tesshall's Journal

Sadly, it is very much still Winter, and with the storm covering everything in snow again there are few birds to be seen. I left the apartment around 10:00 am (Mar. 14, 2018) so that I could be back by lunch, and was greeted by Northern Cardinal song. He must have been somewhere in the trees behind my neighbor’s house, but I decided not to chase him down. Down the road a while I heard a House Finch calling from a big evergreen, I hear the song from the same tree often but have not yet managed to see the bird(s). I stopped to listen for a while anyway.

I walked over to the highschool because the road crosses Indian Brook and I have seen Mallards there in the past. I was disappointed though, because, in spite of waiting in the cold, no ducks showed up. I strolled over the the Village Cemetery instead, where I often see American Crows, but was disappointed again. At last, there were four European Starlings by the Amtrak, occasionally calling their unpleasant whistles. They were sitting on a telephone line, maybe it gives off a little heat. They were also a puffing up their feathers. The Amtrak is popular with European Starlings, and I assume it is a combination of garbage and hot busses that attracts them there.

On the way home, I caught sight of an American Crow sitting on what was once a church, but is now a PR firm (just a little fitting). The bird called a few times and took off lazily. When I got back, both the Northern Cardinal and the House Finch had moved on.

It was 8:00 am and sunny, about 20 degrees with little wind. Spring must be here at last, because minutes in to my walk I saw a male American Robin calling from a low bush. He was alone, and as I approached him he flew to a higher perch in a nearby tree. I could hear a Blue Jay calling from some place more distant, whether it was a territorial or a mating call I do not know. As I continued, I heard two Black-capped Chickadees singing at the same time as a European Starling and a distant Northern Cardinal.

A pair of American Crows sat in the high branches of a tree. They both called, but not in time. Then one flew away lazily and the other stayed. I walked on for a while, and found fewer birds as I went. Then I heard a Mourning Dove hooting from some thick trees, I tried to find it but would have had to trespass to succeed.

Finally, a male Northern Cardinal let me see him. He sat in some naked branches over the sidewalk, singing loudly. His brilliant red stood out against the greyish sky, and as he sang he twitched his tail a little. This red must be costly, both because it has to be sequestered and because it might make him vulnerable to predation, and lead predators to his nest. In comparison, the duller rusty breast of the American Robin seems cheaper, and is masked from above by the duller back. The Cardinal must receive enough benefit in mate selection and territorial defense to offset his costs. The Northern Cardinal’s song makes sense at this time of year, when nesting is happening and both mate acquisition and territorial defense seem likely uses of song.

I heard another Black-capped Chickadee calling from someone’s yard, and I tried pishing to attract it. Either my attempt failed or the bird was uninterested, because I got no response. I gave up and moved on. Another American Robin flew close to me and landed in the yard of a nearby house. This one seemed completely unphased by my presence. I am hopeful that this truly means the onset of Spring.