jenna_siders's Journal

Date: 04-29-2024
Start Time: 4:38 pm
End time: 5:29 pm
Location: Burlington Bike Path
Weather: The weather today was mostly cloudy, with the occasional peak through sunshine. The high for the day was 57 degrees, but when I went it was around 53, feeling like 51. There was not much wind.
Habitat: Some trees along one side of the path, some dried with no leaves, some growing buds. There were some coniferous trees lining the path I was on. The ground was pretty clear, with the exception of a few areas of dead leaves. Overall it was very dry. Some of the grass and dirt lining the path was muddy.

Date: 04-22-2024
Start Time: 4:28 pm
End time: 5:28 pm
Location: Burlington Recreation Path
Weather: The weather today has been pretty sunny. The high was 48 degrees Fahrenheit and the low was 31 degrees, but when I went, it was 47 degrees. There was a slight wind chill making it feel like 45 degrees.
Habitat: Few trees, most were dried with no leaves, but some were growing buds. There were some coniferous trees lining the path I was on. The ground was pretty clear, with the exception of a few areas of dead leaves. Overall it was very dry. Some of the grass and dirt lining the path was muddy.

One of the main behaviors I’ve been seeing in relation to onset of mating and breeding season is an increase in vocalizations. Compared to my earlier bird walks at the start of the semester when it was colder out, my more recent walks have been much louder with a jump in vocal activity. I’ve also seen birds be a bit more hostile recently. Not to say that they are aggressive, but I’ve noticed birds being protective of their own personal space a lot more than before.
I think a lot of the birds I’ve been observing have been nesting in shorter bushes and shrubs, rather than trees. At this point in time, many of the trees are just beginning to bud and still have a lot of exposure. In contrast, many bushes have a lot more leaves, providing greater coverage and shelter. It also makes it easier for the birds to hide from predators and blend in. However, I guess not all birds are able to nest in places like this. Bigger birds might require more space for themselves, or might need larger branches to support their nests. Birds of other species with different dietary needs may also choose to nest somewhere closer to their main source of food.
There is a pair, I’m assuming a mated pair, of Northern Cardinals that I have seen on a couple of my bird walks. Today, I saw the male in the spot I usually see them; I’m assuming their nest is somewhere nearby. I think he was doing an adequate job of defending his territory; he was singing and he was the only bird in the tree, possibly meaning he was able to successfully ward other birds off. However, I did not see any other cardinals today, so I did not have much to compare his activity to. Based on this alone, I’d guess that this particular cardinal has a decent to high fitness.
A species I saw a lot today was American Robins. From experience, I know that their nests are mostly made of straws, grasses, some small twigs, and dried plants. They don’t tend to use a lot of mud in their nests. To acquire these materials, they would have to pick through the dried plants and leaves on the ground between trees. They could also go to a field to get dried vegetation.

Date: 04-08-2024
Start Time: 3:29 pm
End time: 4:29 pm
Location: Shelburne Bay Park
Weather: The weather today was mostly sunny, with a few clouds here and there. The high for the day was 51 degrees, but when I went it was around 48. There was a good amount of wind making it feel colder.
Habitat: Many trees with a walking path going through. There were also some marshy areas; a lot of the ground was muddy due to the snow melt. Other than some trees starting to bloom, the majority of the trees were pine trees.

Date: 03-25-2024
Start Time: 5:33 pm
End time: 6:33 pm
Location: Burlington Bike Path
Weather: The weather today was mostly sunny, with a few clouds here and there. The high for the day was 46 degrees, but when I went it was around 43. There was a lot of snow on the ground, but it was in the process of melting.
Habitat: Few trees, most were dried with no leaves. There were some coniferous trees lining the path I was on. The ground was mostly covered in snow, however, there were some soaked patches of grass where the snow had already melted.

Some of the year-round resident species I observed include Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, and House Sparrows. These birds are able to forgo migration mainly because of their size. They are small enough to still find shelter in dead trees or in tree hollows. They also don’t require as much food as bigger species, so they can survive off of seeds, nuts, and the scarce insects. In other words, their diets are adapted to survive barren winters. Additionally, these small songbirds aren’t always physiologically built for migration. Birds that migrate need strong wings to carry them hundreds of miles; their wings often have a longer, narrower shape, while songbirds have wings that are shorter, proportional to their bodies.
A facultative migrant that has been arriving recently is the American Robin. This species was likely coming from a more southern state, and could be going further north than Vermont, or staying here. This is likely due to the fact that in the winter, a southern state would be warmer and have more food availability. As the snow is melting here, though, more plants are able to start to bloom and flower, providing an additional food source. Some advantages of arriving in early April might be that those individuals get first pick at territory and nesting areas. However, a disadvantage is that it is still cold and might snow again, making it harder to survive here.
Based on my calculations, the rough total miles is at least a couple thousand. American robins have been known to reside as far south as Florida in the winter, and that distance alone is about 1200 miles. Furthermore, Canada Geese fly that distance and more. I saw a flock today flying overhead, so I’m assuming they’re flying even further north.

Date: 03-08-2024
Start Time: 8:12
End time: 9:12
Location: Burlington Bike Path
Weather: The weather today was partly cloudy, but sunny at some points. It was also very hazy, probably due to the fact that I went in the morning. The high for the day was 45 degrees, but when I went it was 30 and felt like 24.
Habitat: Few trees, most were dried with no leaves. There were some coniferous trees lining the path I was on. The ground was pretty clear, with the exception of a few areas of dead leaves. Overall it was very dry.
To me, it seemed like most of the birds, at least most of the song birds, were able to interact and coexist peacefully. They were able to share perches and occupy the same areas of space with minimal conflicts. Concerning audio cues, many of them displayed their songs or calls to one another. None of the sounds I observed sounded hostile or territorial, with the exception of one blue jay, and none of their calls seemed to be in alert of anything. Concerning visual cues, many of the birds moved between branches or trees, while keeping a respectful distance from other birds. Again, there was the one blue jay who let off an alarming call then hastily flew off in one direction, but that was the exception. There seemed to be a “you do your thing and I’ll do mine” mentality between the birds, allowing them to coexist.
Two species I observed were the Northern Cardinal and the Black-capped Chickadee, which have very different plumage. The cardinal, at least the male, is much brighter than its female counterpart and other species. This may be advantageous when finding a mate, but it no doubt makes it easier for predators to spot. Contrastingly, the chickadee has a plumage of much more neutral tones, allowing it to camouflage and blend in more.
The male cardinal I observed was with what I assume to be its mate, perched on a nest. I go on walks on this route at least once a week and usually see them, so I’m assuming they are a breeding pair. I imagine these birds are at the nest in the morning and at dusk. They may also return to the nest periodically, but I think for the majority of the day, they will be out and about, foraging. This does also depend on if they have chicks or not, but I don’t believe there are any at the moment, so they don’t need to be near the nest constantly.
I was able to try “spishing” on one small group of birds close enough to me. I wouldn’t say that it attracted them, but they didn’t fly away right away either. They stopped vocalizing to each other for a couple seconds, almost as if they were listening to me, then returned to vocalizing. I’m not sure what exactly makes this work, but I feel like the “pish” sound is very non-threatening. Perhaps the birds don’t feel threatened, then their curiosity takes over and they go to investigate the person. Another reason is that it could mimic the sounds of another bird species, also prompting them to investigate.

Date: 02-22-2024
Start Time: 2:36
End time: 3:36
Location: Burlington Bike Path
Weather: The weather today was very cloudy and windy. The high for the day was 43 degrees Fahrenheit, and when I was outside, I believe it was around 42-43 degrees. However, with the wind chill, it felt like it was in the 30s.
Habitat: Few trees, most were dried with no leaves. There were some pine trees lining the path I was on. The ground was pretty clear, with the exception of a few areas of dead leaves.

During the winter months, most birds have it rougher than they do in the summertime. The colder temperatures make everything harder, from foraging to finding shelter. To produce or maintain body heat, birds rely on their feathers. Being warm-blooded animals, they are able to generate their own body heat. Their feathers then help to trap this heat close to their body and stop it from escaping into the environment. Birds may also fly and move around less in order to conserve their energy. Additionally, birds allot more time in the winter to sleeping. While this could be due to the shorter days and longer nights, it also helps them to maintain high energy levels in the colder climates.
Birds’ diets also have a change in the winter months. In the summer, birds have a plethora of food to choose from, including insects, fruits, and nuts or seeds. Unfortunately, not all of these are found when it is colder. Most birds rely heavily on seeds for their diets, as insects are scarce. Hunting for live food also takes a tremendous amount of energy that the birds should be using to keep themselves warm. Concerning winter shelter, the main goal is to find a spot that can protect from snow and wind. For many birds, this means finding tree cavities or a roosting spot protected by overheard branches. Other birds, such as crows, often flock together to create heat.
On my bird walk, I was able to find a decent amount of snags. Not all of them had cavities, but a good number did. I guessed that when snag size increased, size meaning the circumference of the trunk, not the height, cavity size would also increase. I did also observe that snags with cavities had more bird activity than snags without cavities or non-snags in general. I think snags are important because they provide birds with shelter from the wind and snow that harsh temperatures bring. Birds really only live in nests when preparing for or raising chicks, so they can use cavities in lieu during the off season. I predict the birds most likely to use snags are smaller songbirds. The birds have to be on the smaller side to fit into and actually utilize the cavities.

Date: 02-08-2024
Start Time: 3:56
End time: 4:56
Location: Centennial Woods
Weather: The weather today was mostly sunny, with minimal cloud coverage. The high for the day was 43 degrees Fahrenheit, and when I was outside, I believe it was around 42-43 degrees. There was little wind.
Habitat: Many trees, but most were dried with no leaves. There were some clumps of pine or coniferous trees clustered close together, but those were the minority. The ground was mainly covered in dried leaves and pinecones, with some patches of snow sitting on the ground.

One of the birds I was able to observe the most was a Black-capped Chickadee. While I wasn’t super close to the birds and they didn’t tend to fly openly, I was able to observe a few specimens fly briefly from tree to tree or from branch to branch. Their wings often fluttered a bit at take off, then they would quickly hop and glide to a different tree. When in flight, a chickadee’s wings are very rounded, and create almost an oblong shape around its body. This wing shape suits the bird well, seeing as chickadees never have to travel long distances or migrate.
Another bird I observed was a White-breasted Nuthatch. I didn’t see as many of them as I did Black-capped Chickadees, but I was able to see one in flight. It mainly glided between tree trunks, only a few feet at the maximum. The nuthatch’s wings are a bit more narrow than that of the chickadee’s. They still have rounded edges while in flight, but the overall shape of the wingspan is much less oblong. This could be due to the fact that nuthatches mainly land on the trunks of trees rather than the branches, and they can achieve that with more gliding and less flapping.
Overall, I did not see many birds. Many factors could have contributed to this. I feel like the weather was ideal to see birds; it was sunny with little wind and quite warm considering the time of year. However, the spot I chose has a lot of human activity and foot traffic, which may have deterred some birds. The footing was dry leaves and snow, so walking around, even on a trail, made a loud ruckus which could have disturbed them. If I wanted to come here again, I would go closer to dawn or dusk, when other people are less likely to be in the area. I also feel I would have more luck in an area with more tree coverage. The birds seemed to stay away from trees without any leaves, and those trees made up the majority of the area I was in. They liked pines trees or any trees with some green on them, so an area filled with those trees might prove to be better.