Field Journal 2

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.

Posted on February 23, 2024 04:24 PM by