jfeld's Journal

4/27/2024
Start: 7:30 AM
End: 11:00 AM
52 Degrees, mostly clear, slightly windy
VT Audubon Center
Wide variety from swampy area, open fields, forests

Canada Goose
Common Merganser
Wild Turkey
American Woodcock
Spotted Sandpiper
Great Blue Heron
Belted Kingfisher
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Tree Swallow
Eastern Bluebird
Winter Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird

4/8/2024
Start: 2:45
End: 3:44
53 degrees, partly cloudy, 3mph winds
The UVM Forestry Lab on Spear Street
Open field with solar panels with a rapid transition to high canopy

Bird List:
Song Sparrow (~8)
Dark-eyed Junco (5)
Northern Cardinal (2)
American Crow (4)
Killdeer! (1)
Carolina Wren (1)
American Robin (4)
Brown-headed Cowbird (1)
Red-winged Blackbird (~10)
Black-capped Chickadee (~5)
American Goldfinch (2)
Pine Siskin! (2)

Date - 3/25
Start Time - 4:45 pm
End Time - 6:00 pm
Location - Winooski River Trail
Weather- partially cloudy, ~35 F, no wind
Habitats - Water (river and pond), brambles, marshy fields, some medium age forests.

I feel like this week was the most active so far, although this week I had my binoculars that I brought back with me from spring break. This week I saw a solid mix of year-round species as well as some migratory birds. The year rounders I saw were white-breasted nuthatch, black-capped chickadee, northern cardinal, tufted titmouse, and hairy and downy woodpeckers. These birds have a relatively broad diet, i.e. the cardinal and the tufted titmouse, allowing for a reasonable adaptation of diet when things like seeds are typically less available in the winter. The woodpeckers and nuthatch are able to find insects within the trees which isn't too affected by the cold.
As for migratory birds, I'm not sure if I saw any that can be considered obligatory migrants however I think some species I saw could be considered facultative migrants. I saw a handful of Red-winged Blackbirds which All About Birds' map is a little hard to tell if they migrate or not as the year round range seems to border right on Burlington. Personally, from visiting this spot since the first journal, I don't recall seeing or hearing the Red-winged blackbirds over the winter so in my book they are migrants, even if they didn't go too far. I saw a couple of Cedar Waxwings as well, which from what I found online aren't technically considered migratory and seem to roam about areas somewhat randomly in groups. Lastly, I saw a few robins picking at the ground near muddy/sandy edges of the frozen Winooski River. This behavior is definitely a sign of some short distance migration as during Burlington winters, if there are any robins left, they will most likely not be pecking at the frozen ground, rather eating berries that they can find.
Mini-Activity:
American Robin ~ 500 miles
Red-winged blackbird ~ 800 miles
Cedar Waxwing ~ 250 miles

Date - 3/8
Start Time - 4 pm
End Time - 4:45 pm
Location - Winooski River Trail
Weather- clear sky, ~43 F, no wind
Habitats - Water (river and pond), brambles, marshy fields, some medium age forests.

This week I saw a little more than the last. I saw male and female cardinals, heard what I think was a tufted titmouse, saw a couple mallards and canadian geese, as well as a few other songbirds. I tried spishing although no birds seemed to be attracted. Some chickadees fluttered around although I wouldn't really call them being attracted. Rather than attracting, I think the spishing got the birds to move around which was helpful to see them a little easier.

I did see hear a tufted titmouse calling from relatively high up in a bare area of the forest near the river. Tufted titmice are interesting to me because it feels like they have pretty decent camouflage and when comparing the behavior I observed, it seemed fairly similar to what I have seen male cardinals do in the past, perching high up in the open and singing really loudly. I do wonder if the male cardinal in this behavior ever fears fear as they seem to fully expose themselves both with sound but also bright red color. It makes more sense to me that the titmouse would do this behavior as it still seems unsafe although the blue gray color makes them a little more hidden than the bright red. As for how this fits into behavior throughout the day I imagine this is some sort of communication behavior with members of the other sex and also maybe an aspect of territory. It seems as this behavior is a more active time of their day as it requires a fair amount of energy.

Date - 2/23
Start Time - 3:00 pm
End Time - 3:45 pm
Location - Winooski River Trail
Weather- Partly cloudy, ~45 F, no wind
Habitats - Water (river and pond), brambles, marshy fields, some medium age forests.

My walk today was oddly quiet. I only heard the occasional titmouse and cardinal as well as a few juncos. I don't recall seeing any birds flying around at all. Maybe that has to do with energy conservation in winter? One interesting species I saw was what I think was a male Bufflehead. It was hard to tell but I'm fairy sure it was because of the amount of white I saw on the flanks as well as a large amount of white on the head. I saw it diving under the water which I thought was an interesting hunting strategy. As for how diets may differ in different season, I assume that many of the songbirds that rely on insects in the spring/summer/fall might switch to a more berry and seed heavy diet.

There was an abundance of snags that I saw on my walk today and they are likely utilized by all sorts of cavity nesters. While I didn't really get the opportunity to rap on any of the cavities, I imagine if I did I would have found a few nesters conserving energy in the cold. Also, Buffleheads use cavities so maybe I would have found one.

Date - 2/9/2024
Start time - 1:45 p.m.
End time - 2:30 p.m.
Location - Winooski River Trail
Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) - 45 F, 11 mph winds from the south, clear skies
Habitat(s) - brambles, open field with reeds, semi-frozen ponds

The individual I got to observe the most today was a Tufted Titmouse. I first noticed its movement in some low branches on the edge of a clearing. It hopped around a little then flew over my head and across the clearing. When it landed on the other side it gave out one of its "peter-peter-peter" calls and flew away again.
When it flew, it seemed to take one big flap and then glide downwards a little bit and take another big flap. In this way it kind of went up and down through the air rather than a straight line. I think that this flight might be beneficial in open air although may be a hinderance when flying low to the ground through some brush.
Overall during this outing I saw and heard a fair bit but not a whole lot of diversity. I saw 28 mallards on a half frozen pond, a bunch of chickadees, a female cardinal, and heard a song sparrow briefly. I think that this area faces challenges surrounding noise pollution. With the airport so close, many planes fly over at a low altitude as well as there being a construction site nearby. Next time I think I would go a little further into the woods, although this time it was too muddy to really explore.