Field Observation 1: ID and Flight Physiology (02/15/2016)
I struck out at around 10:30 am. It was close to 40 Fahrenheit, much warmer than it has been, and the sun was weak but out. I walked from the Fleming Museum down to Redstone, deciding to spend some time in the trees around Blundell House.
I thought I would see a lot of birds given the sudden warmth, but I wound up seeing fewer than usual for the time of day. My first sighting was a striking male Northern Cardinal standing in stark contrast to the evergreens behind him. I was tipped off to him by first his call, and then by his movement. He flew out of sight with an uneven, wavy pattern to his flight, and short bursts of quick flapping. Even without the conspicuous colouration, one might be able to identify the Cardinal by this flight pattern. The Northern Cardinal has relatively short, rounded wings, which seem appropriate for woods and fairly short flights. A Black-Capped Chickadee called from somewhere in the branches of a thick tree, but I never managed to see it.
The Cardinal was the only bird I saw until I was further from the trees. Walking down South Prospect Street, I came across a group of five slate coloured Dark-eyed Juncos. They moved in a loose group from a yard to the roof of a house. Back in the parking lot behind Living and Learning, I finally got closer to some birds, but they were the invasive Eurasian House Sparrows. A pair of these were sitting under a car that had stopped for me to cross the road, and flew off when it started to move. I followed them to some bushes, but, seeming to sense my camera, they flew off further onto a nearby roof. An American Crow called from some place in the distance.
