch it left, with a bounding flight it would flap its wings in spurts of 2-3 and then tuck its wings back into the body. It would repeat these short spurts of flapping until arriving at the next branch, normally only having two bursts of flapping per flight. The Tufted Titmouse has shorter rounded wings that is perfect for maneuvering between branches and great at very quick short flights. This correlates well with their foraging diet, moving quickly from tree to tree in search of insects and seeds. The Black-capped Chickadee has a very similar bounding flight pattern and basically fills the same niche in the environment, most likely why they forage together so often.

The other flight pattern I observed closely was from the Fish Crow. I found them mostly in the trees on the edge of Lake Champlain. The wind coming over the lake was strong and gusty, which disappeared the second I retreated back into the forest. The Fish Crows seemed to enjoy this wind however. They have broad round wings that flap in a slow rhythmic pattern high above in the sky, staying at a constant altitude and flying in straight line. However, when watching the Fish Crow over the lake in the wind, it would glide downwards and either flap it's wings back up or land in a tree or on the ice. This undulating gliding behavior is not something normally seen in the crow family. The strong winds and speed gained from dropping downward must've enabled them to increase the angle attack giving them more lift. Their broad rounded wings give them the ability to fly far distances while also the ease of an easy takeoff, allowing them to scan large areas for food to forage (eg. crabs, eggs, grain, trash).

I was very excited to see a male Downy Woodpecker at the end! Mumbling through a tree at about eye level, it was pecking its way up a surprisingly small tree. I was able to approach it and get right underneath it, less than five feet away, and take some good photos. In the field I was almost positive it was a Downy and not a Hairy Woodpecker, but I double checked at home by analyzing the red patch on the back of its head. Right after that I spotted a White-breasted Nuthatch foraging on a large oak. At home I further analyzed the picture and came to the conclusion that it was a female due to the lack of "black cap" on its head. Within seconds after that I spotted a female Downy Woodpecker higher up in an adjacent tree. I am fairly positive the Downy Woodpeckers are a pair. Upon further research it seems that the male of a pair will feed on smaller branches and the female will feed on larger branches, this is exactly the behavior I saw in the field. I am curious as to whether the woodpeckers and the nuthatches were in a foraging flock together, I did not have time to wait and see.