srotella's Journal

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.

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 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.

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.