April 4th, 2018 ~ Ethan Allan Park

Weather: 45 degrees and very windy
Habitat: rocky with minimal ground vegetation, trees leafless
Time: 5-6:30pm

This past Thursday I decided to venture alone for some birding at Ethan Allan Park in Colchester. I bundled up in many layers and headed out into the windy trail. Overall this was not a very active area of forest, but I still managed to spot some typical species of the area. Some year-round residential species that I observed were the Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, House Finch, Tufted Titmouse, and a Hairy Wooodpecker. These species all adapted to harsh Vermont winters due to their food supply being readily available in this habitat and perhaps physiological changes in body temperature via "regulated hypothermia". I did not note any special migrants in this habitat, but both the Herring Gull and the Carolina Wren may be considered visitor species. A distinct "teakettle teakettle" call was heard, which I found unusual to hear while in VT. After looking at Cornell's All About Birds, I noticed that Carolina Wrens are not noted in Vermont on their map region, however eBird has published sightings from around the area recently. This makes me believe that the Wrens have moved Northern possibly due to human interference pressures or warmer temperatures that are arriving to Burlington for spring. The Herring is also a semi-migratory species that we comely see invading Burlington every spring. Once Lake Champlain thaws the Gulls have wider food resources here in Burlington, rather than in the winter months. Some other observation I made at the park was of a gorgeous, plump, Hairy Woodpecker that flew down in front of me mid-way. He was hammering away at the bark with his beak. However, I knew he was a Hairy rather than a Downey Woodpecker due to his sheer size and comma stripe! A House Finch was also expressing his lovely song to a female in a nearby pine. Love was in the air at Ethan Allan Park! Overall, the park was not a hotspot for many species. However, it was still good to explore the area and try somewhere new!

Posted on April 5, 2018 06:42 PM by