jloyst's Journal

After reading the article Audubon posted on how wildlife reacts to such an event, I was eager to see it for myself in Burlington. Although we know when the eclipse will happen the birds have no idea which is why they would treat the dimming hour as dusk which was observed during the last solar eclipse.

During the eclipse, I went down to the waterfront to get a better view of bird behavior as the eclipse reached totality. I didn’t start noticing any behavior in the birds until the moon was overlapping with the sun about 70%. I noticed many ring-billed gulls and Canada geese flying away from the shore which could have been them looking for a place to rest. After the sunlight returned on my way back up I noticed the songbirds back in their trees and continuing their song. After learning about the photoperiod and how it influences a bird's cycle, I was curious to see if this event would influence their cycle due to the changing environmental cues. However, due to the quick return of the light, I think most of the wildlife just went back to what they would do in the daylight. I assume that the photoperiod would still align with the majority of their photosensitive period which would still create a response even with 40 minutes of dimmed light. The biggest change I noticed was the sound of the birds as once the sun returned they were beginning their calls like it was the early morning. Due to the darkness created during totality, this could have caused the birds to feel as though it was night which would cause them to begin their morning calls once the sun returned.

I also think an important factor to acknowledge about their changed behavior is the human disturbance aspect that came with this event. I would think that having thousands of more people in the area could throw off a bird's routine which would enable them to find a different area to forage in. As soon as the eclipse reached totality everyone started screaming which could have contributed to the sea birds' erratic behavior where they were trying to gain distance from the people.

For these observations, I went to Laplatte River Marsh Natural Area on April 29th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. I walked along the trail and sat at the bench observing the marsh. The habitat consisted of shrubs surrounding the water with some coniferous and deciduous trees which bordered the trail. It was a cloudy day with a temperature of 53 degrees Fahrenheit with minimal wind.

I went to Laplatte River Marsh Natural Area on April 19th from 12:30-1:30 pm for this field journal. It was a sunny day with blue skies and a couple of clouds. It was around 56 degrees with minimal wind gusts. The habitat was grass and shrubs surrounding the marsh with a few coniferous and deciduous trees surrounding the trail leading to the marsh.

When it came to mate selection I noticed that the Buffleheads were bobbing their heads which could be a form of a display to attract the female Buffleheads. The sexual dimorphism that exits between these birds also shows that the physical display of the male is at play when it comes to attracting a female. The iridescent colors on the Buffleheads which are absent in the females could have evolved due to the females selecting mates based on their appearances.

The Canada geese however stood out to me with their loud vocal behavior. There was a period where there was a pair that was just singing to one another and following one another for 20 minutes. Their use of sound is part of their mating display which shows protection and to get the female's attention. They could have been moving around for so long together to find a good nesting area as well. It was easiest to use the mini activity for the Canada Geese since their sounds are so loud however there were multiple geese around the marsh so the direction and distance from me was constantly changing depending on which geese I was trying to focus on.

When it came to nest selection for the double-crested cormorant and territory selection the cormorants were all flying and diving on the lake and by the marsh area. There was a Double-crested cormorant that didn’t leave the top of a tree the whole time I was observing that area which could indicate that is its nesting area. It would be wise for the Cormorant to have their nests on the trees nearing the water where they dive for various fish so that when they breed it will be near their feeding ground. Around the property, there were many nests surrounding the trees and the marsh that were closer to the top of the trees I would imagine for protection against predators as well as because it was close to materials best suited for nesting such as sticks and grass from the marsh however it is also common for other birds such as the Buffleheads to nest in tree cavities instead. It also is in an area where these water birds can get fish which is a common meal for water birds such as the Bufflehead, Doublecrested cormorant, and the Caspian Tern.

On April 6th I went to the Laplatte River Marsh Natural Area from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. On this day it was cloudy and a bit rainy. There were also high wind speeds which made it hard to find any birds out in the open and close to the waterfront. The habitat near the River marsh was a mix of open fields and forests filled with both deciduous and coniferous trees. I mainly stayed on the path that neighbored some bare trees with an opening filled with grasses.

For this journal, I was at the base of Sugarbush near a residential, woody area from 8:10 am to 9:10 am on March 21st. I walked around to some conifers and watched on a porch near a bird feeder for this journal. It was right after it snowed 4 inches and it was fairly cold around 12 degrees Fahrenheit with high winds. During this hour I saw black-capped chickadees, Darkeyed Juncos, Blue Jays, and Song Sparrows. There were many Blue Jays present as well as Black-capped chickadees in this area. Out of all the birds, I saw Song Sparrows migrate as well as some Dark-eyed Juncos and Bluejays.

Normally the black-capped chickadees are not known to migrate if they are adults. To endure the cold winters in Vermont black-capped chickadees are known to fluff up their feathers to add insulation to their wings. By fluffing up their wings it reduces the ratio of surface area- volume which increases their ability to keep heat.

Dark-eyed Juncos are known to be medium-distance migrants some in the rocky mountains only migrate in short distances whereas others don’t migrate at all if they are to the east of the Apaplations. The dark-eyed juncos that migrate have a peak migration in October and March/ April. In the Eastern United States, they go Northward each spring. For the birds that don’t migrate they move to lower elevations and thicker woodlands. Regarding to their behavior, when I was researching them I found that it is common for them to overlap ranges in the winter with Sparrows and Bluejays which I noticed during my observation.
Blue jays migrate as well but there is a lot that is unknown about this species. Some are present during all of the winter whereas others migrate, mostly juveniles but some adults as well. For the Blue Jays that don’t migrate they tolerate the colder temperatures by staying in dense, evergreen forests with thicker vegetation.

Lastly, the Song Sparrows migrate and are known to be medium-distance migrants but Song Sparrows from Canada or Alaska travel the longest distance. They migrate to either the Southern part of the United States or Northern Mexico. They are known to migrate in April which it seems like they could have migrated earlier. When I mapped out the ranges of the Song sparrow and if it traveled from Mexico to Vermont that is around 2000 miles which I think is very impressive. It is really interesting when you draw it out to see how far they travel to get to their desired temperature for the winter.

I went to Oakledge Park on March 5th from 12:30-1:40 pm for this field journal. It was a very cloudy and windy day with the temperature around 50 degrees. It also started drizzling by the end of the hour. The habitat was coniferous forests with mostly eastern white and red pine and closer to the lake the habitat was sandy, filled with shrubs.

Along my walk in Oakledge, I saw the Black-capped chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, and the Tufted Titmouse. The birds that I observed were in very different spots from my last visit, I assume it was because of the high winds. They were in more sheltered areas and in the trees rather than by the bike path. The birds were interacting in different ways. They all were hopping from twig to twig but the Black-capped chickadees were surrounded by one another more than the other birds. I noticed there were either a lot of bird songs or there were none at all. I think the birds were communicating with one another to let the others know where they were it seemed like as soon as one bird would sing a song other birds would answer back

When directing my attention to the Black-capped Chickadee they were highly active, constantly making sounds while also foraging as they hopped from tree to tree. I think that this behavior fits the small bird because even though it is starting to get warmer I would imagine to keep itself warm and safe it needs a highly active routine.

When comparing the plumage of the Cardinal and the Black-capped chickadee, the Cardinal has 1 plumage whereas the chickadee has multiple. Cardinals do not have a dull plumage, the males are bright red and I would assume this coloration is productive for the fitness of the bird by attracting mates. However, the black-capped chickadee has duller colors such as grey, black, and white. I think the coloration is also important to match the time because it almost breeding season for cardinals and Chickadees which could also account for the bird calls and the bright coloration in the birds around this time.

When focusing on the Black-capped chickadee I started playing their songs from the Merlin Bird app. When I played the song it attracted the chickadees to come very close to me. I think that their sound was enticing to the birds and made them curious to try to find where the sound was coming from because it is their form of communication. Also when creating a psssh sound caught the attention fo the birds; When altering the tones it was either altering the birds or when it was a higher friendlier ton it seemed they were less alarmed and more curious.

I went to Oakledge Park on February 20th from 9:30- 10:30 am for this field journal. It was cloudy with a little bit of wind and although it was 25 degrees out it felt more like 23 but there wasn’t much precipitation just some flurries. The habitat was coniferous forests with mostly eastern white and red pine.

Along my walk in Oakledge, I saw the white-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped chickadee, Golden-crowned kinglet, Downy Woodpecker, and the Tufted Titmouse. The birds that I observed were fairly close to the ground in densely packed forests. Areas of the trail that had fewer trees and more space available were not occupied by birds. Staying lower in areas with many trees offers the birds protection from the wind and the cold air during the winter which is why they were mostly congregating in the same areas. The birds are mostly looking for seeds to eat and small berries and fruits if available. Their diets differ because in the summer they can eat caterpillars and more insects however in the winter their diet mostly shifts to seeds, berries, and fruits. During my observation all the birds I saw were extremely active they were moving from branch to branch so much that it was hard to keep up with them using my binoculars. I would assume this could be because they are trying to stay warm and forage. The white-breasted nuthatch was mostly climbing up the trees where whereas the chickadees were hoping for more branches to branch on different trees.

As far as evolution and ecology go, the birds were retaining heat by trapping air within their feathers. They can often fluff their feathers up which I observed when I saw the Tufted Titmouse because it looked plumper and wider. They also are warm-blooded animals that are endothermic meaning they maintain a constant high body temperature. Oakledge Park had many dead snags with huge cavities, where I would assume a bird would spend their night. Also, I would assume they would stay lower in the forest in dense areas to help with the heat more.

Along my walk, I noticed that the older bigger snags had bigger cavities as well. Although there weren’t any birds near the snag when I went on my walk in the morning, I think this habitat would be used at night when the temperatures drops to offer protection from the cold, wind, and other predators. There was many snage at Oakledge which was interesting to see walking in the woods. I also noticed that along with using snags the birds would also put their bodies between trees which is another form of protection from the cold weather.

I went to Shelburne Bay State Park on February 6th from 9:50- 10:50 am for this field journal. It was a sunny day with blue skies and a couple of clouds. 7mph winds were coming from the North and although it was 30 degrees out it felt more like 23 but there wasn’t any precipitation. The habitat was the shore of the lake that was softly iced. The water was still moving in wave motions even with the ice covering allowing the birds to float near the shore in the water. The beach was sandy and there were no trees present.
The particular species I observed was a Ring-billed gull which was flying in the air on the beach. I witnessed this bird fly off the beach and into the lake. This Ring-billed gull had steady wing flaps and at times would just glide through the air without needing to flap its wings at high speeds. I watched its wings go through a circular motion- up forward down and back. The Ring-billed gull would get a lot of lift flying high above the lake. However, the mallard duck had a different flight pattern; The mallard duck had less lift and more thrust, it would make its way along the lake without getting high into the sky but instead hovering just above the water. The Ring-billed gulls spend more time on the beach and the mallard sucks spent more time sitting in the water by the shore. The mallard ducks were more steady in the water whereas the Ring-billed gulls were constantly moving around their body or their head.
A big comparison between these species would be their wing type. The Ring-billed gull had a high aspect ratio wing type whereas the mallard duck had a high speed wing type. A high aspect ratio would allow the Ring-billed gull to fly for a long time giving it more lift with their longer narrow wings. A high-speed wing has a lower aspect ratio and more width which helps the bird gain more thrust when flying. Knowing the bird wing types matched the flight patterns I observed.
In total, there were about 55 birds by the shore where I was observing. There were more ring-billed gulls than ducks however the ring-billed gulls were constantly moving where the ducks were just sitting in the water. The lack of bird species would be due to the timing since it was very sunny and bright out as well as in the middle of the winter. Due to the lack of diverse habitat, this would also lead to little diversity observed in this area. The birds present on the water during the winter would be more specific because these birds would have to be able to handle the cold water temperatures, presence of ice, and lack of food on the dry bare trees present. To have better luck I would try observing this area at an earlier time because the sun is up ahead.