aefaubert's Journal

4/29/2024
Start time: 5:45 am
End time: 7:00 am
Location: Centennial Woods
Weather: 45°F, cloudy, 10mph NNW winds
Habitat: interior forest, forest edge, bird feeders

4/22/2024
Start time: 7:40 pm
End time: 9:00 pm
Location: LaPlatte River Marsh Natural Area
Weather: 45°F, 5mph winds, dusk, clear sky
Habitat: Marsh, forested areas, open fields

There were a lot of songbirds singing loudly almost like they were trying to sing over each other. There were multiple American Woodcocks singing in a grassy field, possibly to attract mates. I saw two American Robins fight over a spot on a bush, possibly related to territory selection. Due to the shrub's location being directly adjacent to the trail, I would guess these American Robin's do not have good fitness compared to other individuals, because this would be poor territory for nesting. I saw many Song Sparrows along the trail possibly picking materials to build their nests. Song Sparrows may use strands of grass, bark, weeds, etc to build their nest and would go to the edge of the trail for pieces of woody debris caused by human disturbance.

Time: 4:44 pm
Date: April 8th, 2024
Location: Redstone Green, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Weather: 65°F, partly cloudy, 5 mph N winds
Habitat: Open field, scattered spruce and maple trees, surrounded by buildings, high density of people in the area

3/24/2024
Start time: 2:30 pm
End time: 4:00 pm
Location: Delta Park, Colchester VT
Weather: 35°F, sunny, 6 mph NE winds
Habitat: Frozen march, wooded area, next to a neighborhood, river delta, Lake Champlain

One year-round resident I observed was the Northern Cardinal. Northern Cardinals are suburban birds and can rely on bird feeders for a source of nutrition during the winter, meaning that there is less incentive for them to migrate to find better food sources. To adapt to the colder weather, their diets shift mostly to seeds rather than seeds and insects in the warmer weather. Another year-round resident I spotted was a Black-capped Chickadee. Black-capped Chickadees go through facultative hypothermia to slow their metabolism down during the colder winter nights.

There were five Canada Geese I spotted resting in the delta. Canada Geese are facultative migrants that migrate to Canada in the spring. Burlington can be a breeding habitat or a pit stop during their migration. These geese arrive in Burlington in early spring in preparation for the breeding season. Canada Geese migrate south for the winter because the conditions in Burlington are too cold and it is hard for them to find food.

I spotted three Turkey Vultures flying above, surveying Delta Park. The Turkey Vulture is an obligate migrant. Advantages of the Turkey Vulture arriving early in April is that there is less competition as other migrants are still yet to come back. A disadvantage is that it is still very wintery outside with the snow and there might not be as much prey activity as it is used to in warmer weather.

Mini Activity - Frequent Flyer:

• Turkey vulture - migrates from North Carolina - Louisiana ; ~700 miles
• Canada goose - migrates from Pennsylvania/Maryland; ~ 450 miles
• Total miles traveled = ~1150 miles for the migrant species I spotted.

3/5/2024
Start time: 10:30
End time: 11:30
Location: Causeway park, Colchester Vt.
Weather: 50°F, cloudy, 20 mph winds
Habitat: Trail, woods, houses nearby, shoreline

There were a couple of Black-capped Chickadees grouped together in some trees. They were making the harsh "chickadee" call. My interpretation of this call was that they sensed a threat nearby, possibly me, and made harsh calls to scare the threat off.

In terms of the plumages of the birds I saw, the plumage of the Ring-billed Gull is very opposite of the American Robin. The Ring-billed Gull is mostly white with gray wings and black wing tips. The American Robin is a dark gray with an orange belly. I assume the differences in their plumages corresponds to the differences in their habitats. The white plumage of the Ring-billed Gull is most likely used as camouflage into the brightness of the sky from above when they are flying high above in search of food. Similarly, the plumage of the American Robin can act as a form of camouflage in the darker forest cover they occupy.

I saw a few Common Mergansers in a group swimming and diving for food in the morning on my bird walk. They were not exerting extra energy by flying I assume they were building up their energy with food after resting in cold temperatures.

Mini-activity

• I assume “spishing” attracts birds because it is an alarming call and at high notes can be distressing. Birds might want to check out what the sound is to see if there are any birds in distress.

2/22/24
Start time: 8:36
End time: 9:36
Location: Intervale center, Burlington, VT
Weather: 34°F, 17 mph wind, cloudy
Habitat: Forest, riparian area, river, developed land nearby

The Black-capped chickadee I saw today was perched on a branch of a tree picking at berries off of the branch. It was barely moving, possibly to retain energy and heat. The diet of the Black-capped chickadee may vary in winter compared to the summer by eating more berries. In the summer, they may eat more insects because insects are more active in the summer. The other birds that I could see, the crows, were flying overhead possibly trying to sight prey.

Snag watch: On my walk I saw about 10 snags with cavities in them. From what I saw, cavity size becomes bigger and more prevalent on the snags as the size of the snags increase. I tapped on many snags but nothing popped out of the cavities. Snags are important shelter for bird species, especially in the winter. The birds more likely to use cavities are woodpeckers because their beaks are specialized to create cavities in wood.

Start time: 2:25 pm
End time: 3:25 pm
Location: Redstone Pines
Weather: 51°F, S 16 mph wind, partly cloudy
Habitat: Isolated red pine stand, surrounded by buildings, high human activity

While observing the Black-capped chickadees hopping from tree to tree, I only spotted two individuals together at a time. However, it is highly likely that there could have been more individuals at that time. The flight pattern of the Black-capped chickadee is that of a standard songbird. For short distance flight, it does a couple of fast flaps to gain speed and lift and then glides with what looks like its wings closed to its destination. It is a very bouncy and unpredictable flight pattern.

I had a brief encounter with the European starlings. I presume they were starlings because of their small size, dark color, and group flying behavior. I could not count all the individuals in the group but I estimated there were about ten. The starling flight pattern differs from the Black-capped chickadee in that they flap there wings in a set of about ten flaps, and then they glide with their wings open for a couple of seconds, then go back to flapping, repeating the pattern. The starlings were flying this way because, unlike the chickadee, they were going a longer distance. The starling is also adapted for longer distances by having low wing loading.

I might have been able to explore the area earlier in the morning for better luck. I know bird activity is higher in the morning because that is usually when they go out to find food. I also might have had better luck if I had a pair of binoculars with me so that I could spot birds from far away. Also the woody area was small and surrounded by buildings and there was high human activity at the time which discouraged an abundance of birds.