emilymerryman's Journal

I went birding at Mass Audubon's Habitat Education Center in Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont, Massachusetts between 12:00 and 1:50 pm on 4/28. It was around 61 degrees Fahrenheit and cloudy. The was a variety of different habitats including evergreen forests, meadows, and some ponds.
Species:
Tufted Titmouse - 8
Carolina Wren- 2
Red-tailed Hawk- 1
Pine Warbler-3
American Goldfinch-2
House Wren- 6
American Robin- 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker-1
Tree Swallow- 7
Hermit Thrush- 2
Downy Woodpecker-1
Black-capped Chickadee- 10 (maybe more)
Northern Cardinal- 3
Blue Jay- 6
Canada Goose- 1

On April 20th I went birding at Gilbrook Natural Area between 1:15 and 2:15 pm. It was cloudy and around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The area was next to a couple different lakes and ponds, and it also had a trail that went further into the forested areas which were mostly younger trees.

I found a place to sit down and listen in the middle of the forested area. There I heard a Pine Warbler, a couple of White-breasted Nuthatches (2 or 3), a Dark-eyed Junco, and a Northern Cardinal. After a bit longer at this location I saw a couple Tufted titmice (3) and Black-capped Chickadees (4) in nearby trees. On my walk back I also heard an American Goldfinch and a couple Blue Jays (2) and American Crows. Additionally, the Merlin app picked up the calls of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a Red-bellied Woodpecker, which I looked for for a long time but was not able to find.

During my outing, both the Pine Warblers and the Black-capped Chickadees were very loud. I assume this is either to attract a mate or to protect their territory and scare away other birds. Also, during this time, I saw some Tufted titmice foraging on the ground and looking for nesting material such as leaves, trigs, and grass. I saw some birds looking for nesting material next to the lake, which I think has more variety of plants and grasses that can grow there. Most of the birds seemed to be nesting in the areas farther into the forest (farther away from the road noise) and by the lake. These seemed to be the optimal location for nesting and so I think that the birds nesting here have a high level of fitness. There were also a couple birdhouses people put along the trail, although I couldn’t tell if they were occupied or not. I also heard a Red-bellied Woodpecker drumming on trees, likely making holes to nest in. I saw many different Woodpecker holes in the trees along the trail, most were in dead trees and were small and round.

I went birding at Red Rocks Park Trail on April 4th from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. It was cloudy and around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. It was a heavily forested area with some cleared out areas where you could see Lake Champlain. I saw and heard lots of House Finches (at least 5), Black-capped Chickadees (3), American Robins (3), and American Crows (2). I also saw a two Tufted Titmice and one Blue Jay on the ground foraging for food.

On March 24th, 2024, I went birding at Centennial Woods Natural Area in Burlington, Vermont. I started at 11:05pm and left at 12:10pm. The weather was sunny, the temperature was around 30 degrees Fahrenheit. There was still a lot of snow left on the ground from yesterday, however it had slowly started to melt away and some of it had turned to slush. I assumed that most of the birds would be hiding to keep warm and wasn’t expecting to see very many on this trip. Centennial Woods has a wide variety of different tree species and habitats. There are many heavily forested areas with species such as Eastern Hemlocks, Paper Birch, Northern Red Oak, and Black Cherry trees. There are also areas with heavy undergrowth such as bushes and ferns near to the main trail.

As I thought there weren’t many birds out, one bird I did see before even starting on the trail was an American Robin. Most American Robins are year-round resident species; there are some that will migrate to warmer areas however many will stay in Vermont through the winter months. They have many adaptations that help them survive the colder temperatures including fluffed feathers. Their second layer of feathers are down feathers which help trap air to insulate them and maintain their internal temperature. They also have a countercurrent exchange system in their legs which allows them to retain heat more effectively. The Hairy Woodpecker (and the Downy Woodpecker) is also a year-round resident. They will hollow out nesting cavities using their chisel beaks to stay warm and hide from predators in.

One example of a facultative migrant is the Yellow-rumped Warbler, they migrate south between March and April. They leave their breeding grounds in the northern areas to go to warmer areas with more abundant food. Their winter range can vary depending on the conditions, some will go to the southern states and some to Mexico or Central America.

Mini Activity:

Yellow-rumped Warbler: 2,281 miles

American Robin: 1,287 miles

I went on a birding trip on March 5th between 11:30 am and 12:45 pm at the Casavant Nature Area. It was 43 degrees Fahrenheit, cloudy with heavy wind and no precipitation. Parts of the trail that were close to the Winooski River, however, I spent most of my time further into the forested areas.

I saw a small group of American Crows before I entered the Nature Area. One was on the ground and the others were perched on a fence, they made a few harsh caws back and forth to each other. Upon entering the forested area, I immediately saw a group of Black-capped Chickadees, that flew away when I approached. I followed the trail further, until I found a spot to sit and listen for a while. Here I saw more Black-capped Chickadees that were foraging nearby. They were using their distinctive “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” call, however I also heard them use the “fee-bee” call a couple of times. I believe they use this call more to communicate with mates or to defend their territory.

Another species I saw was the Golden-crested Kinglet. I saw a male, which has a distinctive bright yellow strip on its head, that can be flared up into a crest. This is only present in the males and is used for mating displays, in comparison the females are less flashy and most of their body is a light olive color. Another species I heard at one point while birding was a Brown Creeper, which has much duller plumage in comparison to the Kinglet. This can be useful as a way to blend into the surroundings and avoid predators.

Mini Activity- Throughout this birding trip I saw lots of chickadees, most of the time there was a large group within a small area. Making the “pssh” sound scared them away most of the time. I tried using different volumes and timbres, and eventually got some that didn’t fly away, they seemed relatively unphased by it, they stopped for a moment and then went back to foraging. However, I think this was mostly because they were more used to my presence at the point as I had been sitting there for a while. I think this sound is particularly enticing to birds as it mimics the call of other birds, which draws them in to investigate if there is cause for concern.

• Date – 2/17/23
• Start time – 2:08 pm
• End time – 3:20 pm
• Location – The Causeway (and the forested areas nearby)
• Weather – 32°F, no precipitation, cloudy, very windy
• Habitat(s) – mixed trees, river edge

I started birding at the trail leading up to the causeway, here I heard a couple birds including Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, and Northern Cardinals. I couldn’t see any of them, however, as they were all farther from the path in the more heavily forested areas. From here, I walked along the Causeway for a while out of curiosity but couldn’t see any birds. I suspect this is due to it being colder and winder as well as there being less trees. After a while of not seeing anything, I headed back to the forested areas and explored some areas off the main trail. I immediately saw more Black-capped Chickadees, all grouped together foraging on the ground. Many species, including the Black-capped Chickadee will collect food from warmer months and store it underground for later. I also picked up a Golden-crowned Kinglet call on the Merlin app, and I think I saw one perched on a higher branch, but it was too far away to tell for sure. The Golden-crowned Kinglet uses the dense conifers to keep themselves warm, so it makes sense why I didn’t see them until I went further into the forest. Throughout the entire birding trip, I kept hearing a call that sounded like a squeaky door being opened. The Merlin app was unable to pick it up, so I did some research when I got home and was able to narrow it down to either a Common Grackle or a Blue Jay. I think most likely it was a Blue Jay as I was able to find some recordings of their piping notes that sounded very similar. Wandering into the forested areas some more I saw a couple Tufted Titmouse's on the lower branches and flying between trees. Many of the birds I saw had puffed out their feathers, which provided more insulation to keep them warm.

Mini activity:

For the mini activity, I made a list of all the places where I saw snags. Most of them were located farther into the forest. There were lots of big holes in the snags, I noticed a couple of small bugs on some of the snags. I found one snag that had bugs on it and lots of cavities and used a stick to drum on the outside, however no new bugs emerged, although that doesn’t necessarily mean that there wasn’t anything more living there. I suspect there were many more insects living there or even birds that had made their nests inside of the snags. Snags are important for providing habitat for both insects and birds, and they are often used by birds to forage in during the winter months.

On February 4th, 2024, I went birding at Centennial Woods Natural Area in Burlington, Vermont. I started at 11:30 am and left at 12:45 pm. The weather was sunny and windy, the temperature was around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Centennial Woods has a large variety of different tree species and habitat niches including Eastern Hemlocks, Paper Birch, Northern Red Oak, and Black Cherry trees. There are also areas with heavy undergrowth including bushes and ferns. There was a thin layer of snow and some ice on the ground.

The first species that I saw were the Black-capped Chickadee and the Tufted Titmouse. Both species were very abundant and present throughout the whole time I was there. The Black-capped Chickadees were more easily spotted as they spent a lot of time on the ground foraging and were more vocal than most of the other birds. I noticed both the typical song (chick-a-dee-dee-dee) as well as a shorter faster call that I think was also made by the Black-capped Chickadees. I could identify the Tufted Titmouse from its distinctive “peter-peter-peter” call.

After staying in this location for a while, I decided to move further into the forest to hopefully see some different species. I moved to an area that was more heavily forested and close to a pond. At the new location the Merlin Bird ID app picked up the calls for the American Goldfinch and the Pine Siskin, however I wasn’t able to see either of them. A little while later I heard a Blue Jay call and a White-breasted Nuthatch call, both of which were perched high up on a tree.

At about noon I saw a male Woodpecker on a nearby tree, drilling into the tree. I believe it was a Downy Woodpecker as the beak looked small compared to the size of the head. He stayed there for a while until a hiker came by and he got scared and flew away. I did some research after this and found that Downy Woodpeckers have an undulating flight pattern known as “Flap-bounding”. This consists of short bursts of flapping followed by the wings being pressed in towards the body. The American Goldfinch and the Pine Siskin have a similar flight pattern; however Black-capped Chickadees have a faster bouncy flight pattern. I also heard the calls for many other birds but never saw them, these include the Song Sparrow, the Northern Cardinal, and the American Robin.